Issue 86 - April 2018 by Airsoft Action

AIRSOFT ACTION

P L AY E R S ’

C H O I C E

B E S T

A I R S O F T

M A G A Z I N E

ARMOURY

UMAREX GLOCK 42 UMAREX G36C GBB CYBERGUN SIG MCX TM AKS74N RECOIL G&G GC16 PREDATOR CLASSIC ARMY SVD AEG

100 PAGE IWA SPECIAL!

SITE UPDATE SOUTH COAST CQB

INTERNATIONAL

APRIL 2018

FIRST LINE GEAR

WARRIORS

FEATURE

INSIDE AIRSOFT HOBBY AIRSOFT

AIRSOFT SOLDIERS

THE LAST POST

PAINTING 101

SURVIVAL SKILLS

9 772047 348032

PROJECT CRETE

PROUDLY SUPPORTING PILGRIM BANDITS

APRIL 2018 - £4.50

SHOT SHOW 2018 BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES

EZ Distribution is now working in an exclusive partnership with Umarex to distribute Airsoft products to businesses within the UK. Umarex manufacture the highest quality officially licensed Airsoft products available anywhere in the world.

EZ Distribution – Creating a business account with us is quick & easy.

Receive 10% off your first order, and free UK delivery on all orders over £500. Visit ezdistribution.co.uk for further details.

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AIRSOFT ACTION

P L AY E R S ’

C H O I C E

B E S T

A I R S O F T

M A G A Z I N E

ARMOURY: CYBERGUN SIG MCX

ARMOURY

UMAREX GLOCK 42 CYBERGUN SIG MCX TM AKS74N RECOIL G&G GC16 PREDATOR CLASSIC ARMY SVD AEG

100 PAGE IWA SPECIAL!

SITE UPDATE SOUTH COAST CQB

INTERNATIONAL SHOT SHOW 2018 BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES

WARRIORS

> 04

FEATURE

INSIDE AIRSOFT HOBBY AIRSOFT

AIRSOFT SOLDIERS

THE LAST POST

PAINTING 101

SURVIVAL SKILLS

9 772047 348032

APRIL 2018

FIRST LINE GEAR

ARMOURY: UMAREX GLOCK 42

APRIL 2018 - £4.50

PROUDLY SUPPORTING PILGRIM BANDITS PROJECT CRETE

Editor: Nigel Streeter Assistant Editor: Gareth “Gadge” Harvey Graphic Design: Havoc Design Ad Design: Havoc Design Publisher: Nigel Streeter Cover Photo: Tom Hibberd UK 13-issue subscription rate: £46.50 UK 6-issue subscription rate: £24.00 For overseas prices email: subs@airsoft-action.co.uk

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LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editor: nige@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT: MEXICO

SITE UPDATE: SOUTH COAST CQB

71 QUIZ: HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU?

84 FEATURE: PAINTING YOUR GUN

Contents APRIL 2018

CONTENTS APRIL 2018 6 NEWS 10 ROGUE’S GALLERY Cool photos of Airsoft Action readers. 12 ARMOURY: CYBERGUN SIG MCX SIG have just put on their big boy pants with this modern take on the AR15 platform and Scott Allan asks: “Does it measure up and why would you ever want one?” 16 ARMOURY: UMAREX GLOCK 42 17, 18, 19, 26, 34, 43… No, not this week’s Lucky Numbers but Glock’s famous 9mm pistols. Frenchie takes a look at another of their number from Umarex, the diminutive ‘42. 20 ARMOURY: TM AK74 RECOIL Jerry Noone takes a close look at a classic design in “recoil” form, the TM AKS74N Recoil AEG. 24 EVENT: SHOT SHOW 2018 Femme Fatale, Kelly Hardwick, packed her bags and hit Las Vegas, where she reports from the World’s largest firearms and airsoft show. 30 INSIDE AIRSOFT: HOBBY AIRSOFT Airsoft in Ireland is alive, well and growing, as Lez Lee found out when he spoke to company that has been trading there for over ten years - and has big plans for the future. 34 GITAG: AIRSOFT VEHICLES This month Bill Thomas speaks to Matt Furey-King about the vehicles he has created specifically for airsoft. 38 WARRIORS: STINGER HUNTERS In his biggest “Warriors” to date, Gareth “Gadge” Harvey writes about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, where American intervention created a whole new threat to the invaders and the Soviets a way of dealing with it.

46 INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT: MEXICO Airsoft is alive and well in Mexico and once again a chance conversation gave Bill Thomas the opportunity to speak to the guys at Toloks Club Airsoft Mérida. 48 INTERNATIONAL EVENT: BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES Kelly “Femme Fatale” Hardwick attends the inaugural Desertfox Airsoft event, in California, USA and finds technology plays a bit part in the game. 52 SITE UPDATE: SOUTH COAST CQB Airsoft Action has visited South Coast CQB before and Lez Lee returns to see how they have made the site disabled player-friendly. 57 FEATURE: AIRSOFT SOLDIERS Gadge Harvey looks at one of the more contentious issues in airsoft and his own experiences around it, as he tackles the old chestnut that is: “Does real world military service make you a better airsofter?”

74 ARMOURY: CLASSIC ARMY SVD Jerry Noone picks up an electric version of the notorious “Dragunov” from Classic Army and puts it through its paces. 78 AIRSOFT SCENARIOS: OP CONGO RESCUE PT2 After a brief break, Billy brings us the second part of a “fictitious” event that could be the basis of an airsoft scenario. 80 ARMOURY: UMAREX H&K G36C GBB Gas guns are a fickle thing, that is why the Umarex G36C went back to school to be taught how to do it right. Did it learn anything or will it spend some more time in detention? 84 FEATURE: PAINTING YOUR GUN Want to create that “Tier 1” look? Tom Hibberd offers some tips and advice on how to turn an ordinary airsoft gun into something “special”.

62 ARMOURY: G&G GC16 PREDATOR Diane Montagnier won a G&G G16 a couple of years ago for her photography and now she has decided to use it as the basis for a new project… Jurassic World!

88 SURVIVAL: FIRE LIGHTING Although not a skill you are likely to use every game day, there are occasions where being able to light a fire with just the materials at hand might be useful, as Paul Yelland explains.

64 PROJECT CRETE: FIRST LINE GEAR Bill and Kelly are well into their preparation for their trip to Crete in May to attend “WarZone 2018”. In this issue Bill turns his attention to choice of clothing and looks at what makes a good setup and why.

90 THE LAST POST: CHAIRSOFTERS We all come across them on our travels round social media and following a straw poll of Airsoft Action contributors, Frenchie sharpens his quill as he tackles the subject of “chairborne warriors”.

67 FEATURE: THERMAL VISION New French contributor and airsoft sniper, Groquik, takes a look at two thermal vision products that could be used it in-game.

92 AIRSOFT ACTION STOCKISTS Where to buy your copy of The Players’ Choice Best Airsoft Magazine before it goes on sale in newsagents.

71 QUIZ: HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU? In the first-ever Airsoft Action Quiz Tom Hibberd and Gadge Harvey plant their tongues firmly in their cheeks and ask: “How “Operator” are you?”

94 SITE DIRECTORY & PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUBS Looking for a skirmish site, or your local Airsoft Practical Pistol Club? Then we may have the answer, with pages of sites and clubs throughout the UK.

s w e N t f o s Air AIRSOFT ACTION WINS PLAYERS’ AWARD FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING It was with huge delight that we recently learned of our success in the 8th Popular Airsoft Players’ Choice Awards where, once again, Airsoft Action was voted the “Best Airsoft Magazine (Print and Digital)”. This is the second year running that we have won this prestigious award and what makes it so special, is that it is voted for by the people for whom we write this magazine - and that’s you, the players! Airsoft Action has been published for nearly seven years and from “Day One” we have tried to produce a magazine that will “inform, entertain and challenge” our readers and while we may not always be the “prettiest”, we know that “content is King”.

NUPROL TO SUPPLY G&G AIRSOFT PRODUCTS TO THE UK.

Airsoft Action recently had the pleasure of attending the Nuprol/G&G launch party at JD Airsoft, in Cannock. Phil and the guys at JD Airsoft had kindly let Ross and Danny from NUPROL host an Open Day at the shop to showcase the exciting range of G&G AEGs, pistols and other kit now being distributed into the UK by the world-renowned brand. Throughout the day “Flash Sales” were held on G&G and NUPROL goodies and there was even a chance to win a G&G ARP9 in battleship grey for the lucky customer who could prove they were the fastest gun in the West (Midlands!) on the timed electronic target shoot! A fun day out was had by all whether youíd come along to blag a bargain, chat to the guys from NUPROL (and a few folk were happy to chat to the Airsoft Action team too!) or just do some Saturday shopping and grab a complimentary coffee, cake or sandwich from the buffet.

We also know that nobody wants to pay for a catalogue of adverts, nor do they want to see re-runs, or articles gleaned from the internet and that is why Airsoft Action contributors are out there with you, talking the talk, walking the walk and taking hundreds of photos - and they wouldn‘t have it any other way! So, on behalf of the great team I have the incredible pleasure of working with here at Airsoft Action, to each and every one of you who voted for us, I want to say a huge “thank you”! Your support means a great deal to all of us and is very, very much appreciated. Nige - The Ed.

308 SNIPER MOVE TO BIGGER PREMISES. Due to their rapidly expanding popularity and the demand for more choice and in-stock equipment, 308Sniper have had to relocate to new premises to meet the demand. They have outgrown the original outlet and so the decision was made to not only acquire a new, bigger retail unit, but also to develop a unique feature for customers and visitors alike. The new 2 tier shop at 44 High Street, Chatham, Kent (just up the road from the original premises) has more square footage of shop and storage space to facilitate their increased range of RIFs, kit and consumables, including their huge demand for TAG pyrotechnics as they are one of the only (known) outlet for these unique-but-hard-to-find type of tactical game enhancers in the South of the U.K. In addition (and this is a BIG addition), Chris and Lindsay Young, owners of 308Sniper, have recognised the need for a more social aspect to airsoft retail so they have created a sizeable indoor competition shooting range on the lower floor, complete with a timer based multitarget system and of course a chronograph to allow visitors to not only test their RIFs before game day, but to also participate in varying types of in-house competitions. A mixed and motley selection of prizes are up for grabs (and not forgetting tea, coffee, cake and biscuits courtesy of Lindsay and Chris for all) to the best shooters and 50% of all profits raised will be donated to charities. You can also find 308Sniper operating a very generous site shop at the imposing state-of-the-art airsoft battleground, DOGTAG AIRSOFT every other Sunday where you can buy everything from a rifle to a box of Reaper Rounds. Check-out this new customer-focused expanded airsoft shop on www.308sniper.co.uk, Facebook, Twitter and You Tube or of course even better still, pay them a visit for a very warm welcome...... a shoot-out and a slice of cake!

WILL YOUR AIRSOFT RIG BE “CATWALK COOL” THIS SUMMER?

Combat gear has slowly crept into fashion over the years, combat trousers and cargo pants are pretty standard in most shops but this year it seems that high street chainstores are going crazy over retro camo schemes. Airsoft Action have noticed outfitters from Primark to H&M loading their clothing rails with 80s camo schemes and reproductions of classic items like MA1 flight jackets and Vietnam War-era jungle fatigues. So if itís your fancy, you can pick up a full jogging suit for under £20 from Primark in Vietnam war special forces pattern (although we doubt it would pass muster at a ëNam game), or splash out a bit more with some copies of US woodland BDU, or an urban camo parka at H&M! So for once, it may well be us airsofters that are ahead of the trend - both on and OFF the field! 6

APRIL 2018

Airsoft News

UK vs USA INTERNATIONAL UPDATE THE DATE IS RAPIDLY approaching for first truly international airsoft game to be held in the UK. “UK vs USA” will be held at DOGTAG AIRSOFT, located just South of Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, where “Trumpy’s Troopers” (not their real team name), our visiting American airsofters, will be guests over this weekend of warrior mayhem and madness from, 25th to 28th May 2018. As well as the many trade stands, including Valken, Nuprol, 308Sniper, ASG, Crawley Surplus Store, Enola Gaye, Astec, Xsite and Viper, other “included in the ticket price” attractions will be live music, Bucking Bronco, Gladiator Duelling and a (not-included-in-the-ticket-price) bar and hot food stand. Also the notorious feisty Fin, “Shield Maiden” and You Tube celeb “Bodge-Up’s Airsoft” will be gracing the fighting fields. This battle of conventional allies won’t just be any old gaming though, this will be a very carefully structured weekend of strategy and surprise and yours truly, the embedded Reporter for Airsoft Action has gained EXCLUSIVE access to “The Playbook” which will give you some idea of what to expect at this inaugural meeting of relative superpowers. The powers that be have chosen a post-apocalypse theme and the game play will include non-

APRIL 2018

combative characters who will have actual roles to play - an all-encompassing theatre if you like! With this in mind there should be something to satisfy everyone, from hardened MilSimmers that thrive on objective-based play, to the regular skirmishers that simply love shooting the shed out of each other. OPERATION LUNDY BRASSICA In a secluded international research facility, “Bio 1”, in the Arctic Circle, a team of bio experts are working on what could be the biggest breakthrough in human gene research in modern history. A team of geologists taking ice samples found large oil-like deposits deep within the ice which is thought to date back to the Jurassic era - and this discovery unleashed a plague that would wipe out much of the population on earth! At first it was all exciting for the research team at Bio 1 testing the oil-like liquid, as there seemed to be an active enzyme that could self-reproduce! The news rippled around the world’s scientific minds that there was this newly discovered form of life that could have been one of the first life forms ever to have existed. Each major player around the world sent its own top team to the Bio 1 centre to help out and carry out tests to see what it was and if it was safe to us or whether it posed a threat to human life. And that’s where it all goes wrong… With its ability to self-replicate and having become airborne, it has spread around the world making millions of people ill and billions are dying… apart from one small island in the U.K.. The island of Lundy lies 12 miles off the coast of Devon, about a third of the distance across the channel from England to South Wales. Those on this small island were some of the only people not to be affected by what was now being called “b1plc”. It seems that there is a unique-to-the-island eco system that has the antibodies to fight the effects of b1plc - the Bronze Lundy Cabbage

Flea Beetle and the fact that it can only be found in a small area of the island has made this rocky outcrop the most sought after place in the world to survive. All of the world’s superpowers are fighting to take control of it. An unscrupulous movement known as NYLFM, now the largest militia left from the U.S.A have decided to invade the shores of the UK, bolstered by the fact that a splinter group from the U.K wish to aid them and help bring down the British government. This will allow the U.S.A to become the new overwhelming leading superpower and what’s left of the human race will have little choice than accept that they are the planet’s saviours and in essence, the supreme governance over what is left of the human race. Airsoft Action will be bringing you the latest exclusive up-to-date news as we approach OPERATION LUNDY BRASSICA LeZ OUT!

AA GALLERY READERS’ PHOTOS

From Richard Jarrett at Spartan Bristol

ROGUE’S GALLERY es 46-47

! See pag

Mexico

.A From Harry Shutler m player from red tea lit ady picks up an alre ion it smoke to re-posit for better cover.

April 2018

AA GALLERY READERS’ PHOTOS

Information Fancy seeing yourself in Airsoft Action? Send in your photos via email (nige@airsoft-action.co.uk) or share on our Facebook page (/AirsoftAction), plus a few words describing what’s going on in the image. From Bart Jarosik

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ARMOURY CYBERGUN SIG MCX

DESIGNED TO SHOOT:

SIG MCX SIG HAVE JUST PUT ON THEIR BIG BOY PANTS WITH THIS MODERN TAKE ON THE AR15 PLATFORM AND SCOTT ALLAN ASKS: “DOES IT MEASURE UP AND WHY WOULD YOU EVER WANT ONE?” READ ON TO FIND OUT… WHAT VFC DON’T KNOW ABOUT model accuracy isn’t worth knowing and what they can’t replicate simply cannot be replicated. The SIG MCX is the pinnacle of beauty in Airsoft – it is just a shame it’s all wrong! It’s not often I cover VFC guns but to do two in one month, one electric and one gas, is a first for me. Both are fully licensed, the SIG by Cybergun and the G36 for Umarex. These two European

powerhouses choose VFC for a number of reasons and largely it boils down to they can do the work at the right quality and produce the goods without any major fuss. Based out of Taiwan they have always been the company who make super accurate rifles, much like G&P 12

April 2018

used to, only VFC does it even better. The SIG MCX is a great looking new rifle just landed in the UK, I actually tested the real one in LA mid-2017 and loved everything about it. It all looks very “AR15” with the magazine and controls being in similar locations. The similarities really do end there though. The system is all contained within the receiver, meaning the stock can be changed out to as short or folding as you like via the 20mm RIS attachment system. The first I’ve ever seen a stock attach this way but very ingeniously simple. The real SIG MCX is an exciting piece of equipment. Available in both 5.56 and 300 blackout it is a multipurpose rifle used all around the world, now including the Armed Response Units in the UK. The common stock is the side folding, 5 position stock with the longer 16” barrels. SIG have their own proprietary “raptor style” ambidextrous charging handle that works from either side. The main receiver is awash with nice lines that even Lamborghini would be proud of. The rail systems sport the newest fashionable MLOK system from Magpul, allowing all the usual standard attachments but Keymod systems are also available separately. The multi-calibre bolt allows the user to change things around at their leisure and fire a different round allowing for different engagement profiles, this is especially useful for law enforcement. All they have to do is swap out the magazine and the barrel and they are good to go.

ARMOURY CYBERGUN SIG MCX

“I JUST FIND IT A LITTLE BIT TOO SMALL FOR ME TO USE COMFORTABLY, OR MAYBE I’M JUST NEEDING MORE PRACTICE. IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY JAW-DROPPING REPLICA THOUGH, I’M JUST SURPRISED THE WAY THEY TOOK IT GIVEN THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.”

THE AIRSOFT VERSION

The VFC/Cybergun version is really, really nice… but… (this is the part I am a little confused about) Why did they make it with that stock and why with that rail? Okay they’ve clearly went for a full-on PDW-style, which is very popular in Airsoft at the moment. I get that but the latest MCX version is MLOK as standard and that isn’t a very big deal but they should’ve made it the longer barrelled version purely to make it easier to get a battery inside. I can only hope that VFC release the other options, or a longer variant very soon as I just find it a little bit too small for me to use comfortably, or maybe I’m just needing more practice. It is an absolutely jawdropping replica though, I’m just surprised the way they took it given the options available. In the box you have 3 extra quick change springs, a M90 fitted then a M100, M110 and M120. The last two are unsuitable for the UK market but using the M90 or the M100 will give you 300 or 350 roughly. Another slight oddity is the magazine release is on the left hand side and that might take a few M4 users a little while to get used to but it isn’t a deal breaker for me personally. The stock when extended is extremely rigid and when it collapses it makes everything very compact. The button for locking is very positive and holds everything without any hints of wobble. It does feel like you could drop this down the stairs and it would bounce to the bottom and still be ready to go quite happily. It’s a nice compact little rifle added with the great new VFC V2 internals and the quick change spring system, nice tough gears (not the old self shimming ones), bearings in the gearbox, half metal rack piston and a MOSFET built into the www.airsoft-action.online

ARMOURY CYBERGUN SIG MCX

trigger system. It’s just all very tidy and very reliable overall. I’m not a massive fan of MOSFETs normally, then I don’t like fuses in my gun either but the VFC MOSETS are good quality and seem to hold up really well. In the past some of the other manufacturers who chuck in something cheap so they could say they had a MOSFET and the things burn out every few games. It’s frustrating for players and for the retail outlets alike, do it right first time or don’t do it at all. As I said years ago to a well-known distributor who was about to launch their new BBs; “you get one shot at this and if you get it wrong people will always remember you got it wrong”. Low and behold, they got it very, very wrong. Folk still joke about their “dice-shaped swelling BBs” even today - and some of you will now be smiling now because you know “IT IS AN EXPENSIVE exactly what I’m talking about. GUN THERE IS NO Out of the box performance is decent but it’s not quite as high as “Krytac good”, DENYING IT BUT IT IS in my opinion. It is an expensive gun there is WORTH CONSIDERING no denying it but it is worth considering as its AS IT’S EXTREMELY extremely well-constructed and a fully licensed replica too. The fold up sights are nicely made WELL-CONSTRUCTED and are great on their own or can be stored AND A FULLY LICENSED down to allow the use of a red dot or other optic. The MOSFET does provide some nice REPLICA TOO.” snappy shots on single and fully automatic is good but it’s not exactly a high speed laser either. Housing the battery might be better with a PEQ battery box than in the hand guard as being able to see the battery is a little untidy. The tri leg LiPo does give good capacity so that’s

features Fully licensed Cybergun SIG SAUER MCX AEG Extendable stock Front wired with battery plug outside of rail Adjustable hop up Keymod rail system Flip up front & rear sight Specifications: Length: 580mm Weight: 2.85 KG Magazine Capacity: 120 Rounds Magazine Compatibility: M4 magazines FPS: 300 approx (standard M90 fitted) RRP £430 what I went with, admittedly though, I changed the wiring around a little to suit it. I’d be sorely tempted to rip the excellent internals out and go the full works on it personally. The good thing mainly is that it has moved away from the proprietary SIG magazines that the old 552 had and now uses standard M4 magazines. This is quicker, faster and cheaper for everyone. The magazine that comes with it does feel very light and cheap which is surprising, although it seems to feed pretty well. My magazine of choice these days is still the PTS EPM, they’re cost effective and really do last years.

CONCLUSION

The SIG MCX is a truly beautiful replica in every way but I’m not sure why they decided on the collapsible stock and the short hand guard in Keymod. It seems to have just missed the mark slightly for me personally and for £430 I’d be looking for the exact replica I want. Good news is, real hand guards do fit… if you have a spare couple of hundred quid laying around to buy one. The battery storage is another bit of a fiddle worth thinking about but it’s not the first rifle to suffer from this by any means. What I would’ve liked is the longer barrelled MLOK suppressor rail and the side folding stock. Maybe they’ll be released in the future who knows, I can only hope I suppose!! 14

April 2018

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ARMOURY UMAREX GLOCK 42

17, 18, 19, 26, 34, 43… NO, NOT THIS WEEK’S LUCKY NUMBERS BUT GLOCK’S FAMOUS 9MM PISTOLS. FRENCHIE TAKES A LOOK AT ANOTHER OF THEIR NUMBER FROM UMAREX, THE DIMINUTIVE ‘42.

GLOCK FORTITUDE IT HAS PROBABLY NOT ESCAPED your notice that there are (finally) officially licensed airsoft Glocks available from Umarex. This may have come as surprise since “Glocks” have been available for as long as I can remember but the Austrian giant has (until now) never sanctioned reproductions of their iconic pistols. I’ll grant you that Marui have applied trademarks, as have WE on rare occasions (WE were making them for someone else) but that was because of the peculiar relationship that exists between Japan and international copyright. Any retailer who sells Marui will tell you that license holders have become far more active about protecting trademarks of late and the WE thing is genuinely an oddity, rarely seen. Opinion within airsoft is divided about officially licensed

guns. Some people just cannot get enough of them, others declare them to be overpriced wall hangers. There is a little truth in both positions; it has unfortunately been true that some licensed guns have frankly been rubbish - the license holder seemingly more interested that getting the trademark onto a gun at least cost to themselves (no names no pack drill) but that hasn’t always been the case and it is becoming less and less true today. What is unchanged, is that officially licensed products are more expensive. Distributors have to pay for the right to use the trademark and that additional cost is reflected in the selling price. That is the case here; Umarex have secured the rights to apply official Glock trademarks to airsoft pistols and I suspect that it cost them a pretty penny.

“I CAN TAKE OR LEAVE TRADEMARKED AIRSOFT GUNS, I’M MORE INTERESTED IN HOW WELL THEY WORK AND WHETHER OR NOT I CAN AFFORD THEM. THAT SAID, I WILL MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR THE GLOCK 42 FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS; FIRSTLY IT’S GORGEOUS AND SECONDLY I AM NOT CONVINCED THAT ANYONE OTHER THAN A LICENSED DISTRIBUTOR WOULD HAVE BOTHERED TO MAKE THIS GUN FOR AIRSOFT.” 16

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ARMOURY UMAREX GLOCK 42

Personally, I can take or leave trademarked airsoft guns, I’m more interested in how well they work and whether or not I can afford them. That said I will make an exception for the Glock 42 for a couple of reasons; firstly it’s gorgeous and secondly I am not convinced that anyone other than a licensed distributor would have bothered to make this gun for airsoft. The reason for that opinion is intimately tied up in the nature of the gun itself. The Glock 42 is a sub-compact pistol chambered for the .380 ACP / 9x17mm cartridge. It uses a single stacked magazine which holds only 6 rounds. It is the very antithesis of a service pistol. Police forces and military around the world use the Glock 17 and 19, one a full-sized pistol, the other a compact version of the 17. The 42 is tiny, it is intended for concealed carry or, Glock suggests, for “shooters with small hands”. I cannot help but think that Glock are being slightly disingenuous here, the 42 is so small that you really need to have tiny hands to use that justification. No, the Glock 42 was almost certainly designed for the growing concealed carry market in the United States. The 42 will slip almost unnoticed into a pocket or nestle unobtrusively in an appendix or kidney holster. It is slightly longer than 5 inches and just over 4 inches tall. It is less than an inch wide (24mm) at its widest point. I cannot speak for others but my first reaction to seeing it in the flesh was to “coo” as one might over a newborn child; it’s like a G17 had a baby! For all that, the real-world G42 is a serious enough pistol. Some have criticised the choice of .380 as the calibre, arguing that it is not the most effective defense round available. They may well be right but from my UK perspective, any round capable of adding unplanned holes in my body is probably sufficient unto the task. Glock finally gave in and produced the G43, chambered for the 9x19mm round but to my eyes it looks far more like existing Glock sub-compact designs. Still portable, just not as svelte as the 42. One of the big plus points commented on by reviewers of the .380 G42 is that fact that, although tiny, it is still a Glock - all the controls (such as they are) are where they would be expected, it works just like all other Glocks and it certainly looks like any other Glock. If I lived in the USA, I would probably have one of these just for fun, regardless of whether I felt the need to apply for a concealed carry permit. So far, so good. What perplexes me slightly about this pistol, however, is what role it is expected to play in airsoft? Admittedly I am looking at this from the perspective of a UKbased airsofter, rather than someone in another country who may well be able to purchase airsoft guns purely to collect without the restrictions we face here. Airsofters generally do not need a concealed pistol, nor do many of them need a particularly small pistol. What they predominantly require (and use) are full-sized service pistols - M9s, G17s etc. The G42 harks back to an era where a .380 calibre weapon might be issued to police forces or detectives and you don’t see too many of them of skirmish sites. The pistol itself is, frankly, fabulous! In part that’s because it is really quite unique but whatever criticisms could be aimed at it, a lack of quality isn’t one of them. I doubt anyone reading this doesn’t know what a Glock looks like - black steel slide, black polymer frame, distinctive trigger with an inset safety

“PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FILL VALVE ON THE MAGAZINE IS DIRECTLY BELOW THE RELEASE VALVE, IT’S NOT ON THE BASE OF THE MAGAZINE. ESCHEWING INSTRUCTIONS (OR EVEN COMMON SENSE) I WAS HALFWAY TO LEVERING THE BASE PLATE OFF BEFORE I REALISED MY ERROR!” trigger. The only other controls on most Glocks are the slide release lever on the left hand side and the take down catch above the trigger guard. The G42 is no different. It has a metal slide with a (probably not unique) serial number below the ejection port on the right hand side. Just below that is the declaration “Officially licensed product of Glock”. The serial number is repeated on the

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ARMOURY UMAREX GLOCK 42

chamber, along with “.380 Auto” and the Glock, US logo. The left hand side of the slide carries the Glock “G” followed by the model number, “USA” and the calibre again: “.380 Auto”. The grip is stippled in the style of Gen 4/5 Glocks but this is a little more subtle and, while it aids grip, it is not intrusive. The Glock logo is molded into the lower end of the right hand side of the grip and will be found on the baseplate of the magazine.

didn’t help but with such a short barrel this pistol is never going to generate high velocities. Over the range, at about 15 metres the G42 proved pleasant to shoot and quite capable of hitting a man-sized target with no difficulty. Sights are standard Glock - white outlined rear notch, with a white dot set into the foresight. That “they work” is really all one can say. I borrowed the review pistol from Landwarrior Airsoft, they are currently selling it at £149.99 (the stated list price is £160). “IT IS SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN 5 INCHES AND JUST OVER 4 INCHES Either way that’s a decent amount of money TALL. IT IS LESS THAN AN INCH WIDE (24MM) AT ITS WIDEST POINT. for a pistol, particularly a niche pistol. Is it too expensive? That’s a question for you I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT MY FIRST REACTION TO SEEING to answer. Personally if I could justify it to IT IN THE FLESH WAS TO “COO” AS ONE MIGHT OVER A NEWBORN myself I would have one in a heartbeat, CHILD; IT’S LIKE A G17 HAD A BABY!” simply because it is a really interesting pistol in its own right and it appeals to the collector in me. I could just about convince The tiny magazine is as branded as the rest of the pistol, myself to use it in a skirmish on the basis that I always prefer to the aforementioned base plate but also on the back of the use my rifle if at all possible and on the very odd occasion that I magazine. Please note that the fill valve on the magazine is use a pistol I’m going to be pretty close to my target. directly below the release valve, it’s not on the base of the I’ve been scathing of licensed airsoft guns in the past and magazine. Eschewing instructions (or even common sense) I the G42 isn’t going to cause a Damascene conversion but in was halfway to levering the base plate off before I realised my this case I could be tempted. I cannot get away from the fact error! that there is a certain “attraction” to knowing that it has all the It would be fair to say that the action was a bit “crunchy” correct trades, placed correctly and therefore is as close to the at first, something that I have noticed with all the licensed real thing as possible. However, uou may feel very differently. Glocks. Like the others, this smooths out very quickly in use. The G42 is a lovely gun - yes it’s a Glock - but it is different The magazine holds 13 BBs, a slightly better number than the 6 and that makes it interesting, to me at least. You may not share of the genuine gun. I tested on green gas and saw 250fps/0.6J my view but even if you don’t, this tiny terror is worth a look. over my chrono with 0.2g ammo. It was damned cold which 18

April 2018

0.20g

0.25g

3000pcs per bottle | 6mm | Precision Airsoft BB | www.hornettactical.com www.patrolstore.com/hornettactical

Armoury TOKYO MARUI AK74 RECOIL

CLASSIC RECOIL

JERRY NOONE TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT A CLASSIC DESIGN IN “RECOIL” FORM, THE TM AKS74N RECOIL AEG.

EVERY YEAR AIRSOFT MANUFACTURERS unveil something new and fresh, something that brings added realism of our airsoft shooting experience! In the last couple of years this has been all about giving our rifles and carbines more “felt recoil” and industry veterans Tokyo Marui have once again been at the very forefront of this drive. I bought my very first Tokyo Marui AEG many, many years ago now, and during my “airsoft life” models from them have come and gone from my collection. They’ve all been good, solid airsoft guns and performed exceptionally well out in a skirmish and given the fact that TM were at the forefront of producing AEGs even way back when, they have a huge amount of experience in the field.

Tokyo Marui, or “TM” as we tend to call them, are one of the “original” airsoft manufacturers from Japan and they are surrounded by myth, legend and, of course, hold the title of the originators of “hop”. Once all-plastic, their AEGs are now characterised by their high quality metal parts and realistic look and feel; most parts that are metal on the “real-steel” counterpart are also metal on the replica! Of course, over the years, they’ve had the odd “lemon” but as they offer an absolutely MASSIVE number of variants, including MP5, G36, AUG, and various M4s, then that’s bound to happen at some point, even with the most scrupulous quality controls in place but it is indeed a very rare thing when it comes to their RIFs. Personally, I’ve never had a bad replica from TM and although many of mine now have new homes, due to changes in my own personal style of airsofting, I’ve no doubt that they are still performing solidly to this day. Those that I have kept, with a little maintenance are going as strongly as they did when new! One of the quirkiest AEGs I ever owned was the Tokyo Marui “AK Beta Spetsnaz” model; this was basically a made up “AK”, a short tactical version of the AK47, with a shortened barrel and fore-grip with RIS rail for accessories and a full butt. Whilst not a “looker” and most certainly designed from someone’s weird and wonderful dreams, it was a great little performer and had that “Marui Magic”, the ability to have relatively low power and still outrange many AEGs on the market at the time! Things move on though and my taste in AKs most definitely has, so when TM first offered a classic AK74 as part of their “recoil” series I sat up and took notice - and the “recoil” has most certainly earned a place in my affections.

SMALL CALIBRE, BIG IMPACT

It was way back in 1977 when the Western world first saw the “new Kalashnikov” being carried by airborne troops in Red Square and rumour has it that the CIA paid US$5,000 for the first AK 74 captured by the Mujahedeen during the Soviet-

April 2018

Armoury TOKYO MARUI AK74 RECOIL

“TO SUM THINGS UP EXTERNALLY, THE TM BENEFITS FROM A FULL METAL RECEIVER, FAUXWOOD BUT REAL-LOOKING HANDGUARDS, A METAL SIDE-FOLDING STOCK, FULLY ADJUSTABLE FRONT AND REAR SIGHTS, THE CORRECT AK 74 PISTOL GRIP (ALBEIT SLIGHTLY OVERSIZED AS THERE’S A MOTOR IN THERE!) AND THE DISTINCTIVE STEEL AK 74 MUZZLE BRAKE. THE FINISH OF THE AK IS SUPERB THROUGHOUT TO BE HONEST, AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY SOLID AS A ROCK, WITH NOT A WOBBLE OR A CREAK APPARENT ANYWHERE.”

Afghan War, such was their eagerness to get their hands on a specimen of the latest model! In truth though, the rifle had been around for some considerable time before the first sighting, as it was developed in the early 1970s by Russian designer Mikhail Kalashnikov as the replacement for the earlier AKM, itself a modernised version of the AK 47. Much like their western counterparts, the Soviet military were interested in the better performance given by intermediate-calibre, high velocity ammunition and the main change was that the AK 74 used a smaller 5.45x39mm cartridge, replacing the 7.62x39mm chambering of earlier Kalashnikov-pattern rifles and this enabled a number of steps forward to be taken. These improvements were primarily the result of converting the rifle to the new cartridge; compared to the preceding AKM, the AK 74 had better effective range, accuracy (which was a main development goal) and reliability. The rifle also received a new barrel with a chrome-lined bore. The front sight base and gas block were redesigned. A support bracket was cast into the gas block assembly and was used to attach a BG-15c or GP- 25 under-slung 40 mm grenade launcher. Like the AK 47 and AKM, the muzzle was threaded for the installation of various muzzle devices, such as the standard muzzle brake or a blank-firing adaptor, while a spring-loaded detent pin holding in the front sight post prevents them from unscrewing while firing. The distinctive muzzle brake of the AK 74 features a large expansion chamber, two symmetrical vertical cuts at the forward end of the brake and three non-symmetrical positioned vent holes to counteract muzzle rise and climb as well as lateral shift. A flat plate near the end of the brake produce a forward thrust when emerging exhaust gases strike its surface, greatly reducing recoil. When first tested outside the Soviet Union those who fired it concluded that it had a felt-recoil similar to that of a .22LR, which of course meant it could be kept neatly on target when used in full-auto mode, CCCP-style! The AK 74 was equipped with a new shape of butt, a

handguard which retained the AKM-type finger rest and gas cylinder. The stock had a shoulder pad different from that on the AKM, which was made of rubber and serrated for improved grip. In addition, there were lightening cuts on each side of the butt. The butt, lower handguard and upper handguard were first manufactured from laminated wood, whilst the AKS variant replaced the rearmost wood with a skeletonised butt, which folded neatly to the left hand side of the receiver and it was down to this feature that the AKS first started being referred to as the “Para”.

GUNNING IT!

When I collected the TM replica “AKS 74” from my friends at Fire Support, one of the very first things I noted were external details which I immediately liked. Firstly, the “wood” handguards (actually polymer) were a great colour compared to some of the orange “Chinese wood” versions out there, as they are a very rich brown, almost “chestnut” hue. Secondly, the pistol grip was also a mid-brown colour rather than black, much more like what is seen on a real AK 74 where the colours can vary between almost orange to dark brown. Of course, neither of these details affects performance one bit, but it’s nice when a replica does look right! To sum things up externally, the TM benefits from a full metal receiver, faux-wood but real-looking handguards, a metal side-folding stock, fully adjustable front and rear sights, the correct AK 74 pistol grip (albeit slightly oversized as there’s a motor in there!) and the distinctive steel AK 74 muzzle brake. The finish of the AK is superb throughout to be

www.airsoft-action.online

Armoury TOKYO MARUI AK74 RECOIL

honest, and it is absolutely solid as a rock, with not a wobble or a creak apparent anywhere. It comes with a single 74BB “AK 74 Polymer” Hi-Cap magazine, which is finished in “bakelite brown”. The magazine is bespoke to the Tokyo Marui Recoil AK so this is one small downside to it as a model… the “recoil” is definitely NOT compatible with other AK47 Series magazines! If you fancy fitting an optic to your TM though, then one additional feature that comes as standard is an AK sight mount on the left hand side of the receiver. You’ll need to buy the correct sight rail to clamp to this though and please note that if you fit the rail then you can’t close the folding stock! Internally, TM AEGs have always been at the head of the pack and the parts used are absolutely first rate. The “recoil engine” can be seen as a “jump forward” using, as it does, an EG Hyper 1000S motor and a new EBB system designed by TM. There is a completely new design Version 8 gearbox which gives strength and durability as well as performance, whilst being compatible with previous gearbox parts. Even though this new metal gearbox design has been “beefed up”, it really

is a completely new design and may need some getting used to when accessing or modifying the internals if you’re used to existing TM models. Powered by a battery hidden under the top section of the foregrip the package as a whole is neat to the point of perfection, although you will struggle to fit anything other than the recommended 8.4V battery. I managed to sneak in my smallest 7.4V LiPo “PEQ” battery and this has worked well so far.

HEAD SCRATCHING!

On the range, TM AEGs have always given amazing performance and to this day I have NO IDEA how they manage to get the range and accuracy they do! I ran the “recoil” through the chrono on .20g RZR BBs and recorded a massively consistent and site friendly 0.83Joule/300fps. Using just the 22

April 2018

iron sights, which are indeed easily adjustable, I was easily able to hit targets and group pretty tightly at the limit of the 30m range! I have to say that I was, however, somewhat “underwhelmed” by the so-called “recoil” element of the TM as to me it feels akin to a slightly stronger Electronic Blow Back (EBB) model from years past - but then I am used to the recoil generated by the likes of the KWA models and of course my “gassers”. In fairness, the TM EBB recoil system delivers a stronger recoil than other EBBs I’ve had in the past but obviously comparing the recoil felt a GBB will win hands down. The joy of the TM though is that even when it’s warm, firing a GBB rifle will eventually have cool-down effects that will affect your FPS, rate of fire and range. With the TM you get all the benefits of the gasser WITHOUT the cool-down, which makes it a year-round rifle. Many airsofters, especially those just starting out, try to find a replica model that will work for a variety of loadouts and themes and the TM AK certainly ticks all the boxes in this respect. If you look at timeframes, the AK 74 was used way back in Afghanistan, so you’re good for a “Cold War” loadout and, as is it still being used today, that’s “modern/OPFOR” and everything in between cracked too. If you favour the everpopular “Contractor” look, then the AK works for that too. With a great feel, superlative parts and build-quality and excellent performance out of the box, but with a slightly steep asking price of £428.00, this is an absolutely cracking bit of kit and if you’re in the market for something other than an “M4”, then I’d really suggest you take a good long look at this crackerjack from Tokyo Marui! Thanks as always to www.fire-support. co.uk for supplying the test/review sample. Please do visit their website to check out this model and the comprehensive range of Tokyo Marui models they offer.

Tech Specs Colour: Black/Faux-Wood Main Material: Metal and Polymer (mostly metal!) Overall Length Retracted: 703mm Overall Length Extended: 945mm Weight: 2,960g (including empty magazine) Gearbox: Tokyo Marui Version 8 Battery: Tested using a 7.4V 30C 1000mAh LiPo Power (.20g BB): 0.83 Joule/300fps

International Event SHOT SHOW

SHOT SHOW 2018 FEMME FATALE, KELLY HARDWICK, PACKED HER BAGS AND HIT LAS VEGAS, WHERE SHE REPORTS FROM THE WORLD’S LARGEST FIREARMS AND AIRSOFT SHOW. EVERY YEAR THE INTERNATIONAL FIREARMS, hunting, airsoft and outdoor communities make their way to the firearm Mecca that is SHOT Show, which for the last 14 years been held in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sands Expo Centre and this year I made the trip to get all the latest news from the biggest names in airsoft and tactical kit. Although I’m not a newbie on the trade show scene, having attended IWA Outdoors Classics (SHOT Show’s smaller European counterpart) for the last couple of years, I was assured that SHOT Show is an entirely different ball game. Like America itself, everything is supposed to be bigger and better - 2017’s show reportedly hosted over 65,000 visitors and added more than $85 million dollars to the firearms industry but where does airsoft come into it? Although airsoft is just a small fish in a very BIG pond at SHOT Show, its presence is growing year on year thanks to the popularity of the sport ever increasing and airsoft weapons being more frequently used in Law Enforcement and Military training. Here’s what grabbed my attention at SHOT Show 2018:

RWA

April 2018

First up, we’re going to look at the new products from RedWolf Airsoft, and to start the party I’m going to look at the AVATAR grenade which is a reusable airsoft grenade that uses green gas and BBs to distract/eliminate enemy players. It has a capacity of 75 rounds that are discharged from 6 ports along the device on impact. The gas charging port is located on the bottom of the grenade, BBs are to be loaded via a speedloader in the ports and the grenade is armed at the top by using a switch. [image 1]

Alongside this, is the prototype shell that AVATAR are working on - the Orb Skinz, which is a spherical shell that resembles the thermal detonators seen in 2 Star Wars. It has the same munitions as the original Avatar grenade but this holds 80 BBs and has 12 ejection ports. This shell also had a concept idea coloured light on it for SHOT Show that was located in the arming switch on the top of the grenade - which aims to make it easier to find in dark areas! The light will probably be released on its own in the near future. Word from RWA is that this is the next stage for the Avatar grenade, and we’ll be seeing impact, timed and remote control versions! [2] And finally, we have the TM SGR 12. This is Tokyo Marui’s new tri-barrel AEG Shotgun - it has been designed with the same internal specs as the TM AA-12! Its construction consists of an aluminium rail system that features M-Lok, a polymer 3

International Event SHOT SHOW

body and a rubberised stock. It has, as the name suggests 3 barrels and each has its own adjustable hop-up! The magazine release is in the style of the iconic AK. As for mags/BB capacity - it comes with a 90 RD magazine but 3,000 RD drum mags are available to purchase. [3]

ASG

The hottest news from ASG is the development of the HERA Arms CQR, a joint project by ASG and ICS Airsoft. The model we saw at SHOT Show 2018 was a prototype, and although not a lot of the production model features were revealed I do have a little bit of info on it! The rifle is being designed and developed using the original blueprints provided by HERA Arms - although a few features will have to be changed and be custom made for airsoft. The project is based on the ICS CXP AEG and upon release, the HERA Arms CQR will be available in black, tan, and OD green colourways. The features that ASG have announced so far include: a split gearbox for easy access and realistic disassembly, quick change spring, angled surface receiver, large ambi charging, detachable CFS folding front and rear sights that are fully adjustable, multiple sling attachment points that can accommodate different carry methods and there will be multiple stock length options. [4]

G&G ARMAMENT

2018 for G&G is going to be an absolutely massive year as they have a whole catalogue of new products being released but as I’d have to write pages and pages to detail every new product to you, here are the products that I believe are the ones to look out for: The CM16 LMG – That’s right! G&G are releasing their own LMG AEG! It will be available in two colours, black and tan, feature a polymer upper and lower receiver so they are really light, a MOSFET and an electronic trigger unit! What is cool is, that it will come with a 2,500 round box mag, dummy rounds and a bipod so it’ll look the part straight out of the box! The retail price looks to be under $300, but we are awaiting confirmation. This looks set to be a big hit with airsofters looking for an affordable LMG. [6]

4 Whilst at the booth I also got to check out the new colourways for the ASG CZ P-09 and the CZ Shadow SP01 - both airsoft pistols will be available in the new colour “Urban Grey” which is CZ’s own shade of FDE and grey. The colour shifts under different light conditions as you can see from the photos, so in yellow/warmer light it looks tan and in blue/cooler light it looks grey, the colour is super adaptive for its environment. I’m really looking forward to seeing this colourway hit the field! [5]

Another favourite of mine from SHOT Show are the new colourways for the ARP9. Released last year, the ARP9 was a huge hit for its compact form and awesome price point and this year we’ll see them hitting the field in battleship grey and in the “Black Orchid” colourways. I didn’t think the ARP9 COULD look any better but G&G have proved me very wrong. [7]

Next up are new pistols that I am excited to see from G&G; the new 1911 series and the GTP9. The new 1911 series from G&G is a collection of 3 1911s that all have slightly different styling; the GPM1911 will a metal receiver with the classic wood finish inspired grips and the GPM1911 CP and GPM1911-P will feature a plastic receiver. The look of the pistols is great so I am waiting to see how they perform on the

”G&G ARE RELEASING THEIR OWN LMG AEG! IT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN TWO COLOURS, BLACK AND TAN, FEATURE A POLYMER UPPER AND LOWER RECEIVER SO THEY ARE REALLY LIGHT, A MOSFET AND AN ELECTRONIC TRIGGER UNIT!” www.airsoft-action.online

International Event SHOT SHOW

VALKEN 9 field. The GTP 9 is another new GBB pistol from G&G with a pretty nifty way of changing the hop up – the tool is built into the pistol and can simply be removed and then inserted into the barrel where it can be turned to change the hop up. [8&9]

KRYTAC

The latest news from KRYTAC is that they will be producing an airsoft version of the new MK36H rifle with exclusive licensing from Osprey Armament! The Osprey Armament MK36H is a new style of rifle that combines the well-known design of the M14/M1A with the controls and ergonomics of the AR style platform making it tough, lightweight and, most importantly accurate. The tech specs and details of the KRYTAC MK36H will be available soon.

TIPPMANN

From Tippmann, what caught my eye the most this year was the new Recon AEG series. Tippmann are well known for their HPA system but are now branching into AEGS. The new Recon AEG Carbine 14.5”, AEG CQB 9.5” and AEG Shorty 6” rifles all feature an M-LOK rail system, MOSFET, a quick change spring system, ergonomic carved grips and flip-up front and rear sights. Retail price starts at $199.95 USD for the Shorty. [10] The Omega PV Carbine 13 CI Tank is Tippmann’s answer to ditching the airhose on the traditional HPA system. The new Omega Carbine features an internal regulator to adjust velocity, a preset rate of fire, flip-up front and rear sights and it requires a standard 9V battery and either a 13 CI HPA tank, 2 12g C02 cartridges or a HPA line with the optional stock. [11]

April 2018

For 2018 Valken are bringing out a hell of a lot of new kit, from guns and gear so I’ve picked the ones that caught my eye the most. First up, the Valken AR-1 Carbine which is Valken’s model of the in-stock HPA system. HPA is moving in a new direction with multiple companies bringing out their own variation of an airsoft gun that has a stock with a HPA tank concealed in it, so instead of having a line and larger external tank, everything is contained in the stock and connects directly. The Valken AR-1 has an aluminium alloy receiver, 12.5” free floating metal rail, front and rear flip up sights and a 6 position 13 Ci ready stock. [12] The new AR-1 PDW has a male HPA fitting on the underside of the PDW tube that feeds into the air source adapter - you connect a remote line to this. The AR-1 PDW has an aluminium alloy receiver, a 7” free floating metal rail, front and rear flip up sights, 6 position PDW stock and it is remote ready. Out of the AR-1 Carbine and PDW, the PDW is definitely more my jam! I’m really looking forward to seeing this on the field. [13] Valken are also extending their accessories line. The new KILO wire mesh mask, although there’s not really much to say about wire mesh masks, has a couple of nifty features! The KILO mask has padding along the nose edge for extra comfort and added protection for the user. It also has repair buckles on both sides of the mask so you can easily replace them or, even better, use the repair buckle attachment for helmets to attach the straps directly to your helmet with no need to cut or stitch! Valken is also dropping a wire mesh/fabric mask similar to those that have become really popular in the last year, the TANGO

International Event SHOT SHOW

13 padded mask. Again, not much to say about it but it does have the straps and some Velcro on the side of the fabric so you have more patch space. The KILO gloves will also make an appearance - a pair of utility gloves that have padded knuckles to absorb shock and have mobile tactile recognition, meaning you can use your smartphone whilst still wearing them. They come in sizes S to XL and in tan, black and olive!

LBX/LBT

From LBT/LBX we saw a whole host of new products such as chest rigs but what really peaked my interest at their booth was their prototype MultiCam Black accessories and the MultiCam Arid BDUs! Whilst talking to the booth staff at LBX, I found out that the designs are being trialled and will most likely be available in the next couple of years. From the reaction on social media, it’s clear that MultiCam Black is definitely the more popular camouflage so it is more than likely than we will see this go into production. [14]

“I ALSO GOT TO CHECK OUT THE NEW COLOURWAYS FOR THE ASG CZ P-09 AND THE CZ SHADOW SP-01 - BOTH AIRSOFT PISTOLS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEW COLOUR “URBAN GREY” WHICH IS CZ’S OWN SHADE OF FDE AND GREY.” then give you 12 configurations. This new system gives users the ability to configure pouches, bags and plate carriers in ways that we aren’t currently able to do. [15]

HALEY STRATEGIC PARTNERS

The new HSP Micro Chest Rig is going to be hitting the market early 2018 and I’m looking forward to it! The permanent shell is comprised of 2 pistol mag carriers and an admin pouch, the RRP will be around $130. The adaptable mag carriers (5.56, 308/.762, MP5, MPX) seen behind the admin pouch can be inserted into the Chest Rig and will be approximately $30 each. The colourways for the new Mirco Chest Rig will reflect their popular colours that they already carry; Ranger Green, Coyote, Multi Cam, Black. In the image the new Micro Chest Rig is mounted to a Plate Carrier and has the multi-mission D3CR Hanger expansion, the Micro Chest Rig is sold separately to these. [16] 16

5.11 TACTICAL

It’s not every day that we see an attachment system that could replace the traditional MOLLE, but the new HEXGRID system from 5.11 could be just that! HEXGRID is a new load bearing system that works in the same way that traditional MOLLE does but instead has laser-cut hexagonal holes/attachment points in a grid pattern which looks like honeycomb. With the HEXGRID attachment system you can configure pouches etc. in 6 different configurations, whereas the traditional MOLLE you can only attach your pouches vertically. You could even go so far as mounting your pouches upside down, which would www.airsoft-action.online

NUPROL HARD CASES

FEATURES: • IP67 dust & water protection. • Pick/Pluck & Wave foam options. • L: Four easy closing latches. / XL: Six easy closing latches • Wheels on the bottom with a handle at the top to easily pull the case along. • Side handle to carry by hand. • Inner padding on the top and bottom to hold the contents secure and protected. • L: Two padlock holes on front edge. / XL: Four padlock holes on front edge. • Available in four colour options: Black, Tan, Green, Grey. • L: External Size: 109×39×15cm (42.92*15.35*5.91 inch) XL: External Size: 137x39x15cm (53.9*15.3*5.9 inch) • L: Internal Size: 101×32×12.5cm (39.76*12.59*4.92 inch) XL: Internal Size: 130x32x12.5cm (51.1*12.59*4.92 inch) • L: Weight: 5.5kG / XL: Weight: 6.5KG

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DOMINATE THE FIELD

Inside Airsoft HOBBY AIRSOFT

AIRSOFT IN IRELAND IS ALIVE, WELL AND GROWING, AS LEZ LEE FOUND OUT WHEN HE SPOKE TO COMPANY THAT HAS BEEN TRADING THERE FOR OVER TEN YEARS – AND HAS BIG PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY

IN A SUBLIME NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY not too far away, airsoft is flourishing. When I think of Ireland I immediately think beautiful landscapes and exquisite topography, warm folk with a rich, enthusing accent so soft and embracing which makes conversation a cultural endorsement of the values so generously shared by all who live in this quintessential country of idealistic tranquillity. However, unbeknownst to many, deep in some of the woodlands and other areas of lesser known existence, there are clandestine armies of modern day warriors taking up arms and engaging in combat of the pew pew kind. Yes, airsoft is alive and thriving in Ireland just like any other country who’s laws permit the possession of replica firearms that can shoot a projectile in controlled conflicts and, of course, for this to flourish there has to be easy access to the equipment needed, so around a decade ago, Richard Seery created HOBBY AIRSOFT. As is nearly always the case with most airsoft retailers, supplying to a niche market like ours has been a pretty eventful journey but clearly the HOBBY AIRSOFT team love a challenge and their determination has proven to be one of great success, as can be seen from the accompanying images. If you can take a minute to indulge, take a good long look at the photos, bearing in mind that every image is just a part of the store, so times that by X and it should give you some

April 2018

Inside Airsoft HOBBY AIRSOFT

perspective of what these guys hold in stock. “Hobby Airsoft” may not be a name that immediately jumps to the frontal lobe part of the brain when considering buying Airsoft gear but it should be and I will try to divulge the reason why. The problem with off-shore reviews is that it is sometimes difficult to physically visit a place but thanks to technology, a video conference/virtual tour is a terrific resource so after seeing the premises in all its glory, I am able to confirm that this review is pretty much bang-on accurate in every detail and I would add that a video of the shop can be found on their pretty impressive website so you can see for yourself what’s in store. I coupled the images and web-video with a series of questions that will provide insight, immersion and information that is exclusive to Airsoft Action readers only - so let the interrogation begin…

same is our focus on our customers. We moved to a shiny new premises in the centre of Dublin in 2014, quickly doubling the floor space in Christmas of 2015. But alas, that wasn’t enough – never one to stay still, in 2016 we acquired the Camo Shop (distributors for Helikon-Tex in Ireland), and extended the shop twice more in 2017 for good measure, becoming Ireland’s only 5.11 Tactical Authorised Retailer in the summer. “From the tiny warehouse back in Ballitore, to where we stand now – it has been a wild ride, and it is far from over. We are now the Cybergun agents for both Ireland and the UK, opening up a distribution centre in Milton Keynes. What 2018 holds for us is anyone’s guess!”

Lez: Hi Kevin, can we start with the obvious question, the story behind Hobby Airsoft to this day?

Kevin: “Airsoft in Ireland is a relatively small market, thanks

Lez: Being a “foreigner” to your enticing Celtic shores, what is the level of interest in and around your area and how quickly is the interest is growing?

Kevin: “Hello Lez. Hobby Airsoft grew from very humble beginnings, 10 years ago back in airsoft’s infancy in Ireland. Having only become legal in the Republic of Ireland in 2006 due to a technicality when firearms were redefined as something that fires a projectile from a barrel at a muzzle energy of more than 1 joule, suddenly people could buy their own airsoft guns! “In the beginning things were small, with a warehouse out in Crookstown Ballitore - and if you’ve never heard of that, you’re not alone. Our concentration was always on guns with licensed trademarks, e.g. Colt, SIG Sauer, Beretta etc. and from the start we have worked with Cybergun as their agent in Ireland, setting up a distribution network as well as a retail shop. In quite a short space of time, the company went from strength to strength, opening our second premises in 2009, closer into the capital. “The new unit was much larger, and helped us grow into the company we are today. We established ourselves into the airsoft community in Ireland, working with the Irish Airsoft Association over the years, supplying the sites with BBs and equipment and expanding the range of gear offered from the feedback of our customers. “Since then a lot has changed but what has remained the

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Inside Airsoft HOBBY AIRSOFT

Lez: Do you have an in-house gun tech? Kevin: “We carry out all of our repairs, upgrades, and services all under our roof. In Ireland, since we operate with the 1 joule limit, our tech’s main time is spent downgrading and optimising our products for this constraint. “That said, we do offer an upgrade service – most common jobs are; flat hop, short-stroking, gear/piston replacements, and general repairs.” Lez: Are you linked or affiliated with any local sites or clubs? Kevin: “Ireland is quite small, so as a result we would work with almost all of the sites around. Any news or events are shared on our Facebook page, as well as flyers and business cards for all the sites in our shop. “We have organised large events touring around the different sites around the country, bringing our Hobby Airsoft Land Rover Defender, Electronic Target Shooting Range, as well as our HPA filling station, and shop to tantalise (or get players out of a hole from forgetting the essentials)!” to the population size of the country. However, the people are great – it’s one of the perks of the job; surrounded by guns and getting to talk shop all day! “All of the skirmish sites are booming – new people are flocking to give airsoft a go, whether their first experience is renting on-site, or purchasing their first gun.“ Lez: How easy are you to find and is there easy access and parking? Kevin: “Our shop is extremely easy to get to, just 2 minutes off of Dublin’s lifeline, the M50 Motorway! Located in the Ballymount Retail Centre, there is ample parking, with a wheelchair space right outside the front door. The shop itself is wheelchair accessible, entirely on one level, with plenty of room to browse! “Getting to and from is simple – the area is served by the Luas Tramline (red line), as well as Dublin Bus. By car it is even easier; driving to the store is a dream, with Ballymount operating extremely central – you can be within the city centre in 10 minutes from our door!” Lez: Okay, now that we have found you, what brands will a visitor or customer find festooned upon the walls, racks and rails and what is trending at the moment? Also, do you supply all equipment needed for perhaps a weekender event? Kevin: “From the day we opened our doors, we have stocked primarily Cybergun products – from pistols, to tactical gear, and everything in between. However, as we have grown, so too has our range – G&G, Tokyo Marui, Laylax Cyma, VFC, WE, Nuprol, ICS, ASG, APS, KWC, KJW, JG, ARES, Airsoft Innovations…the list goes on! In addition, we carry a full range of 5.11 Tactical, Helikon-Tex, and Viper. “The aim is to have a one-stop shop, for both the absolute beginner, as well as the experienced skirmisher looking for a new loadout. So whether you’re looking to start a new hobby and pick up everything you need under one roof, or need to pick up gear for the next MilSim, we’ve got you covered. “We carry a full range of tactical clothing, vests, pouches, bags and packs, rifle bags and cases, batteries and chargers (obviously), HPA bottle filling service, radios, scopes/flashlights/ lasers/etc. as well having walls packed to the gills with guns! “Without question, our most popular range is the Cybergun pistols – authentic trademarks, superb build quality, great performance, and best of all, they’re reliable! Here in Ireland the cold weather makes Co2 almost a prerequisite.”

Lez: Last question Kevin, I promise! Where is Hobby Airsoft going in the future? Any plans or projects that you would like to tell our devoted fraternity? Kevin: “In the last quarter of 2017, Hobby Airsoft became the official distributor for Cybergun in the UK, and we have just set up our UK base of operations. We fully intend on growing and expanding, just as we have done in Ireland. “In 2018, we are also extending our retail shop in Dublin again, and will be installing a brand new electronic shooting range. This is a project we are all excited about, mostly because we know how our lunch breaks will be spent!” Thank you for your candour Kevin and it has been an absolute treasure hearing about this hidden gem in the Emerald Isle which has such a thriving but little known community of our airsoft family. On behalf of our readers and the team here at Airsoft Action, we wish you every success for the future. LeZ OUT!

Contact Details: Hobby Airsoft Unit 3B Ballymount Retail Centre Ballymount Road Upper Ballymount Dublin 24 D24N732 Ireland

Facebook fb.me/hobbyairsoft.ie

+353 14 568 518

For Trade Queries, please contact: Email: accounts@hobbyairsoft.ie

www.hobbyairsoft.ie Email: info@hobbyairsoft.ie

Twitter on https://twitter.com/ hobbyairsoft Instagram https://www.instagram. com/hobbyairsoft/ Phone: 00353 1 456 8518/8517 or 00353 1 460 4433

Phone: 01908 272 838 or 07738 98 5584

Lez: Do you encourage “social gatherings” etc. within your shops and if so, do you have facilities such as tea, coffee, seating, toilets, etc.? Kevin: “Although there is no formal seating area, or coffee docks, we believe your airsoft shop is like a local pub or hairdresser; our regulars come down, have a browse, share the gossip of what’s been going on, and usually by the time anyone has noticed, several hours have passed! And to keep recharged, we have Insomnia Coffee, Subway, and a café as neighbours.” www.airsoft-action.online

GITAG SPECIALIST VEHICLES FOR AIRSOFT

GOING MOBILE… SOMETIMES AN AIRSOFT SCENARIO NEEDS THAT EXTRA BIT OF “WOW AND IMMERSION” AND HAVING THE RIGHT VEHICLES CAN REALLY ADD TO ANY GAME ENVIRONMENT, BUT WHAT DOES THIS REALLY ENTAIL? THIS MONTH BILL THOMAS SPEAKS TO MATT FUREY-KING ABOUT THE VEHICLES HE HAS CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR AIRSOFT. I’VE NOTICED IN THE PAST couple of years that vehicles have really started to be a fixture of good airsoft games, especially in the world of MilSim, and whilst not an absolute necessity that do add a certain “oomph” and wow-factor to a game! Over the years I’ve found myself being trucked to an AO in anything from a Vietnam-era Reo, to a thoroughly modern Hummer and, on one particularly memorable occasion, by helicopter! In the UK it’s now quite usual to see Landies, some beautifully done up as “WMIKs”, and pickups on site and at shows like “War and Peace” you can reference virtually anything with tracks and wheels. In some of the bigger games overseas this is really taken to the absolute limit with real military wheeled and even tracked AFVs being added to the mix - and that “diesel fog” can help lead to some real, in-depth immersion! Matt, often known as “Fury”, is a player from Bristol that I’ve known for a few years now. Matt has been playing airsoft since 1997 and has helped set up some sites, along with heading both UK Airsoft Players Union and European Airsoft Association. Matt served for 7 years in the Army, including two operational tours but these days he gets his fix playing MilSim

games (mostly in Eastern Europe). Matt runs Claymore Airsoft TV and Australian Airsoft News. I’ve followed his progress and along with his team-mates he’s created some thoroughly awesome “airsoft vehicles”, so I thought speaking to him would allow me to share with you the real “lowdown” on “going mobile”… Airsoft Action: Firstly, thanks so much for speaking with us Matt! Could you tell me a little about how and why you first started creating vehicles specifically for airsoft games? Matt: “Back in 2009 we went to our first full scale MilSim game, Operation Berget in Sweden. The game area took 4 hours to cover on foot, end to end, and some of the objectives had been put on the peaks of genuine mountains (Berget is Swedish for mountain, by the way!). So, in short…. Our main motivation is laziness! “To be fair vehicle ops have also allowed a few members of the team (including myself) to keep playing MilSim when carrying long term injuries that affect mobility.” Airsoft Action: What is the usual process in creating a vehicle design?

“THERE ARE 3 ROLES IN AIRSOFT, BROADLY SPEAKING: SCOUT VEHICLE, TROOP TRANSPORT AND GUN TRUCK. YOU CAN OF COURSE CREATE SOMETHING THAT’S MULTI-ROLE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DO THAT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT BECAUSE AIRSOFT COMMANDERS ARE NOT GENERALLY FAMILIAR WITH IN-GAME VEHICLES AND WILL OFTEN SEND A VEHICLE UNIT INTO SITUATIONS WHICH THEY AREN’T OPTIMISED FOR.” 34

April 2018

GITAG SPECIALIST VEHICLES FOR AIRSOFT

Matt: “Firstly you need to work out what role you want it to fill. There are 3 roles in airsoft, broadly speaking: Scout vehicle, troop transport and gun truck. You can of course create something that’s multi-role and you will have to do that to a certain extent because airsoft commanders are not generally familiar with in-game vehicles and will often send a vehicle unit into situations which they aren’t optimised for. “There’s also a lot of variance on vehicle rules between the different games, so you need to read the vehicle rules for the game you aim to attend. For example, do windows count as BB proof? If not, you will need window “armour”. Are you allowed to drive off the tracks? If so, you might need more ground clearance and improved articulation. If it’s boggy you might need mud terrain (MT) tyres. But if you can’t leave the tracks you probably won’t even need four wheel drive! “We also take notes from other people’s vehicle designs. However, mostly we learn lessons from running previous vehicles and try to make each new attempt better than the last.” Airsoft Action: What do you look for in a “donor vehicle”? Matt: “The first priority is reliability. Sure, you probably won’t be dropping the kids off as school in it every day but if it’s breaking down in games or on the way to games it’s going to give you more pain than pleasure. It has to drive well enough at 60-70mph on the motorway without tiring you or terrifying the passengers. The price has to be low if you get an expensive vehicle you will be reluctant to commit to rough terrain and intense battles. You’ll become annoyed when the inevitable damage happens. “You need to think about the size requirement. How many people are you looking to carry in game, and more importantly, how many people do you need to carry to the game? Is it built to carry heavy loads? A light duty 4x4’s suspension might not stand up to the weight of a dozen kitted up airsoft players repeatedly driving over rough terrain. “If you have an open top how will the vehicle furnishings, electrics and the occupants deal with heavy rain? It is going to rain at some point, for sure! “Any vehicle you choose has to have tolerable fuel economy, or else you’ll end up leaving it at home much of the time because of the cost of taking it to the game vs. the cost of

driving your normal car. “If you want a mounted gun and are not buying a pickup or soft top you’ll need to cut a hole in the roof, which is a job that has to be done right.” Airsoft Action: Since I spoke to you about your vehicles I took a look at your video on “YouTube” and there seems to be a lot of “NATO Standard Tea” involved - what else do you really need to put a vehicle together? Matt: “Indeed! Aside from your brew kit you’ll need tools, and some space to do the work. You need to bring skills with various materials (wood, metal, composites etc.), and if your hand skills are lacking then you either need to develop them as you work on the project (nothing wrong with that) or utilise materials that you are familiar with. Some friends to help you out goes a very long way too. “Additionally you need the cojones to slice up a perfectly good vehicle!” Airsoft Action: Do you look to make your vehicles road legal and are there restrictions because of this? “100% yes! The primary role of our vehicles is to get us to the games. That’s the priority, by a long margin. “It is feasible to A-frame a non-road legal vehicle, or take it on a trailer but in our experience, this doesn’t work out well. You need to own a large uneconomical vehicle as your day to day transport, to pull the load. It costs you extra money

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GITAG SPECIALIST VEHICLES FOR AIRSOFT

on the ferry. You will have to muck around with loading and unloading. For insurance reasons some sites are going to ask that all vehicles are road legal anyway. Because of these hassles, we find the “trailer queen” airsoft vehicles don’t actually get brought out very much.” Airsoft Action: I know that you’ve taken your vehicles abroad to larger games like “Berget” that you mentioned earlier; can you tell me a bit more about the games you’ve attended and how this works?

MATT’S GUIDELINES FOR VEHICLE OPS • Don’t wear bulky rigs or belt kits- plate carriers and chest rigs work best when in vehicles • Be aware of shots coming under the truck when taking cover behind it. • Only keep combat essentials like grenades and mags on your personwater, spare ammo, waterproofs and food can be stowed away in or on the truck

Matt: “The games are often much larger than anything that’s run in the UK, 1200-2500 players, which gives the organisers the ability to create structured units and complicated conflicts. Berget, for example, has several different units per side, mechanised, infantry, recon and counter intelligence, each of which give a very different playing style and game experience. “Vehicle hit rules can differ greatly. Some games have a system whereby your vehicle has a number of “lives” based on how armoured it appears. In some games, a pyro or a paintball hit will knock out the vehicle. At Berget they have impressive BAVS (Berget Anti Vehicle System) sensors fitted to all vehicles and bunkers, with BAVS anti-tank weapons firing coded IR laser beams to trigger the sensors, registering a kill.”

• Try not to leave small items or guns lying around loose in the truck

Airsoft Action: Where do you see your vehicle designs heading in the future?

• Safety catches on when in the vehicle

Matt: “Sadly our team has shrunk lately, so we’ve been using a new vehicle recently acquired by Yams, a Suzuki Vitara soft top. It’s a really fun little scout vehicle for 3-4 people but needs a few finishing touches. I own a modified classic army HPA Minigun and need to get around to mounting it on the new Vitara. So that’s my next big job. I want to move my big vehicle radio over to it as well. It’s very important for a scout vehicle to be able to keep in touch with HQ!” Airsoft Action: If someone is interested in putting together a vehicle what should their starting point be?

• Short guns are preferable as you can get in and out more easily. • Try to stick to your assigned seat or position to save confusion. • If you are riding on the exterior of the vehicle and get shot, don’t worry about putting your hand up immediately if it will compromise your safety. • When you get to a drop off or objective get out with a sense of urgency, get away from the vehicle and into cover when possible- don’t mill about. Close the doors immediately after disembarking. • Don’t slam doors – the sound carries a long way • Get prepared to fight before entering the vehicle (mags in, pouches closed, goggles on etc.) • When in the truck, eyes open always, look for targets and call them out for the top gunner. It’s not a taxi, you are a part of the vehicle crew. • Keep windows rolled up at all times! Matt: “First thing you should think hard about is whether you want to tax, insure, repair and MOT an extra vehicle that gets limited use and if not, can you cope with driving your airsoft vehicle every single day? Personally, I think that can be a lot of fun! “Secondly, do you have a committed team that will fill the vehicle, that you can practice vehicle ops with, and will they be willing to help you with costs? “From there work out your budget and requirements, and then browse Gumtree, Facebook marketplace and eBay for suitable vehicles. It’s also worth researching images of military light vehicles, for inspiration - and of course my watch my airsoft vehicle YouTube videos! www.youtube.com/claymoreairsofttv https://youtu.be/0-cbTZxE6Bw https://youtu.be/QDSLDpdvc6A https://youtu.be/wiEoPINV4Vk” Airsoft Action: Thanks so much for answering my questions Matt, and I’m sure the readers will be amazed at the level of work that goes into creating a unique design! Matt: “My pleasure!”

www.airsoft-action.online

warriors STINGER HUNTERS

INTO THE HOR IN HIS BIGGEST “WARRIORS” TO DATE, GARETH “GADGE” HARVEY WRITES ABOUT THE SOVIET INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN, WHERE AMERICAN INTERVENTION CREATED A WHOLE NEW THREAT TO THE INVADERS AND THE SOVIETS A WAY OF DEALING WITH IT. Pictures: Tom Hibberd

April 2018

warriors STINGER HUNTERS

ORNET’S NEST SOVIET “STINGER HUNTERS” IN AFGHANISTAN, 1989 THE SOVIET ARMY OF THE late 20th century seemed an unstoppable behemoth. Its 1979 invasion of Afghanistan shocked the world and, while many nations in history had been unable to conquer the proud Afghan warrior tribes, by the late ‘80s it looked as if the Red Army was on the verge of crushing resistance under its jackboots – that is until American supplied Stinger missiles began to eat away at the Soviet’s total air superiority. Afghanistan is an unusual nation, it has few roads and few large population centres and, in the 80s, an almost total lack of infrastructure. While it was possible for the soviets to dominate the ground around major towns and cities, the mountainous and forested wilderness regions were “bandit country” to Russian troops, with many falling foul to brutal, if “amateurish”, ambushes in rocky passes or isolated villages. The Soviet Army of the ‘80s was essentially geared up to fight an armoured war under chemical and nuclear conditions on the flat plains of central Europe. Consequently, when its huge regular army formations moved to Afghanistan to prop up the newly appointed “legitimate” communist government, they found many social, spiritual and tactical problems. Firstly, the Soviet Union was, essentially, an atheist empire that had moved into a predominantly Muslim country. Early attempts to use troops from the more southerly Soviet states (who had also once been Muslim and still clung to their old ways) backfired when the young conscripts sent “down south” found they had more in common with the enemy, than the leaders in Moscow’s Kremlin. Personal enmities aside, the Soviet army also found that most of their armour, which had been designed for the expected “clash of steel” with NATO on the Fulda Gap in Germany, had a very low profile (and consequently required very short tank crews). While this made tanks like the T55 and T62/64 – and also APCs like the BMP 1 – very low to the ground and a hard to hit target for enemy anti-tank gunners, it also meant that their main armament had a very poor maximum elevation. This meant that Russian gunners often struggled to engage the enemy if they were fired upon from higher ground.

the Mujahidin called them “Dragons” and many tribesmen carried sand coloured blankets to lie under if they heard them approach, as there was little they could do to counter this threat. All of this would change, however, when the American funded “aid” as part of Operation Cyclone to covertly arm the Mujahidin with more modern weapons and training, was stepped up a gear and the US authorised the supply of FIM92 “Stinger” heat seeking, anti-aircraft missiles to the Afghans. Almost overnight Soviet helicopter and fast jet combat losses soared, with pilots having to fly at higher altitudes and with much more caution if they hoped to return to base alive. The consignments of Stinger missiles would initially be delivered to Pakistan via the CIA and then ferried across the “Durand Line” (the political demarcation between Pakistan and Afghanistan created by the British in the 19th century) into the country on the backs of mules led by Afghan guides. The Soviet Union knew that the only way to stop the “stinger menace”

SOVIET AIR POWER

Adapting relatively quickly (given that the Soviet army was traditionally opposed to any form of initiative at a unit level), battle group commanders found that the one thing that their Mujahidin enemy struggled to counter, was air power. While fast jet support was excellent in bombing known enemy strong points and concentrations of guerrilla fighters, perhaps the most critical tool in the soviet arsenal was the attack helicopter. Using a combination of Mi8 “HIP” transport helicopters and heavily armed MI24 “Hind” gunships, the Russians were able to rapidly insert troops into battle and cover them with withering fire support from rocket and gun pods during the combat. For the Afghani Mujahidin warriors there was little they could do to counter this fearsome threat; while they had a plenitude of small arms these were not powerful enough to shoot down Soviet helicopters and the few 12.7mm or 20mm heavy machine guns and cannons they did have, were in fixed emplacements, hard to move and easy for the Soviets to locate and destroy (additionally the Mi24 gunship was armoured to withstand fire of up to 15mm). So feared were Soviet gunships, www.airsoft-action.online

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warriors STINGER HUNTERS

“SO FEARED WERE SOVIET GUNSHIPS, THE MUJAHIDIN CALLED THEM “DRAGONS” AND MANY TRIBESMEN CARRIED SAND COLOURED BLANKETS TO LIE UNDER IF THEY HEARD THEM APPROACH, AS THERE WAS LITTLE THEY COULD DO TO COUNTER THIS THREAT.”

was to destroy these convoys before they could fall into the hands of the few Mujahidin warriors trained to effectively use these brutal weapons.

SEARCH AND DESTROY

While the USSR deployed vast forces (by Western standards) to Afghanistan, it is important to remember that (by Soviet standards) less than 10 per cent of their army was sent to the region. Significantly many troops were construction and pipeline troops dedicated to building up Afghanistan’s roads and infrastructure, with regular army motor rifles unit often assigned to guard military bases… the lion’s share of the aggressive combat operations, however, would fall to the men of the VDV airborne formations and in particular, the soldiers of various “special designation” or “spetsnaz” teams. These formations would undertake lengthy patrols, ambush mujahidin groups to obtain prisoners to interrogate (known as “tongues”) and, most importantly in the later stages of the war, destroy arms caches and supply convoys. Our “Warriors” this month represent two Spetsnaz operators from the 56th Independent Assault Landing Brigade patrolling one of Afghanistan’s many forested border regions (such as the wooded Nuristan Province). A captured “tongue” has been “persuaded” to give up the planned route of a convoy of stinger missiles and these soldiers are reconnoitring a suitable ambush site. These two Spetsnaz from the 56th are part of a larger ambush party and consist of a Warrant Officer (Russian: Praporshchik) armed with an AK74 and a private soldier (Russian: Efreitor) armed with an AKMS. The ambush party itself will have been inserted by helicopter several kilometres from the area of operations (often with “dummy landings” by other helicopters to confuse the enemy as to the true landing zone) and will have then hiked in. As they will be both inserted and extracted by helo, the patrol carries only the equipment needed to observe, fight and survive. In the warm temperate forests of the Nurestan region in summer, both men wear just the KLMK camouflage overalls initially assigned to border guards and recce units but by this time almost commonplace within the Soviet army and almost “standard issue” in the airborne forces. KLMK suits can often be hard to find in good condition as

they are particularly thin (leading to the nickname “condoms” by the troops as they tore easily) and were intended to be disposable and issued out on a “needs of the mission” basis. The suits themselves are lightweight and baggy overalls with foliage loops attached and a unique camouflage pattern developed during the latter days of WWII. This blocky pattern on the outer of the suit is often called “sun bunnies”, “sunray”

Above: Hinds over a Soviet convoy

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warriors STINGER HUNTERS

or “stairstep” by many collectors and is designed to replicate sunlight through foliage. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as “lazer” or “computer” pattern but as examples of this design can be seen as an “underprint” on 1944 produced Soviet recce suits, this is clearly not the case. It does, however, resemble modern “digital” patterns adopted by the west many years later but this is purely coincidental. The KLMK Overall (KLMK stands for “Kamuflirovannyy Letniy Maskirovochnyy Kombinezon”, which loosely translates as “summer camouflage deceptive overalls”) is intended to be worn as an oversuit but in Afghanistan was often worn as a combat garment on its own. The suit is reversible and the inside features a paler pattern with a fine grid-like design which can be used both in very arid or snow-splattered environments, as well as its intended use as a night vision device confusing design. To aid in concealment, the KLMK suit came with a matching cloth facemask – that neither man has chosen to employ as it appears the Soviet Union did not manufacture camouflage face paint! Under the KLMK suits each operative wears the distinctive striped blue and white “telnyashka” vest of the airborne forces (also adopted by many military intelligence spetsnaz forces), which was originally a navy issue item of clothing in a darker shade of blue but adopted by the paras. While these shirts seem unusual to Western readers, it is important to remember that to Russians, the striped vest of the VDV airborne formations is as much a symbol of a “real man” and a dangerous professional elite solider, as a maroon beret or para wings is to a UK citizen.

“TO RUSSIANS, THE STRIPED VEST OF THE VDV AIRBORNE FORMATIONS IS AS MUCH A SYMBOL OF A “REAL MAN” AND A DANGEROUS PROFESSIONAL ELITE SOLIDER, AS A MAROON BERET OR PARA WINGS IS TO A UK CITIZEN.” 42

April 2018

Both soldiers wear the wide brimmed hot weather “Panama” hat issued to troops in Afghanistan and the section leader has used the chin strap on his to shape his hat into a popular “cowboy” style often seen in photos of the period.

UNORTHADOX KIT

Footwear of the two troopers is vastly different and while the radio operator (using an R147 short range special operations radio, with a bone induction microphone and the antenna incorporated into the shoulder strap) is wearing standard lace up airborne forces leather combat boots, the section leader has opted to wear commercially made sports trainers. While, again, this looks unusual to Western readers, it is important to remember that the Soviet Amy went to war in Afghanistan with footwear totally unsuitable for very hot climates. There was, however, a surplus of licensed Adidas-style trainers known as “Mockba” (Russian for “Moscow”) available in the USSR, as the 1980 Olympics were supposed to be held in Russia but the games had been boycotted by the West following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Before long enterprising unit commanders realised they could source these trainers to allow their recce units to move more stealthily. Wearing trainers on reconnaissance missions is nothing new, however, as British commandoes in WWII wore their sports plimsoles on raids and even today modern SF can be seen wearing hiking trainers when not carrying excessive loads. (Please note that these shoes are worn for “historical” purposes only and Airsoft Action recommends wearing sensible boots to game in!) Each of our operators has tailored his fighting load to suit his own personal preferences and mission requirements, a level of latitude almost unheard of in the regular Soviet formations but tolerated amongst Spetsnaz troops in Afghanistan. While both men wear standard Soviet army belts to carry their water bottles, bayonets and an ammunition pouch for their rifle, the Praporshchik also carries a holster for his Makarov PM 9mm pistol. Modern airsofters will note the unwieldly holster and it’s hard to access position, the Soviet army did not train to “cross

warriors STINGER HUNTERS

draw” and to remove the pistol the leather top flap has to be opened and a small leather tab pulled to lift the sidearm out of its housing! Equally, both men carry a Shm41 respirator in a shoulder bag, as Soviet forces in Afghanistan were alleged to have used chemical weapons against the Mujahidin who had no effective chemical protection gear. Most noticeably, however, the two team members carry different fighting equipment most suited for their roles. Our radio operator carries a folding stock 7.62mm AKM (known as the AKMS) fitted with a PBS1 silencer. While the AKM had been phased out of general service in the Soviet Army in favour of the newer 5.45mm AK74, the rifle was retained by some units as its lower velocity round could be silenced by the PBS1 (which would be ineffective on a high velocity 5.45mm AK74 round) and some soldiers preferred the “stopping power” of the heavier 7.62 Soviet ammunition. Wrapped around the stock of the AKMS (and preventing the stock from folding under) is a Soviet army rubber tourniquet. While this can be used as a, somewhat unhygienic, immediate part of initial wound triage, it is much more functional as providing a comfortable cheek rest on the rifle’s steel stock that is much less likely to heat up under the blazing Afghan sun, or become freezing cold at night. Ammunition for the AKMS is carried in a locally made “chicom” pattern chest rig, holding three additional 30-round magazines as well as an oil bottle/cleaning kit and a brace of fragmentation grenades (as much for making sure the Mujahidin don’t capture him alive as for attacking the enemy). Lastly, a bayonet for his AKMS is carried on his hip and while this cannot be fitted at the same time as the PBS1 suppressor, it is still useful as a close combat tool that can also be used as a pair of wire cutters when required.

BOOSTED FIREPOWER

The section leader is also carrying mainly ammunition for their short duration patrol and ambush and, in this case, wears a chest rig made out of the ammunition pouches from an “RD54” airborne webbing system and a pair or rifle slings. The RD54 was an integrated webbing system with the pouches attached to a small rucksack developed for the parachute units. Many troops found having the pouches affixed inconvenient and removed them in order to use the rucksack on its own (sometimes sewing two packs together to increase capacity). The excess removed pouches were then used to make improvised ammunition carriers. In addition to several magazines for his folding stock AK74 rifle (again with a tourniquet fitted and a first field dressing wedged into the stock) our Praporshchik carries a civilian hiking rucksack made in the Soviet Union to carry the

patrol’s explosives intended to destroy or sabotage any enemy ammunition caches. Our Warrant Officer’s AK74s is also fitted with a 40-round magazine RPK magazine - usually used on the section’s light support weapon but “borrowed” for his own rifle to boost his firepower. He has also fitted a GP25 “koster” (Russian for “bonfire”) grenade launcher to the front of his rifle, capable of firing 40mm high explosive VOG25 grenades. Like the radio operator he also carries a steel and bakelite bayonet that can serve as both a saw blade and wire cutters if needed. It’s clear to see that even outside of dedicated “Cold War” events, Russian and Soviet kit is becoming increasingly popular on the UK airsoft scene, despite its old school communist manufacture! The Airsoft Action team decided that, actually, this 80s era spetsnaz kit was pretty effective to game in, as it was comfy and “did the job”. It’s also a surprisingly effective camouflage pattern when in foliage (we deliberately took the shoot against a brown background so you could see it properly), so perhaps it’s time to ditch the MTP, look East and sign up with the old school… Soviet style! Left: A Mujahideen fighter aims an FIM92 Stinger missile at passing aircraft, Afghanistan, 1988

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International MEXICO

AIRSOFT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN MEXICO AND ONCE AGAIN A CHANCE CONVERSATION GAVE BILL THOMAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE GUYS AT TOLOKS CLUB AIRSOFT MÉRIDA.

VIVA MEXICO! IT’S TRUE THAT WE MAY all moan about certain aspects of social media but I for one am very, very happy to have it. Used with tact, honesty and above all, politeness, it’s a fabulous way of keeping in touch with friends and fellow enthusiasts - and an even better way of extending your own “world”. Every so often I come across some really killer pictures of airsoft games and those lead me to speak with new “mates” around the globe. So it was with the guys at Toloks Club Airsoft Mérida, and after contacting them initially they’ve turned out to be a righteous bunch. I think it’s probably also true that we all have “airsoft mates” in the USA and if you don’t correspond with them regularly then I am certain that you’ll follow certain individuals and teams based there online. I was thoroughly intrigued to find out how airsoft is “South of the Border” though, and what I discovered is that airsoft really is a leveller wherever you may live and play! This is what the guys at Toloks Club Airsoft Mérida had to tell me: AA: Hi guys! Please can you tell me a little about how airsoft has developed in and the current state of things in Mexico and especially in Yucatan? TCAM: “Hi! Well, México´s got a lots of teams were anybody can play airsoft. It is really safe to play airsoft but you must contact the team which is close to your location to get indications for use and transporting equipment.

April 2018

“Toloks Club plays in Yucatan, as you could have noticed; we are very proud to say that our team has the safest location to play this game. Also, we have one of the biggest group of players in México (about 100 members registered and 30-35 players for each game day). Also, we are in contact with our authorities to ensure safety and legality and we strive to make this game more known to the public.” AA: As a team can you tell me a little more about yourselves?

TCAM: “We promote ourselves as a “family group”; we try to make social meetings to integrate new members that are joining this sport and try to make them more comfortable. Our name as “TOLOKS CLUB” was created with the ideology of taking something that represents our state and ourselves as people with cultural association and common interest. “We also give personal orientation to make airsoft players conscious of the responsibility that we must have with our equipment and emphasize that this game is based on honesty and fair play, with the goal of put in practice those values EVERY time we meet to play.” AA: Do you have many established outdoor sites in Mexico now? Could you tell me a little more about them? TCAM: “Yes, in fact we are running a MilSim at least twice a year with our neighbours, states of south of México such as Quintana Roo, Campeche, Veracruz, Tabasco and Chiapas. Recently in November we participated on a MilSim in Campeche and we were about 125 players. Also there have a lot of teams in all México, so it’s easy to find them.” AA: Do sites and players have any legal restrictions to contend with?

International MEXICO

(because of the strong sunlight) and light gear. Also carrying a bottle of water is absolutely recommended. “The rest of the year maybe (the “coldest” seasons) have an average temperature of 20 degrees; it´s friendly for all kind of gear, so staying warm is not a big problem, you can deal with it! Heavy weapons can be used at those seasons too.” AA: What is the situation with airsoft and tactical gear in Mexico; is it easy to get hold of?

TCAM: “Well, as you know, airsoft is a game where equipment is based on military armament and it will be always treated as a sensitive topic because of authorities interpretation. But in fact, the restrictions are based on common sense: 1) Only play airsoft at your designated location to the respective authorities. 2) Transporting of equipment must be in a box, hidden from the eyes of the public and of course, disarmed. 3) Stores that sell airsoft rifles must fill in much paperwork including Legal Laws which are not too easy to find. It is easier (legally talking) to import RIFs. 4) Optional but recommended, carry a communication document were “your team” declares to the authorities that are playing a sport and a notice where you practice it.” AA: What’s a normal game day like for you? TCAM: “It’s a day of being out of work stress, to become something else, be concentrate on your role play but also it’s about making jokes with friends. It´s really the enjoyment to be there, also making new kind of games, and taking photos to upload at your social media… it´s fun!” AA: Do airsofters train either as individuals or teams? What avenues are there for training? TCAM: “We work mostly on team skills. We invite people with professional backgrounds such as soldiers, police members, shooting guards, rescuers and anyone that can teach us how to improve our competences. Individual skill will rise according to team training and being on the field each game day. So we think that we currently work on both of them too.”

TCAM: “If we talk about just gear (boots, tactical vest, camouflage, tactical gloves, googles, helmets, etc), yes it is easy to get them. Other things such as telescopic scopes, night vision, rifle outer accessories (like RIS systems), are hard to find and in some cases you will need a permission to buy those articles. Finally, primary and backup airsoft weapons, as I said before, must fulfil some legal requirements.” AA: Are there particular brands and models of airsoft replica that are important to you? What brands do players like? TCAM: “We like pretty much everything but for AEGs it’s G&G for M4 and CYMA for AKs. For GBB, WE TECH and KWA are all popular brands too.” AA: Do your sites have rental facilities if someone is visiting from overseas? TCAM: “Yes we have; there can be a variety of airsoft guns and that can be provided.” AA: If anyone is visiting Yucatan and is interested in visiting a site for a game day, where should they head for information?

AA: Like us you have an unusual range of annual temperature and weather conditions to contend with; what’s important to you in relation to your gear?

TCAM: “You can find us via Facebook https://www. facebook.com/Toloksclub/ or search us as Toloks Club Airsoft Mérida. If you would like to get in touch directly with us then you can email on toloksairsoftclub@ gmail.com.”

TCAM: “Our average temperature is about 28 degrees in the morning, and 34 degrees at midday (maybe 85% of the year). We recommend to use a complete covered battle uniform

AA: Thanks for answering all my questions and who knows, maybe the Airsoft Action team may even make it to Mexico one day!

www.airsoft-action.online

International Event BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES

BATTLE FOR LOST A KELLY “FEMME FATALE” HARDWICK ATTENDS THE INAUGURAL DESERTFOX AIRSOFT EVENT, IN CALIFORNIA, USA AND FINDS TECHNOLOGY PLAYS A BIG PART IN THE GAME. ON JANUARY 11TH I FLEW from London to Los Angeles just in time to attend the very first Desertfox Airsoft Event, “The Battle for Lost Angeles”, at George Airforce Base in Victorville, California. Desertfox Airsoft Events are a new airsoft events company, headed up by one of the world’s biggest airsoft YouTubers, Jet Desertfox and who have developed their own app to revolutionise gameplay. The “Blue Fox Tracker” app is downloadable from the App Store/Google Play Store and works on a 3/4G connection. Players download the app and create their own profile within the app, once they are at a DFE event they can scan the event's QR code to get in the game! The app is essentially a mini-map that shows players their location, their alive/ wounded/killed team-mates locations, the objectives, plus it also has features such as the app chat and medic function. DFE games can be played if you don’t have the app or a data connection but it is definitely adds another element to gameplay.

April 2018

GEORGE AIR FORCE BASE

First off let’s chat about the AO - George Air Force Base. It is a former US Air Force base in Victorville, California, established by the US Army Air Corps in 1941 as an Advanced Flying School. It closed at the end of the WWII but was re-activated as a training base at the start of the Korean War in 1950, where it remained an active training base until it finally shut its doors in 1993. In the 25 years the base has been closed with no maintenance, the AO has naturally degraded meaning it looks more like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie – from fallen trees and collapsed roofs, broken glass and missing walls, it was gnarley and the perfect setting for the Battle for Lost Angeles. It has a complete road system that spans the entire site and over 100 derelict buildings to fight through. On Friday 12th we made the short drive to George Airforce Base to meet Jet Desertfox and the DFE team for player registration, the safety brief and the test game. We arrived at 3pm PST ready for the day’s activities and whilst the players were signing in and grabbing their respective team armbands, I got the chance to catch up with the US retailers and brands that had come down to support the event! There was a whole host of different vendors present to support the event, including Action Sport Games, Airsoft Master, Enola Gaye, Evike.com, Airsoft GI, Glaze Sports and PTS, where players could check out and test new products and also purchase supplies for the event. Once the registration period had come to an end, players were given a comprehensive safety brief which covered all the bases, from what pyro players were allowed to deploy onsite and most importantly to be aware of their surroundings because of the nature of the AO. Once the safety brief was completed, the DFE team ran the test game which gave the players a chance to see and understand how the app works before using it in-game on Saturday. Players were authorised to camp at the admin section of the site over the weekend, or they had the option to stay at the local

International Event BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES

ANGELES Holiday Inn that had a discounted rate for players. On Saturday morning the day started with registering the last players and at 10 am, it was game on! Admin staff gathered the players in the staging area for another safety/ game brief and to scan the QR code to enter the players into the game. For DFE there are two distinct factions – the Southern Syndicate, which are the tan team and Eastern Royal Trading with is the green/civvie team. Once all the players were scanned in, we were led by our Eastern Royal Trading commander Unicorn Leah, and ground Commander Chris Bast to our respawn point. Our mission was simple, dominate the waypoints and eliminate the enemy team – with the scoring system in the app, the team who has the most “tickets” left by endex is the winner. Every time a player logs themselves as “dead” in the app, their team loses a “ticket” so it still does rely on players being honest. We started on the Western side of the AO, and our Commander gave us the order to spread out and capture the objectives closest to our position to protect our respawn and then to take the other points that controlled the central courtyard of the AO. For this game we didn’t have assigned squads, which was awesome because we could link up and play with players we wouldn’t usually play with and for the start of the game I teamed up with Dayton, Airsoft Hasmeen, Undead Fred and a few others. As we moved to the objectives on the map we flooded the buildings closest to our spawn point that overlooked the objective. After we checked everything was clear we started to move further into the AO. As we were moving between windows, myself and Dayton saw a flash of tan run through the opposing building – Southern Syndicate. The hunt was on! As we went to exit the building we were in to get a better angle on the enemy, rounds starting flying into the room we

were in and ricocheting off the walls. We were trapped, luckily another squad flanked the Syndicates and put down fire on them enough for us to fight our way out of the side of the building into an adjacent structure. We made our way up the stairs onto the top floor of the building where we picked off Southern Syndicate one by one so our teammates on the ground could advance. After a lull in fire, we made our way into the main streets where the other objectives were located, after this point the firefights were intense, in and out of buildings until the end of the game. ERT brought home the Victory! After a short lunch break on Saturday, we started the evening game at 4pm, as the light was fading pretty quickly. For the night game there were fewer objectives to be secured; just 3 and they were being defended by Southern Syndicate, heavily!

“THE AO HAS NATURALLY DEGRADED MEANING IT LOOKS MORE LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A POSTAPOCALYPTIC MOVIE – FROM FALLEN TREES AND COLLAPSED ROOFS, BROKEN GLASS AND MISSING WALLS, IT WAS GNARLEY AND THE PERFECT SETTING FOR THE BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES.” www.airsoft-action.online

International Event BATTLE FOR LOST ANGELES

As we moved from building to building clearing out any enemies along the way, our team made a plan to take the middle objective to break through their line of defence, but there was only one problem, it was in the middle of an open courtyard with no cover. Our team posted up in buildings surrounding the courtyard to give cover and figure out a way to take it. To our surprise, our friend Mike made a run for the spot the objective was on and lay on the ground as quickly as he could, there was a fierce firefight between the players in their opposing buildings and he captured the objective! Mike bugged out in a hail of BBs, it was seriously epic. After we took the middle objective, the light had faded and the AO became really sketchy because of all the debris on the ground so players without NVGs and light sources started dropping out one by one. By the end of the night game at 10 pm, Southern Syndicate had taken home a victory as they defended the other two objectives fiercely. On Sunday, we started again at 10 am, and this time the game was relatively short, just 4 hours so we had to put in some major work if we wanted to take home Lost Angeles for Eastern Royal Trading. For the first couple of hours, Sunday for me was spent fighting alongside Jet Desertfox and Dayton from the House Gamers. Our objective was to take the furthest buildings from our spawn so off we went, however, by the time we arrived at the structures, Southern Syndicate were already set up and waiting for us. It was a dogfight to take our waypoint but we got it. We spent hours in the buildings defending with a few of our teammates including Undead Fred making runs into the buildings they were posted up in (sometimes using some impressive parkour moves!) After my second “death” in game, I linked up with the “Inferno Squad”, which comprised of the guys from Enola Gaye USA and Instagrammers Lazer Viper and PNW Punk fighting along the main road and in its surrounding buildings for the rest of the day. Over the course of the weekend, Eastern Royal Trading won 2/3 of the games and took the victory. At the end of the weekend, there was a huge raffle in the admin area and the admins asked for feedback on the game.

I was actually, really pleasantly surprised how well the app functioned. The only issue with the Blue Fox Tracker app that became prevalent was that the medic function wasn’t working for all players, but the admin staff counteracted this by supplying all players with bandages - the medic rule was then matched to the app, but in a physical manner. The only downsides to the app, in my opinion, are: it requires good 3G/4G phone and mobile data to work and of course there is obviously a risk that your phone could get shot out if you are looking at the map and haven’t checked if your surroundings are secure but out of the 140ish players and staff onsite, no phones were damaged and this is because you aren’t required to have your phone out at all times. Having access to the app completely changed the gameplay from your regular Battlesim to a fierce firefight! As there were set capture points, the gameplay was focused on these areas and because your alive AND dead teammates markers were visible on the minimap you could work out where the action was, so there was no annoying walking around for ages trying to pick a fight - or you simply checked the app chat for enemy locations reported by in-game players. The ability to communicate with your teammates and commanders using the apps chat system instead of radios was also invaluable. The teams, especially ERT who used their chat more, were betterorganised thanks to having that communication with other players. Overall, I had an amazing time at the Battle for Lost Angeles! The AO was a really cool location for an airsoft game that offered both close and long range engagements, the game ran well thanks to the admin staff and the players. It was a constant firefight thanks to the app which made it really fun and there were some awesome loadouts amongst the teams. I am really looking forward to the next instalment of Desertfox Events! Who knows, we may even see them in the UK shortly!

“ROUNDS STARTING FLYING INTO THE ROOM WE WERE IN AND RICOCHETING OFF THE WALLS. WE WERE TRAPPED, LUCKILY ANOTHER SQUAD FLANKED THE SYNDICATES AND PUT DOWN FIRE ON THEM ENOUGH FOR US TO FIGHT OUR WAY OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING INTO AN ADJACENT STRUCTURE.”

www.airsoft-action.online

Site Update SOUTH COAST CQB

AIRSOFT ACTION HAS VISITED SOUTH COAST CQB BEFORE AND LEZ LEE RETURNS TO SEE HOW THEY HAVE MADE THE SITE DISABLED PLAYER-FRIENDLY.

SOUTH COAST CQB AIRSOFT FOR DISABLED OVER 90 PLAYERS BRAVED SOME of the worst weather that we have seen so far this year on a cold, wet and windy January day just 80 metres from the water’s edge on the Solent. This unexpected number was testament to just how diverse an urban site can be and in 8 years it was the first time that I have ever gone out shooting in the rain! Okay, I’m a fair-weather wuss but I must confess, had it not been for a couple of dry two storey buildings where I could provide overwatch, things may have been different. This is urban CQB at its finest - and wettest! Gary Byrne, founder and driving force behind South Coast CQB acquired this mothballed MoD site back in April 2014 and it has gone from strength to strength as its reputation has networked across the South. It now plays host to many “organised” battles such as the Inter County Championships, Old Bloke Airsoft Club and other organisations because, amongst the many reasons to go shooting here, it is good, rigid (and certainly fit for purpose) urban buildings and solid underfoot so if you’re like me, then there is no reason why weather should be a reason to stay in bed, toasty warm avoiding the elements when you should be out there running and gunning with the rest of us combat crazy emulators. I ran my first site review of South Coast CQB back in early 2015 when Gary had just started

April 2018

out and like all sites, things take a little while to “bed in” but with a committed team of Marshals and good support from the airsoft community down south. Things began to shape up and it didn’t take too long before Gary was having to cap the numbers to keep things under control and booking your place would become a pre-requisite due to health and safety and other factors, such as an adequate marshal to player ratio. The site itself was originally an Army training camp but decommissioned in 2012, however, the land was to remain in its current state due to planned development in the future sometime and once Gary got his hands on this venue, his determination was underpinned with a passion to not create any old airsoft battleground but an arena which should ideally be accessible to everyone regardless of their physical abilities or disabilities. Why is this an issue you may ask? Well Gary himself is disabled and reliant on a wheelchair to get around, a subject that will be spoken about later. Let’s take a look at what South Coast CQB has to offer and first is the easy access and location. It is situated at the most southern point in Gosport, Hampshire and quite simply you head south from the M27 (just west of Portsmouth) and continue heading south - it’s easy to locate, but if you find your feet getting wet then you have gone too far! Parking is plentiful inside the gated compound. Just a few yards away is the main building, the H.Q. if you like, aka the safe zone. Inside you will find a welcome/booking in area and then a number of carpeted rooms on two floors where you can enjoy a hot drink in the dry whilst kitting-up and stowing your gear. These facilities are first class in comparison to some safe areas as

Site Update SOUTH COAST CQB

they are dry, warm, secure and safe and also the only area that you can be permitted to remove your eye pro due to the close proximity of the actual battlefield. Throughout the site, there are several different types of structures each with its own method of access. Some are a complex series of walls, screens and windows whereas for others you may find yourself ascending and/or defending a staircase. The upper floors are a sniper’s paradise; two particular

buildings overlook the former parade ground thus giving clear shots at marauding adversaries as they try to complete one of the many varied mission objectives that run throughout the day. In addition, you can find a vast open area with a few small “cover” points for fast, almost “speedball-type” play. Like nearly all CQB sites, this is semi-auto only gunfights because nobody wants to face a SAW full of plastic hell bearing down on you at point blank range! However, if the players all agree, it

“SITUATED AT THE MOST SOUTHERN POINT IN GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE … YOU HEAD SOUTH FROM THE M27 (JUST WEST OF PORTSMOUTH) AND CONTINUE HEADING SOUTH - IT’S EASY TO LOCATE BUT IF YOU FIND YOUR FEET GETTING WET THEN YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR!” is probable that the last game will be a full-auto plastic blizzard to help empty your magazines. Pyros are permitted (and indeed encouraged) but only certain colours are used due to the nearby Coastguard Station, so red smoke is most certainly a no-no and of course, decibels are restricted due to the close proximity to lugholes. For lunch, a very welcome burger van arrives and they serve up a variety of popular bites but if you prefer to bring your own soup and sandwiches then that’s fine too. A small selection of snacks, soft drinks and consumables are available at the bookin desk but presently there is no on-site shop, however Gary assured me that this is something that is being considered for the future. On this particular cold, wet and windy day, around 90 players turned up to brave the elements which is indicative of the popularity of this site. Teams from Dogtag and a couple of others battled alongside their brothers-and-sisters-in-arms and as one might expect, game play in this urban jungle was fast… very fast! I have started to enjoy my enhanced VSR 10, tuned to perfection by Dan Sayer and furnished with a 1.25-5 x 26 Nuprol ZR10 optic, which was proving to be quite deadly from my first floor vantage point. I rarely shoot with anything other than my camera whilst conducting a site review but the temptation was too great here and I just happened to be kitted up and had my primary and secondary in the car (what

www.airsoft-action.online

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Site Update SOUTH COAST CQB

a coincidence eh!) so, all in the good spirit of investigative journalism, I felt that it was only right and proper to immerse myself in a combat role so that I could feel the action and not just see it, photograph it and write about it as I usually do, compliments of Gary B.

AIRSOFT FOR DISABLED

I want to take a look at an area of airsoft which I feel is somewhat overlooked and what better person to discuss this with than Gary, as he knows only too well about the barriers and restrictions that a disabled person usually faces in this type of environment. I asked Gary what his thoughts were on the inability to enjoy the same hobby, albeit naturally limited in most cases due to terrain, as fellow able-bodied players: “For obvious reasons diversity plays an important in what I do. At South Coast CQB we are very lucky that we have the infrastructure that allows players with mobility issues to play airsoft. I would really like the opportunity to play at other sites but it’s not always possible because of the location and terrain. With most hobbies it’s really important to be able to give everyone a chance to participate and I will be doing a lot more in future to allow more players with disabilities to play Airsoft”. Another airsoft fanatic is Tony “Big T” Dexter from Essex, who has been trying with limited success to play airsoft for nearly two years and after speaking to him, he has asserted his frustration over not only the physical barriers such as mud, rough ground and the like in woodland sites, he claimed that he was “disappointed” (that wasn’t the exact word he used but being a family magazine etc....) over the apparent lack of consideration for disabled players by site operators. He went on to detail some of his negative experiences: ”I found out about airsoft in 2015 and as I already had an interest in shooting from when I was a shooting club member with regular meetings at Bisley, which I had to stop due to very frustrating barriers (and health and safety issues) when it came to actually pointing and shooting a real rifle on the 100 meter short siberia range. So when a mate said he would take me airsofting I was really excited. It was a bit difficult to get around because of my wheelchair but my mate used to help push me to a place to defend, usually from a wooden building or a bush and leave me. I got shot a lot but I had to just sit with my hand in the air until a marshal said I could carry on playing. I was keen to try other places but could only really go when my mate would take me. I soon bought some kit and a gun and really

enjoyed it - it beat being stuck indoors. “I did play indoors once, at The Mall and that was a better place for me but too far away. I have found that hardly anywhere in my area seems to give a sh*t about disabled people. They are happy to take my money but that’s about it, apart from some of the friendly marshals that have helped me so I would like to say thank you to them and if any airsoft site owners are reading this, then please think about disabled people when you run your sites”. Having heard these two stories of exclusion, leads me to think (in my opinion) that wherever and whenever possible, site owners should do their very best to cater for those that are less able. This could be a simple case of reserved parking as near to the safe zone as possible, a few ramps here and there, grab handles in appropriate places such as toilets and any other methods that could assist, or even enable a person to enjoy the same thrill and excitement that able bodied ‘softers do. Just a simple assist from a site staff member could make a huge difference. And it’s also worth remembering that not everyone’s disability is visibly obvious but is a significant barrier none the less. I consider myself lucky because my regular site makes a valued provision for me since I was diagnosed with COPD, by allowing me to park immediately adjacent to the safe zone, as a hike from the usually full car park with a heavy kit bag and guns would likely put me out of the game before I had started, due to severe and disabling breathlessness. Of course not all sites are able to make adjustments such as this but I would like to think that a responsible site owner would at least consider the possibility of providing even the slightest layer of support for those less able. And this has got Nige, me and the team here at Airsoft Action thinking... We feel that this is an important and often overlooked subject in many sports and hobbies and that we should be looking to make our passion accessible to all enthusiasts, so AA H.Q. has decided to include a “disabled” logo in our directory of supportive sites in the back pages and update the status if site owners consider themselves to be Gary Byrne a genuinely “disabled-friendly” site. Just South Coast CQB drop us an e mail at: nige@airsoft-action. Browndown Road co.uk and a brief list of your facilities and Lee-On-Solent leave the rest to us. PO13 9UG LeZ OUT! Phone: 07533 434203

Contact Details:

www.airsoft-action.online

Feature PLAYING ARMY

GADGE HARVEY ONCE AGAIN LOOKS AT ONE OF THE MORE CONTENTIOUS ISSUES IN AIRSOFT AND HIS OWN EXPERIENCES AROUND IT, AS HE TACKLES THE OLD CHESTNUT THAT IS: “DOES REAL WORLD MILITARY SERVICE MAKE YOU A BETTER AIRSOFTER?”

AIRSOFT SOLDIERS WELL YOU’D EXPECT THE ANSWER to be a solid “yes” wouldn’t you? I mean we’re all playing army, most of us are dressing up like soldiers, we do military style missions and we’re using BB blasters that not only look like real guns but also often now replicate the features of firearms such as “stopping on empty”, or “realistic recoil”. So that’s a pretty cut and dried case yeah? I’m going to be contentious here, however, and say that “real world military experience”… well for me, it actually doesn’t count for that much in airsoft. Before I look into this any further I’m going to clarify my own standpoint on this. While I’m no Andy McNabb I’ve done a short stint in an infantry battalion and been through basic training and my fair share of fairly horrendous and exhausting combat exercises that would make your average “MilSim” player jack it in in tears. I’ll be honest, I’ve never fired a shot in anger and I’ve never been to war, but I’ve been trained by the very best in the ways to fire shots in anger and how to go to war and come home in one piece. The flip side of this is that I’ve been playing airsoft for about 18 years and over that time I’ve gone from “newbie”, to site marshal, to the sort of idiot who actually spends their time arranging massive weekenders, until finally ending up here as your humble scribe at Airsoft Action. My point being, is that I think I’ve got a fairly balanced handle on both sides of the coin so, with “balance” established, let’s explore the issue. As aforementioned all the things we “play” at in Airsoft are the things we think soldiers do, so surely they are going to be the best players in the world ever? The big problem is that only a tiny proportion of your “job” as a soldier (even an infanteer) has any direct relevance to airsoft. Some skills and knowledge can transfer directly but, if I’m honest again, the three years you’ll have spent at a minimum learning and perfecting them at

an Army Training Regiment and then your battalions… well you could become a sh*t-hot airsofter if you played twice a week for two years!

FIRE CONTROL

Now a lot of this is because (as airsofters) we see a things in games and on TV and we think this is how soldiers operate but, once again, they just don’t. This was brought home to me recently (and in fact it’s the reason I was prompted to write this article) in a recent heated online discussion about using

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Feature PLAYING ARMY

“clockface” in games to pinpoint the enemy. This looks and sounds great when you see someone in a film shout “enemy at 2 o’clock” but in reality soldiers don’t do that. We give our “fire control orders” as they are known in a format known as “GRIT”. GRIT stands for “Group, Range, Indication, Type of fire”, so an infantry section commander is going to say “LSW gunner, 400 metres, quarter left ruined building, rapid fire!” So we can instantly see this falls to bits straight away in airsoft… unless you’re playing in a team you have no “group” to direct. Your range is never going to be over 100 metres (unless you’ve spotted someone on a hill at the other end of a big site), the indication is usually something incredibly unhelpful like “he’s behind the tree” and the “Fire” is pretty much always full auto! More importantly, unless everyone on your team (or a fair few of them) have been soldiers or cadets you just sound a bit mental to everyone else and confuse them. (“Clockface” is actually used when you want to be more specific about where the fire is coming from in the aforementioned ruined house... so if it was from some rubble at the bottom right you could say “4 o’clock”). So straight away we see that even a “direct” infantry skill is of limited use in airsoft if everyone else doesn’t know what 58

April 2018

you’re on about and hasn’t had the same training. Hand signals are another good example. In the field, my section mates and I could give fairly complex messages about distance, type of enemy weapon, the presence of an obstacle or whether we needed to speak to an officer or sgt etc. without speaking a word. Again, unless your team all know hand signals (and I’ll grant you some are bloody obvious) and most importantly the SAME army’s hand signals, you just look like a nutter waving his arms about. Less direct “skills and drills” that are critical to real world infantry work are utterly useless in airsoft, such as much of the “prepare for battle” drills we used to refer to as “PAWPERSO”. PAWPERSO was a mnemonic to help us remember the important stuff to stop us stuffing up an attack and stood for: Protection (as in sentries placed before hand, knowing who was on our flanks etc.), Ammunition (having it issued and checked and magged up), Weapons (clean, working etc.), Personal Camouflage (both foliage and cam cream), Equipment (did we have it all, was it secured properly), Radios (did we know what frequencies and call signs were in use) , Specialist Equipment (I seem to recall this was making sure we had ladders if we were going to try and attack the top floor of a house etc.) and Orders (cos it’s really handy to know what you are doing). All

CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW, BLACK

Helikon-Tex @URBAN LINE#AIRSOFT ACTION 02-2018

JOURNEY TO PERFECTION WWW.HELIKON-TEX.COM

Feature PLAYING ARMY

“YOUR RANGE IS NEVER GOING TO BE OVER 100 METRES, THE INDICATION IS USUALLY SOMETHING INCREDIBLY UNHELPFUL LIKE “HE’S BEHIND THE TREE” AND THE “FIRE” IS PRETTY MUCH ALWAYS FULL AUTO! MORE IMPORTANTLY, UNLESS EVERYONE ON YOUR TEAM (OR A FAIR FEW OF THEM) HAVE BEEN SOLDIERS OR CADETS YOU JUST SOUND A BIT MENTAL TO EVERYONE ELSE AND CONFUSE THEM.” of this is CRITICAL as part of an infantry attack but it’s all stuff that, to be honest, most airsofters do without thinking. You don’t need “protection” as you’re in the safe zone. You’ve got your ammo, there is only one calibre (as in 6mm) to worry about, and you’ve certainly checked your weapon the night before and probably have a spare (not a luxury we had). Most airsofters (like myself) are obsessed with personal camo so let’s not worry about that one, although few of us bother with cam cream which is a daily embuggerance to a soldier, we generally don’t need any extra equipment, radios are a “team frequency “ (and we’ll skip over the fact that most airsofters have terrible comms discipline). I’ve yet to see a game require “specialist equipment” that isn’t a key prop and lastly… well we all get orders from the organisers but unlike the army, following them in airsoft is clearly optional! So you can see stuff you spend ages training on doesn’t really equate to the game we play. But before I look at the flipside and restore some positivity, let have a look at some of the other differences. For a start the ranges we play airsoft at (50 to 100 metres) is serious “brown trousers” time in real combat, where the enemy are probably engaging at 500 to 700 metres and certainly not all wellying 600 rounds a minute at you. Soldiers are trained to spot and engage enemy units far further away than the physics of the

game allow us and to some ex-soliders the ranges of airsoft can be frustrating. I know that personally I’ve sat with an airsoft sniper rifle watching a guy on the other team bumbling about on the skyline 300 metres away through my scope and thinking “if this was a real rifle you’d not stand a chance mate!” This works to a degree with “personal camouflage”; real world units are not too fussed about whether they have matching shades of multicam but they are more worried about whether their “harbour area” can be seen from above (not something we need to worry about in airsoft), or whether the enemy can detect the thermal signature of their vehicles etc. Again all really important bits of soldiering that are irrelevant in our game. What is probably more useful in the translation from “real world” to “playing army” is any training in FIBUA (fighting in built up areas, sometimes known as FISH for Fighting In Someone’s House!) and any “jungle lanes” drills, as in both these cases you’re looking at very short contact ranges and more liberal use of automatic fire!

HURRY UP AND WAIT!

Lastly, as any former serviceman will tell you there is a lot of “hurry up and wait” in the army. You’ll be shouted at, harassed, pushed and bullied from one identical place to

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PLAYING ARMY

another in a wet forest in Wales, only to then sit there for a eight hours waiting for something to happen. Ask even the most ardent MilSimmer to spend an entire night on his belly in total silence waiting to ambush a patrol that doesn’t actually go past you in the end and you’ll be seeing someone wanting their money back at the end of the game! There are, however, many things that military experience and even just having spent a fair bit of time in say the cadets, can do that will significantly affect your game. For a start your personal cam and field craft will usually be better than the average beginning airsofter. The ability to move (and crawl) silently is a key military skill that pays dividends in airsoft. Likewise, even the most raw recruits are taught to move tactically using cover to its best advantage and to also see THROUGH cover, rather than looking at it. Now, as we’ve said, all of these things you can pick up purely by playing a lot and some people are naturals but this is one place where “military training” really does help. Former soldiers tend to be better at giving precise and clear orders or passing on information in an effective manner and to similar degree, usually, don’t struggle with map reading or navigating unfamiliar terrain. All of these skills give the “ex forces” airsofter an edge over the open day beginner but perhaps really come into their element during “MilSim” games. I’m quite wary about “MilSims” in general; I think they vary so wildly, from games that are almost like an army exercise through to ones that put “tan team vs green team” as their sole “MilSim” criteria, that it’s almost impossible to quantify them. But, I will say that the longer the duration of the game and the more “self-sufficient” the players has to be away from “safe zone” support then, somewhat obviously, the more military training becomes useful. Nearly all of these skills, though, (as I’ve said more than once) are skills that the keen civilian amateur can pick up from books, films, training pamphlets, or taking on instruction from guys “in the know” but there are perhaps two things that only the army can teach you.

The first of these is a “sense of urgency” and “aggression”. By this I don’t mean that you run around like a headless chicken and then punch someone but more like you do things quickly and efficiently, even if it’s something as simple as squaring your kit away before you move out, and that when you are “advancing to contact” or “winning the firefight” you put your all into it. Like the ancient Japanese used to say “when training with a wooden “bokken” sword… always imagine you have a real sword in your hands”. By this they meant “Give even training your maximum effort” or more bluntly “don’t f**k about”. As we’re playing with the firearms equivalent of “wooden swords” is always a good maxim to get the most out of your game and be victorious by not wasting your time or energy by treating as if you are doing the real thing and the end result matters*. The second thing that the forces ingrain in their recruits that it’s often too hard to find in civilians, is a sense of humour in the most adverse of conditions. Weeks spent training in

“ASK EVEN THE MOST ARDENT MILSIMMER TO SPEND AN ENTIRE NIGHT ON HIS BELLY IN TOTAL SILENCE WAITING TO AMBUSH A PATROL THAT DOESN’T ACTUALLY GO PAST YOU IN THE END AND YOU’LL BE SEEING SOMEONE WANTING THEIR MONEY BACK AT THE END OF THE GAME!” torrential rain, in water logged trenches or roasting in NBC suits and respirators in June, tends to teach most squaddies to deal with the tiring, irritating or uncomfortable things life throws at them with dark humour, some cheeky banter and a smile. You’ll often see former forces guys laughing off things that would make another player want to wrap his AEG around a tree! So, in conclusion, I’d argue that while there are a few skills that give the trained soldier the edge in a game, very few of them are skills that a decent airsofter can’t pick up pretty damn quickly. At the end of the day the most important thing to remember about even *Disclaimer. By the “real thing” the most hard-core MilCim event you we mean playing like you’re in could possibly go to is this… a war film and having the best “We’re all grown men (and women) game possible. This is not an playing army in the woods, usually incitement by Airsoft Action for wearing someone else’s old clothes and players to bayonet each other, with a toy gun… it’s no different to playing knock up improvised explosives army in the woods with cap guns when or generally go “Rambo” in their you were ten. You can just afford a better local woodland. toy now!”

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armoury G&G GC16 PREDATOR BATTLESHIP GREY

JURASSIC LOAD OUT DIANE MONTAGNIER WON A G&G G16 A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO FOR HER PHOTOGRAPHY AND NOW SHE HAS DECIDED TO USE IT AS THE BASIS FOR A NEW PROJECT… JURASSIC WORLD! G&G ARMAMENT IS ONE OF my favorite airsoft manufacturer. This Taiwanese brand has a very awesome catalog, which grows every year. I have accumulated more than 10 G&G airsoft guns since I began airsoft, from entry-level to high-end and I have never been disappointed! Two years ago, during the G&G Photos Contest, I won a GC16 Predator Battleship Grey. At that time the movie Jurassic World had just been released on screen, so why not create a kit inspired by this movie? The CG16 Predator is just the perfect replica for this project!

“MY KIT IS NOT A COPY OF THOSE WE CAN SEE IN THE MOVIE, BUT AN INSPIRATION WITH ACCESSORIES AND KIT THAT I ALREADY HAVE. IT’S A GOOD COMBINATION OF LIGHT WEIGHT AND EASE OF MOVEMENT.”

April 2018

UNBOXING

They know how to do this at G&G’s factory! The CG16 is delivered in a very beautiful cardboard box, very strong, colorful and dedicated to this replica. Inside the box, well stuck in polyester, there are the replica, a mag, a catalog and all the preventive paper about security. The CG16 is made of different metal parts (inox, aluminum, steel, and zinc). They are the handguard, the upper and the lower, a stock tube and a front and rear sight. However, all these parts (except sights) are not attracted by a magnet. It’s not steel. The pistol grip and the stock are made of polymer. The butt pad is made of a very strong rubber. The selector is ambidextrous and the fire modes are engraved. The rest of the markings are printed very cleanly. There is a little compartment in the stock, opened by a button. What makes the charm of this airsoft gun is his typical key mode handguard, very aggressive. It looks like an open snake’s mouth. Unfortunately, there is no flash hider. The outer barrel lets appears a thread. This is probably the only bad point. The finishes are exemplary and there is absolutely no burr on the whole replica. The grey painting is applied very evenly. The touch is very soft, not cold. I can’t write about an airsoft gun review without write about the mechanics! I was very pleased to see a kind of mosfet inside, deported in the stock, but connected to the switch, which is just the connector place. It allows to the switch to be smaller than an ASCU or a Titan for exemple. There is also a fuse. All the pieces are M4 AEG standard, it gives the opportunity to change pieces without any problem. The motor is a long type and torque. The inner barrel is made of brass and it is 250mm long. The replica is rear wired in Tamiya mini.

armoury G&G GC16 PREDATOR BATTLESHIP GREY

DIANE’S “JURASSIC KIT”

Everyone who saw the movie Jurassic World saw the Kryptek Typhon camo. That’s good, I have the kit! Kryptek is definitely my favorite kit brand. I use the Typhon pattern kit for CQB and the Highlander pattern for forest field and hunting. The Highlander pattern is the most efficient camo I’ve ever had. For my Jurrassic Kit, I wear VertX Kryptek Typhon top and bottom. I ordered this kit 5 years ago and I used my relationship at that time to bring this set in France because it was impossible to import. My boots are my loving and old Magnum Elite II. Why? Only Magnum brand provide tactical boots at woman size! I wear my Under Armour Gloves, a Hazard4 cap with a Maxpedition T-Rex Skull patch (I stay in the same theme). I use a Haley Strategic D3CR chest rig in Kryptek Highlander pattern. Finally, it just needs one or two Jurrassic World patches in order to complete the kit.

CONCLUSION

My kit is not a copy of those we can see in the movie, but an inspiration with accessories and kit that I already have. It’s a good combination of light weight and ease of movement. Perfect for CQB or SpeedGame, with a very original kit: no one will miss you but you keep the dark pattern for tactical progressions. I hope not to cross a T-Rex at the turn of a corridor!

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Project crete FIRST LINE GEAR

GETTING IN THE ZONE:

FIRST LINE GEAR BILL AND KELLY ARE WELL INTO THEIR PREPARATION FOR THEIR TRIP TO CRETE IN MAY TO ATTEND “WARZONE 2018”. IN THIS ISSUE BILL TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO CHOICE OF CLOTHING AND LOOKS AT WHAT MAKES A GOOD SETUP AND WHY. EVERY SO OFTEN IN THE airsoft world you get an invite to a game that you just can’t resist and in May 2018 Kelly and I will be travelling abroad for a very special event; three days of full-on Military Simulation in the forests and mountains of Crete, courtesy of “WarZone 2018”. I mentioned in my article last month that planning for any event is a key element to enjoying your game, and to this end my first task was to research the climate and the temperature ranges we would need to address with all our kit choices. Simply searching out “Weather Averages, Crete, May” will bring you up all the information you need, and what my search revealed was that while still technically still spring, May is considered a summer month by locals with fine weather already in full swing. Average daytime temperature rises up to 24C/75F with highs going a bit above that figure and lows rarely dropping below 15C/59F, my searches also told me that we’d be facing an average of 8 hours of full sun per day, and although mostly dry, Crete does on average get up to 3 days of rain each May, so we’d need to factor that in. 64

April 2018

With that information in hand it was time to look at a total clothing solution that took all the factors into account. Okay, we’d not be needing down jackets and winter gear but we would need some basic protection from the elements and waterproof boots seemed like the way forward. As British players waterproof boots are a given and part of our usual gameday setup, so I won’t go into that element in detail here as we all have our favourite footwear, don’t we? The main factor when choosing clothing was that it should be light, breathable, quick-drying, but above all, durable and using my tried and tested formula it was time to break things down into “base”, “mid”, and “shell” layers. You may know this way of doing things from your winter kit but trust me, it works every bits as efficiently for hot weather gear as for cold!

Project Crete FIRST LINE GEAR

BASE

When you think of “base layers” you might well picture “thermals” that you use for the cold weather months, but the fact is that a decent base layer setup is great for hot weather too if you choose the right things. Just think about the Bedouins with their multiple layers of thin fabrics! Base layers are the fundamental first building block of a performance clothing system; if the base layer doesn’t transfer moisture away from your skin effectively there is absolutely NO POINT in buying (usually) expensive breathable mid and shell layer garments as the system is going to fail from the inside out in short time, leaving you uncomfortable and not being able to perform at your optimum. Once upon a time “base layers” were all about thermal insulation but over the years they have been transformed into garments that help you to control your core body temperature, helping to keep you cool when it’s hot, but also helping to build up a microclimate inside your clothing system that will allow you to stay warm when the temperature plummets. Snugpak use a soft, open structure fabric for both their Long Sleeve Top and their Long John which feels great right against your skin. It’s lightweight too, with the top weighing in at just 205g and the LJ’s at 185g in size XL. Both garments are a relaxed fit with flatlock seams being used throughout to avoid chafe points. I’m a big guy with long legs and arms and the lengths of both suited me fine. Both garments are a 94% polyester, 6% elastane mix with Coolmax added into the mix to give really first rate levels of performance. Coolmax is a really a family of moisture-wicking technical fabrics initially developed in the late 1980’s by DuPont Textiles (now Invista). The fabrics employ specially-engineered polyester fibres to improve “breathability” compared to natural fibres like cotton, which actively retain moisture in their structure. The fibres help to “wick away” moisture and the fabric as a whole is engineered to draw it away from the skin through capillary action, increasing evaporation over a wider external surface area. Coolmax fabric was originally developed for clothing intended for use during extreme physical exertion; sweat can evaporate quickly so the wearer is kept dry. Other useful properties include resistance to fading, shrinking and wrinkling. The fibres are now often woven with other materials such as the mix used by Snugpak. Snugpak 2nd Skinz Coolmax garments use this technology to mop up any perspiration created when you really get to work. The superfine internal hairs search for excess moisture to absorb then wick it away over a larger surface area keeping the body warm when cold and cooling the body off when it starts to over-heat. Therefore the 2nd Skinz don’t only adjust the body’s temperature to the climate, but also keep you more hygienic too; a real plus for your buddies if you find yourself in close confines! Socks come into the “mix” here too as part of your “base

layer” and are a vitally important element. If you’re wearing Gore-Tex lined boots (as I will be in Crete) then please don’t wear cotton socks, as they retain a lot of moisture and will very quickly send you down the “blister route”. Just like your base layer top and bottoms, choose a “technical” sock designed for hiking. Once again Snugpak have a great range but you’ll also find superb models in different seasonal weights from the likes of Thorlo, Smartwool, and Bridgedale just to name a few of my “go to” brands.

MID

Of course I want the best kit we can lay my hands on for Crete and we decided that we’ll be “flying the flag” with a number of British brands and to this end, after discussion with Kelly, we’ve chosen the PenCott GreenZone pattern of camouflage for our personal loadouts. It is both a superb pattern and also originates with Dom Hyde of Hyde Definition, a British pattern originator whose creations are now known worldwide. Sadly, to date very few British kit companies have picked up on the pattern, so for clothing and some of the gear I’ve gone back to friends in the industry who do work with the pattern and one of the real “adopters” is Polish manufacturer Helikon-Tex. I’ve worked with them a lot over the years and have a lot of time for, and great faith in, what they produce; I’ve also used their gear extensively so I know it’s going to be fully “fit for purpose”. My first port of call for Helikon-Tex GreenZone gear was www.military1st.co.uk as they have a pretty comprehensive range of products in the pattern (and some of the other variants), not only from Helikon but also Condor and Wisport. Between these brands they’re able to cover clothing and tactical gear pretty well. By adding in certain elements from UFPRO we’re pretty sorted. I’m already a big fan of the latest Combat Patrol Uniform (CPU) from Helikon-Tex so choosing that for the basis of a fast and light loadout was pretty much a no-brainer. The CPU shirt is made from NyCo Ripstop (50% Cotton, 50% Nylon) and is NIR treated. It’s superbly well featured with a high mandarin collar with a velcro closure and soft fleece inside, a zipped front with Velcro flap closure and two slanted chest pockets with a velcro top closure and zip side entry. There are further upper arm pockets on either sleeve, again with a velcro flap and zip side entry and pen/chem-light holders on each upper arm pocket. There are also two forearm pockets of various sizes on each sleeve with velcro flaps so you get a lot of storage space for all those essentials

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Project crete FIRST LINE GEAR

you want to keep on you at all times. The back is pleated for a comfortable fit and there are pit-zips to give additional ventilation when things hot up, allowing you to manage your core temperature effectively. The matching CPU Trousers are made from the same fabric and feature ten pockets; there are two large pockets, and two small open pockets on the front, two slanted cargo pockets with velcro closures, button loop and elastic draw string with toggle, two rear pockets with button flaps, and one lower side pocket with a velcro flap on each leg. Both the seat and knees are reinforced, and there are pockets with a velcro closure on each knee for protective padding (please note the pads are not included). There are nice wide belt loops and side waist adjusters to keep everything snugly in place, and drawstrings on the bottom of the legs mean it’s easy to blouse them if you like that. This is a cracking, hard-wearing and versatile uniform that I can thoroughly recommend to you, and I’m really looking forward to putting the gear through its paces in Crete; sadly at the moment the CPU is also available only in male fit, so Kelly and I will be putting a further article together to illustrate the alterations she needs to make.

SHELL

Whilst I will be packing my UF PRO “Monsoon SmallPac” rain suit in my “Third Line Gear”, there’s one piece of kit that will be most definitely going in as part of my “fighting load” and that’s a garment that’s going to give both great weather protection but also be lightweight and flexible, namely the Hunter Sweater. The UF PRO Hunter Sweater is the perfect piece of equipment for when the temperature dips, or for when it gets wet and windy. It provides superb comfort during outdoor activities in uncertain weather conditions. As it is light and nicely packable, it perfectly qualifies for longer outdoor activities and can be worn under tactical equipment or simply as “stand alone” whenever it’s getting cooler. If, like me, you want it to sling one over your mid-layer gear then I’d advise going one size

April 2018

up as the fit is “athletic”. The majority of the Hunter is water resistant, whilst the side stretch panels offer great movement and breathability. The whole thing is very snug though as it’s lined with 37.5™ COCONA microfleece for when the temperature dips at night. Overall this is a cracking bit of kit, and one that pretty much lives in my patrol pack! In my “overview” last month I did mention that “First Line” also includes your all-important belt kit, but I thought it prudent to cover off our choices of “nylon gear” in one place so I’ve held that over to next time when we’ll be looking at that along with chest rigs, plate carriers, and patrol gear, so stay tuned for the next instalment of our “tips from the top!” My thanks go to www.military1st.co.uk, www.helikontex.com, www.snugpak.com, and https://ufpro.com for their support and participation in this project, so do pay them a visit to check out some righteous gear! Thanks also to my colleagues in the PenCott Legion, and especially Bosch Stoupa Camo for additional “action” pictures featured.

Feature THERMAL VISION

VISIBLE HEAT NEW FRENCH CONTRIBUTOR AND AIRSOFT SNIPER, GROQUIK, TAKES A LOOK AT TWO THERMAL VISION PRODUCTS THAT COULD BE USED IT IN-GAME.

I AM A GEEK AND since very long time I’m dreaming about the technology of thermal vision. I see it for the first time in a scene from “Navy Seals”, an old movie with Charlie Sheen and used it in “Ghost Recon” the game, in 2001. Now this technology became more affordable so I decided to test some devices.

variation. The thermal camera works with this type of sensor and allows to represent this information by transforming it to make it appear in a wavelength that is visible to us. I got two different devices to test this technology.

HOW DOES IT WORK

The most obvious feature here is the extreme compactness of the product, just 2inches x 1.5 x 1.5! Just look at the photos with the 1 Euro coin as a comparison point. To describe it, it is basically a screen shielded with a lens and a location for the cr123 which allows a theoretical operation of 8 hours. This T12 exists in 4 different models according to your needs; the parameters that change are the FOV or field of view which can be 8.33 °, 12.5 °, 25 ° or 50 ° for a short or long distance observation and the frequency which varies from 9hz to 30hz for an improved fluidity.

The principle itself is quite simple: it’s create a representation of the heat emitted, or returned, by the objects, this information is in the infrared but our vision is not adapted for this wavelength. Infrared, or “IR” light consists of large waves that are above our visual perception and close to infrared radiation (as the name suggests). All electromagnetic radiations carry energy but the infrared model is very easily absorbed by the material, which, increasing its kinetic energy makes it possible to increase its temperature. As all matter emits this infrared radiation, it is enough to detect it with sufficient precision to be able to create a “thermal image”.

T12 BY TORREY PINES

In order to reveal the variations in temperature, a detector developed in 1878 was used to study solar electromagnetic radiation, it’s called a “bolometer”. It converts the received energy by the range of the radiation into an electrical energy whose power will vary as a function of the temperature www.airsoft-action.online

Feature THERMAL VISION

50 feet thermal

GETTING STARTED The model in my possession is the T12 W (12.5 ° and 30 hz) that is the one that allows the best detection for our commitment distances, that is to say around 50 m. The detector is sold with a small handle that screws with the same pitch as those of the cameras, which is very convenient to “scan” the surroundings around you, the strap hand strap allows you to keep this tool at your neck strap for quick access if needed. The weight is ridiculously low, at just 60g max so it really is not a handicap point. Ergonomics is simple; press 2 seconds on the On/Off button to light the device, briefly press the contrast button to vary the modes of view warm, green, color or warm and finally press 5 seconds the contrast button to access the menu.

USE I walked around day and night with the device mounted on the handle. It is “funny” to learn to identify the warmth of a tree or grass, as well as that of living things and the device makes it easy to spot heat sources. In particular, the product can be used for insulation verification of a house by looking for thermal bridges. The Night navigation level can allow you to avoid trees but do not expect to be able to move as with a night vision monocular the interest is elsewhere ... to spot your opponents. I find the screen very small, it is on a resolution of 60 * 80 pixels only and this is felt on the legibility of information Car at 75 feet

130 feet thermal

and especially the “processing”. On a tripod you can locate a movement to 70m but if you are moving the detection distance will be reduced to a 40meters according to my tests in town. I tried to make some pictures but between the size of the screen, the focus and the frequency of refreshing is not as readable as I would have liked, so I invite you to go on the site of manufacturer for better quality shots.

IN THE FIELD Having no skirmish during the period of time the device was put at my disposal, I tested it indoors mounted on my KSG TM. Ergonomic level this is no problem, note that the mounting adapter for picatinny rail is exclusively sold to the holders of an authorized business card. For a quick scan of the darkest rooms, it’s amazingly efficient and the refreshing frequency of the model allows an almost instantaneous thermal transcription of what you do not “see in the dark room”. In CQB games you will get an important advantage. To simulate a scout recon, I went walking in the countryside where there are some some sheep and was even surprised to see at 30 meters an animal I had not seen from the day, behind a wooden palette. Indeed the color was very close but with its release of heat it appeared in the camera. Note that the unit is calibrated automatically according to the solar energy (ambient light) in order to work over a suitable temperature range.

SCOUT TK BY FLIR

For some years FLIR has been offering monocular or binocular solutions for the use of police, fire-fighters or emergency services to detect or find people. The SCOUT range is based on sensors of different resolutions (640, 320, or 240 pixels) and several lens apertures according to your needs. The brand new TK Scout system is intended to be a simple and affordable solution for the general public and if the resolution is down compared to its elders we discover other possibilities. The size (6 inches) and the weight (0.40lbs) of this new thermal camera are very contained which allows a good grip.

Family at 30 feet

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Feature THERMAL VISION

The camera also meets the IP 67 standard and is protected against falls less than 1 yard. The core of the system provides a resolution of 160 x 120 pixels which should allow multiple uses of the product. At the autonomous level the Scout TK is given for 5 hours of operation after it will be necessary to charge the internal battery (irremovable). The upper part of the camera shows, in order, a waterproof cover for connecting the USB cable, the button for lighting the product, the button for setting the brightness, the button for recording and the button for setting the type viewing mode.

USE This model for a large and varied population is equipped with several possibilities operable by menu. The most practical functionality concerns the different modes of vision according to your tastes but also the temperature ranges of the observed objects. To access it you have to press the button closest to the eyecup and then via the action of the other buttons one navigates the menu offering the different modes: WHITE HOT and BLACK HOT mode allow you to set the hottest spot color, in practice the white hot makes it possible to highlight the scenes where the contrast is low while the black hot creates a relief. Then we fall in the colorful modes RAIN, IRON, LAVA or COLOR WHEEL which seem more psychedelic than anything else, to replay the vision of the Predator of John McTiernan I suggest the mode RAIN ... The recording button allows you Hello everyone, Nige asked me to to take a photo or to record a scene introduce myself, and trust me, it’s with a limited resolution (240 * 320) not an easy task! to take a number of pictures but do not plan to shoot a poster of the I have been passionate about airsoft photos thus obtained! The monocular for a few years with the purchase of is equipped with a setting for the my first replica in 1992, my first aeg sharpness as a function of the distance in 1996 and especially my first bolt of the observed scene. It is interesting action rifle in 1997 (which I still use). to spot the hot elements of a scene, In 2001 I founded the site www. for example a car that has just arrived sniperland.net dedicated to the (look at the tires it is eloquent enough airsoft snipers and currently it is to see how they heat). one of the oldest French airsoft forum still in activity. This website is mainly about ghillie suits, sniping, custom bolt action but here, no semiautomatic guns, only bolt action rifles. On the other hand I organized some events in the past and now I write articles about gear, replicas, accessories or OP since several years.

April 2018

IN THE FIELD For having tried the optics on the ground this one is very practical, due to its compact format and the ignition time is short enough to arrive to check areas without having to leave it permanently lit. Calibration of the heat ranges is done naturally (like the smartphone camera when it adjusts the contrast depending on

the ambient brightness), depending on the color mode chosen people will be more or less quickly detected. In use in the field it is necessary to differentiate several levels of visualization: from the detection (I see something) to the recognition (it is a quadruped) and finally the identification (it is a dog!) distances. The Scout TK thus allows to inspect an area of about 50m² in front of you during your movements or if you suspect a presence. Nevertheless it is more a short-range spotting scope than a sighting solution for shooting, what I mean is that once your eye comes out of the gear’s windshield it will not be not necessarily easy to find the spot seen; the landmarks are not the same and the “cold” vegetation will not give you too many indications. It would be useful to have a spotting laser for the use of your pairs or teammates to indicate the areas to be checked. And something more concrete in camo dress M90 the idea was to confront our natural vision facing a thermal vision at different distances: 20m, 40m and 60m. Finally, behind smoke and here one begins to perceive the interest of the thing because this technology makes it possible to free oneself from all that blocks the sight (smoke, mist, etc.) on the condition that there is no gradient of temperature.

SUMMARY THE T12 The resolution is a bit limited (80 x 60 pixels) but allows a good recognition at short/medium distance. One of the big strong points is the extreme compactness of the product being such that you could mount it on your GBB rail. Compared to other competitors more voluminous there is no video output to be able to take photo or film although this is clearly not the goal here.

THE SCOUT TK This type of product is extremely efficient in terms of detection, more than the T12 but he have a sight this is not the case here. The resolution of 640 x 480 of the screen is sufficient to check up to a few hundred meters depending on the environment and the wear carried by the person you are looking for. To resume the comparison with the model previously tested here we have a better resolution but a blurry impression, where I felt a kind of pixelation with the ultra-compact model of Torrey Pine. We are on excellent value for money to discover the thermal vision (less than 700 Euro at Terrang). It is for the moment the model that I would advise because oriented on a greater range of uses. With special thanks to Terrang/Mp-SEC who lent me the Groquik two thermal cameras to test.

AA Quiz HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU?

HOW

“

R O T A R E OP

”

ARE YOU?

WITH MORE AND MORE PLAYERS KITTING UP WITH CHEST RIGS, “TACTICOOL” STRIDES AND SHADES, IN THE FIRST-EVER AIRSOFT ACTION QUIZ TOM HIBBERD AND GADGE HARVEY PLANT THEIR TONGUES FIRMLY IN THEIR CHEEKS AND ASK: “HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU?”. Photos by Kaitlyn Gibson

AIRSOFT IS ALWAYS a personal journey, from “Noobie” player to “Super Airsoft Soldier”. Most of us have a fave loadout or play-style and all of us in the office know how we like the game to go, however, the question is how operator are you? Just take our simple Airsoft Action quiz to find out just how badass you really are. Remember to answer the questions as honestly as you can… and no Walting!

What do you take your kit to a skirmish in?

How do you keep yourself fed when playing? a) I eat the burger they sell on site. b) I take some energy bars and sandwiches. c) Combat rations. d) I hunt and skin rabbits in between games.

What do you wear to games?

a) Tesco’s carrier bag – but one of the thick ones! b) Ruck sack. c) Deployment Bag. d) The back of my HMMWV.

a) Hoodie and jeans. b) Army Surplus. c) What-ever I’m issued. d) Crye or die baby!

Do you have facial hair? a) I haven’t started shaving yet! b) I’m in between shaves. c) I’m only allowed a big droopy mustache like one of “them”. d) You can hide a claymore in my beard!

ow do you get to H games?

a) My mum takes me. b) I drive up with my mates. c) Bedford 4-Ton Truck. d) I fast rope from a chinook!

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AA Quiz HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU?

How do you stay hydrated?

a) 2 litres Happy Shopper energy drinks. b) Bottled water. c) Camelback and electrolyte powder. d) Coffee and whisky.

What do you use for eye protection?

a) The rental mask. b) A mesh mask and separate goggles. c) Ballistic shooting glasses. d) I blink really fast and they bounce off my eyelids.

You’re the last man standing, what do you do? a) Hide behind the nearest marshal. b) Fall back to guard the objective. c) Get on the net and call in an airstrike. d) No problem the enemy will never know I’m there!

Have you been penetrated by a foreign object a) No, that sounds really scary! b) No, but I’ve had some bleeders. c) Once I had a nasty encounter with a barbed wire fence. d) I had a bb removed from my nose – face pro is for newbs!

How long should a game last?

a) 15 minutes. b) A couple of hours. c) A 48-hour operation is enough for me. d) Anything less than a 6-month tour isn’t worth getting out of bed for.

How do you store your guns?

a) I haven’t got one yet. b) In the box it came with. c) In the armoury with everyone else’s. d) You won’t be able to pry it out of my cold dead hands!

What’s your opinion on melee kills?

a) Melee kills? What are those? b) I haven’t got a training knife yet. c) Don’t touch me! d) I still get flashbacks to that night in Bagdad…

April 2018

What’s been your most intense airsoft experience? a) Capture the flag. b) CQB in the dark. c) Holding the FOB at Sennybridge. d) It’s classified… if I tell you I’ll have to kill you!

AA Quiz HOW “OPERATOR” ARE YOU?

What Pyro do you use?

a) Party poppers. b) Mk5 Thunderflashes. c) BFG d) I make my own…

What LBE do you wear?

a) My hoodie has big pockets. b) Viper Chest Rig. c) I still use my issued webbing. d) Crye pay me to test their gear!

THE RESULTS: Mostly As: You’re clearly new but maybe airsoft isn’t for you– have you considered taking up baking? Mostly Bs: You know your way around the sport, it’s only a matter of time before you’re leading a team at the MilSims. Mostly Cs: You’re an old sweat – you’ve probably spent some time serving the Queen? Mostly Ds: So Operator it hurts! Are you sure you’re reading the right airsoft magazine?

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armoury CLASSIC ARMY SVD

IF YOU FEEL THE URGE TO “REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE” AND DON’T FANCY THE LIMITATIONS OF A BOLT-ACTION RIFLE, THEN PERHAPS THE ROLE OF “DESIGNATED MARKSMAN” COULD BE FOR YOU! THIS MONTH JERRY NOONE PICKS UP AN ELECTRIC VERSION OF THE NOTORIOUS “DRAGUNOV” FROM CLASSIC ARMY AND PUTS IT THROUGH ITS PACES.

REACH OUT AND TOUCH I HAVE TO SAY THAT I read the article on sniping by my mate Gadge last month and thought immediately “I know that feeling!” Over the years, I’ve often fancied trying the sniper role in airsoft games but frankly, just as in the real world, it takes a very particular mind-set to perform this even adequately. In an airsoft game, a talented sniper with a higher powered boltaction rifle can act as a real “force multiplier”, reaching out beyond normal engagement distances to remove the threat of a support gunner, or take out a “high value target”. I’m more of a “direct action” type of player and I’ll be the first to admit I just don’t have the patience to crawl around

April 2018

in a “Ghillie Suit”, waiting for that one perfect moment. That said, I’ve often found myself at a MilSim game where playing as OPFOR I needed to engage and harass NATO forces in their Forward Operating Base, or FOB. As good as my beloved rifles and carbines are, with them set to 1.07Joule/340fps and relatively short barrels I simply don’t have the range to get beyond the return fire!

REACHING OUT

I decided to look again at longer distance options; I wanted something with a little extra power and range but preferably semi-auto rather than bolt-action, so in keeping with the OPFOR theme there was really only one rifle to consider and that was the “Snayperskaya Vintovka sistem’y Dragunova obraz’tsa 1963 goda (SVD-63)”, or “Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963”, known simply to one and all as “the Dragunov”. The Dragunov is a unique rifle for several reasons. First, it was not meant for highly trained and specialised sniper teams but rather for designated marksmen in an infantry support role. After the introduction of the rifle the Soviet Army deployed designated marksmen at the basic motorised infantry rifle platoon level. Such marksmen were estimated to have a 50% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 800-metres/875-yards, and an 80% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 500-metres/547-yards. For distances not exceeding 200-metres/219- yards the probability was estimated to be well above 90%. To attain this level of accuracy the sniper could not engage more than two such targets per minute; as with all precision-oriented rifles, the user has to take care not to overheat the barrel and limit the use of rapid fire, so this proved not to be such a massive problem in the field. Chambered in 7.62x54mm and developed in the Soviet Union, the Dragunov was designed as a squad support

armoury CLASSIC ARMY SVD

“IN BOTH REAL AND AIRSOFT FORMS THE DRAGUNOV’S RECEIVER BEARS A NUMBER OF SIMILARITIES TO THE AK, SUCH AS THE LARGE DUST COVER, IRON SIGHTS AND LEVER FIRE SELECTOR BUT THESE SIMILARITIES ARE PRIMARILY COSMETIC IN NATURE AS IT’S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST FROM THE STANDARD KALASHNIKOV.” weapon, since Soviet military doctrine dictated high volumes of fully automatic fire in combat situations. In this situation, long-range engagement ability was lost to ordinary troops when submachine guns and assault rifles were employed. It was selected as the winner of a contest that included three competing designs by Sergei Simonov, Aleksandr Konstantinov and Yevgeny Dragunov. An initial pre-production batch consisting of 200 rifles was assembled for evaluation purposes and extensive field testing of the rifles conducted in all the theatres that Soviet troops would be faced with, from hot and humid jungles, extremely dry desert and harsh frozen tundra resulted in Dragunov’s design being accepted into service in 1963 and from 1964 serial production was carried out by Izhmash. The Dragunov is a semi-automatic, gas-operated rifle with a short-stroke gas-piston system. The barrel profile is relatively thin to save weight and has a slotted flash suppressor somewhat similar to the L1A1 SLR. The barrel’s bore is chromelined for increased corrosion resistance and is semi free-floated; since it is connected by a spring-loaded mechanism to the handguard/ gas tube cover, so that the handguard can move with the barrel during firing. The Dragunov has a vented, twopiece wooden handguard/gas tube cover and a skeletonized wooden thumbhole stock equipped with a detachable cheek rest; this can be removed when using the irons sights alone.

A SIMILAR FEEL

In both real and airsoft forms the Dragunov’s receiver bears a number of similarities to the AK, such as the large dust cover, iron sights and lever fire selector but these similarities are primarily cosmetic in nature as it’s a completely different beast from the standard Kalashnikov. The rifle features adjustable backup iron sights with a sliding tangent rear sight; the sight can be adjusted to a maximum range of 1200-metres/1312-yards in the “real world”.

The iron sights can be used with or without the standard issue optic sight in place and the real Dragunov was issued with a quick-detach PSO-1 optical sight. The PSO-1 sight mounts to a proprietary side rail that does not block the view of the iron sight line; other AK style mounts will not fit this rail, as the profile is far narrower. The sight also has a variety of features, such as a bullet drop compensation (BDC) elevation adjustment knob and an illuminated rangefinder grid that can be used up to 1,000-metres/1,094 yards. Several other models of the PSO sight are available with varying levels of magnification and alternative aiming reticules. Rifles designated “SVDN” come equipped with a night sight. The features and unusual characteristics of the Dragunov were driven by the tactical use of marksmen; by targeting high-value targets of opportunity and providing special long-distance disruptive and suppressive fire on the battlefield, a relatively small number of marksmen could assist conventional troops by combating or harassing valuable targets and assets, such as key enemy personnel like officers, non-commissioned officers and radio operators, exposed tank commanders, designated marksmen and snipers, machinegun teams, and anti-tank warfare teams. This was exactly what I had in mind for my Dragunov!

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CH E -T X E

TACTICAL

HEX-TECH MATERIAL Uniquely designed, tough, yet lightweight. PVC/PU coated to enhance durability. Woven with hexagon pattern to create a stylish, rugged, look and feel.

get the tactical advantage

H BROWN COYOTE

BLACK

EAGLE PACK

TITANIUM

SRP

£42.00

n Expandable, 5-20ltr n Front zipped compartment n Padded shoulder straps n Padded back panel n Lazer MOLLE webbing located on front n 1 x Velcro ID panel n Main grab handle n Comes with spare puller Capacity: 5-20ltr (approx) Dimensions cms: 45 x 23 x 26 Material: HEX-TECH Colours: Brown Coyote, Green, Black, Titanium

GREEN

RAPTOR PACK

SRP

£35.00

n Expandable, 4-14ltr n Front zipped compartment n Internal nylon bladder sleeve n Rear bladder outlet n Elastic hydration/comms retention n Padded back panel n Lazer MOLLE webbing n 1 x Velcro ID panel n Main grab handle n Comes with spare puller Capacity: 4-14ltr (approx) Dimensions cms: 34 x 24 x 22 Material: HEX-TECH Colours: Brown Coyote, Green, Black, Titanium

VENOM PACK

SRP

£35.00

n Expandable, 4-14ltr n Ambidextrous shoulder strap n Front zipped compartment n Fleece lined zipped pouch n Internal nylon bladder sleeve n Rear bladder outlet n Padded back panel n Lazer MOLLE webbing n Main grab handle n Comes with spare puller Capacity: 4-14ltr (approx) Dimensions cms: 34 x 24 x 22 Material: HEX-TECH Colours: Brown Coyote, Green, Black, Titanium

UPDATES / STOCKISTS / CATALOGUE

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armoury CLASSIC ARMY SVD

NUPROL do a super red-dot replica “Birsk PKO” specifically for it as well if you don’t fancy the magnified version - but let me assure you that this thing is deadly just using the irons! The rifle does come with the removable cheek riser if you do decide to fit an optic though.

RANGING OUT

There are numerous airsoft manufacturers who make a Dragunov replica and they are all very nice indeed. A friend of mine has a spring version, which is great but of course loses the flexibility of the semi-auto function. I’ve had a chance to play around with a couple of the gas versions too, which have been great airsoft guns but lacked the all-important “all year round” performance I wanted; in driving rain and sleet, or in the deep cold of a November dawn in the UK, gas guns do have a habit of under-performing! As I am very impressed by the performance of all my AEG AKs, I decided therefore to have a look down that route for the “big brother” and my digging eventually led me to a model from Classic Army; two models are on offer in their SVD range, one with black polymer furniture and the other with a classic wood effect. The Classic Army Dragunov with the black polymer furniture suited me perfectly to fit in with my “modern OPFOR armoury” and so it was that I ordered one in, and from word go I was thoroughly taken with this elegant yet functional battle rifle.

From the box the Classic Army Dragunov chrono’d nicely at 1.2 Joule/360fps with .20 RZR BBs, but I’m sure that could easily be tweaked higher and still comply with the “DMR” limit found at most sites. However, even at 360fps with the rotary hop set correctly (easy to do), the long inner barrel, and that amount of power I was of course interested in what the range and accuracy of the Dragunov would be like. Now I knew for a start it was pointless taking it to my little 30-metre range, so I waited for “Game Day” at my local site and took it along to their 50-metre range to put it through its paces - and I was in no way disappointed. Moving up to .28g BBs to get a more solid trajectory, the Dragunov hurtled them downrange with a huge “crack”, which certainly turned some heads! Once I’d dialled the iron sights in I was easily hitting the “hub-cap” targets at the furthest extent of the range, which is exactly what I’d hoped for. When I returned home, much as I hate maths, I performed some basic calculations, which told me that with a slight power-tweak a .28g BB should, in principle, be able to travel out beyond the 50 metre mark. Perfect! All things considered I’m really, really happy with the Classic Army “Dragunov” and it’s exactly the kind of semi-auto “reach out and touch somebody” rifle that I hoped it would be. Retailing for around £299.00, it’s a fabulous bit of kit and I’ll be keeping it well tuned, mainly for MilSim events… mainly! Thanks as usual to Fire Support for providing the test model; you can check out all the Classic Army models they have by visiting www.fire-support.co.uk

“I KNEW FOR A START IT WAS POINTLESS TAKING IT TO MY LITTLE 30-METRE RANGE, SO I WAITED FOR “GAME DAY” AT MY LOCAL SITE AND TOOK IT ALONG TO THEIR 50-METRE RANGE TO PUT IT THROUGH ITS PACES - AND I WAS IN NO WAY DISAPPOINTED.” I’ll get this out of the way first… the Dragunov is at 1210mm/48-inches long a big rifle! That said, of course what that also means is that it does have an exceptionally long 6.08 inner barrel too, coming in as it does at a whopping 631mm/24.8 inches! When you’re talking about an airsoft rifle, one of the things which helps with accuracy and range is barrel length (think smoothbore musket) and they don’t come much longer than this. Although it is a long rifle, it is far from ungainly, weighing in at 3300g/7.2lbs it’s really not that heavy and is a rifle you can happily carry all day, especially with a sling. The construction is metal throughout and the finish is absolutely first rate, a semimatt black. The heavy “bolt” is finished in brushed silver, which looks particularly attractive and the polymer of the stock and handguard also looks spot on. The handguard also splits neatly in two, making battery changes a snip. The 40 BB magazine is also metal and finished the same as the receiver. If you are, like me, comfortable with the controls of any of the AK variants, then those of the Dragunov will be completely intuitive. The fire selector lever is moved down from safe to fire, and the magazine is fed nose first, with the magazine release directly in front of the trigger guard. The iron sights are exactly as per the “real deal”, with an adjustable leaf at the rear and a protected post at the sharp end. If you want to add an optic replica and even real PSO-1 sights are readily available, and

Tech Specs Colour: Black Main Material: Metal and Polymer Overall Length: 1210mm Inner Barrel Length: 631mm Weight: 3300g (including empty magazine) Gearbox: 7mm Metal Bearing Gear Box Battery: Tested using a 11.1V 1450mAh 30C LiPo Power (.20g BB): 1.2 Joule/360fps

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Airsoft Scenarios OP CONGO RESCUE

AFTER A BRIEF BREAK, BILLY BRINGS US THE SECOND PART OF A “FICTITIOUS” EVENT THAT COULD BE THE BASIS OF AN AIRSOFT SCENARIO.

OP CONGO RESCUE

PART TWO

THE TWO MEN ON WATCH exchange glances every now and again and snatch whispers, each remembering to exhale before they whisper to avoid the tell-tale hiss of breath, they leave nothing to chance. If they were compromised this close to the enemy camp, they would stand little chance of escape but would doubtless take a good many enemy with them. They are well versed, have worked together for years and do things instinctively and without the need for much conversation. One man watches the compound in the clearing some 40 metres to his front while his companion has a pencil and note book. On the afternoon of the first day there is a commotion inside the camp, some excitement and the Brit team duly note it in the log and pass a brief message back to the Ops Room, they are informed that a rescue team will be available on call of 1 hour by HAF (Heli Assault Force) in 2 days should the

April 2018

captured medics appear. The Brit soldiers have already begun to assemble as much information about the compound as they can, it has a mud walls which would likely resist a strike by their ‘66s. But the gates are not locked at the front and easily swing open on their hinges. That evening two members of the patrol break from the cover of the trees, leaving much of their kit in the OP with the other two and move towards the compound. Taking time to listen to the noise within, they measure the thickness of the walls, the dimensions of the compound, how the doors open and close, any locking devices and of course, permanent sentry positions and any stand-to positions they can see. The two men return to the OP and brief the rest of the team on what they’ve learned. This dissemination of information is a sensible part of their SOPs, if the patrol commander kept it to himself and the patrol were compromised there would be little chance of the information getting back to the Ops room and the patrol would have been in vain. But even if only one member of patrol escaped he could still relay all he knew to the Ops room providing valuable intelligence for the assaulting troops. At first light on the second day a ragged column approaches the compound, led by a motorbike and a Jeep. They make very slow progress and the watchers are able to note down the VRN of both vehicles and observe the number, armed state and disposition of the crew. They are a mixed bag of uniforms, all carry AK47 assault rifles, a few sporting telescopic sights. A few minutes later the six French medics traipse into view, they look exhausted and have clearly been beaten up, with two militia men bringing up the rear. There is little visible guarding of the French medics - where would they flee to anyway? Back in the bushes the patrol commander scribbles his report which he passes to the signaller who types it into his keypad. It is entered into the computerised radio and awaits the appropriate window of opportunity to beam back to the Ops Room. The signal contains images of the compound, lat and long

coordinates and a detailed A-H of each of the French Medics on sharing the danger with his ally. Bruno is armed with a so that they can be correctly identified. The details the patrol concealed pistol in his trousers but privately prays he won’t provides is a good enough match for the team in the Ops room have to use it. The patrol commander does too because if for them to be sure it’s the French team. Bruno pulls the trigger the four men have privately agreed to A French officer and Senior NCO have arrived in the Ops make an improvised assault on the compound to buy time for Room now to assist with the operation, with typical French the medics before a hasty assault is arranged. A brave gesture panache the SNCO insists that he join the Assault force to which would undoubtedly lead to their deaths. rescue the medics. A sober looking British Officer points out Bruno and his friend ask for permission for the helicopter politely that this can’t happen but he’s very grateful for the to land on nearby open clearings under guard by the Islamist gesture. Some symbolic sulking follows. group. Intoxicated by the thought that they’ll soon be rich the The French officer leans towards the board containing the gang agree and the HAF are in the air. Bruno and his friend photos of the medics and comments that one of the girls is his daughter’s age. “How dare these bloody animals take these young “THE FRENCH OFFICER LEANS TOWARDS THE BOARD CONTAINING people!” THE PHOTOS OF THE MEDICS AND COMMENTS THAT ONE OF Col Bruno, working tirelessly with the THE GIRLS IS HIS DAUGHTER’S AGE. ‘HOW DARE THESE BLOODY help of his friends in MI6, have convinced a local business ally to pose as an influential ANIMALS TAKE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE!’” member of an International Islamist group that is prepared to pay over $5,000,000 for the French medics. He has asked that his employer be allowed prepare themselves for what’s going to happen next, as do the to arrive by helicopter the following evening to exchange the British team. The men crawl into position unseen. young hostages for the cash. Far off rotor blades clatter through the air growing louder, Back on the ground as the third day approaches it’s end, one of the guards looks puzzled “They sound like military the British patrol note (and report) the build-up of people in the helicopters, you’d better not be messing with us man or you’re compound, it is assumed that they are arriving for the auction. in big trouble!” Nearer and nearer they come until the two They have not seen the French but to their horror there has Pumas appear over the tree tops, Bruno yanks the pistol from been sounds from within that lead them to believe they are his trousers, places the muzzle in the chest in front of him and being subjected to abuse. The men console themselves with pulls the trigger. The guard is blown backwards. Both Bruno private thoughts of stepping over the dead bodies of their and his friend hit the ground covering their heads. tormentors and freeing the youngsters. A long, aimed burst from the Minimi turns the guards in Two figures approach the compound with their arms raised bloodied puppets, dangling for a few seconds in mid-air. In and are initially taunted and harangued by the guards who are seconds the two Pumas have taken up position one behind drunk, one is Col Bruno (identified by the patrol commander the other over the compound and the world turns upside from a photo from the briefing they received) who has insisted down…

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Armoury UMAREX H&K G36C GBB

GAS GUNS ARE A FICKLE THING, THAT IS WHY THE UMAREX G36C WENT BACK TO SCHOOL TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO DO IT RIGHT. DID IT LEARN ANYTHING OR WILL IT SPEND SOME MORE TIME IN DETENTION? OVER TO HEADMASTER, SCOTT ALLAN...

DESIGNED TO BE SPECIAL THE G36 IS A MODERN CLASSIC on the Airsoft skirmish field, although you don’t see so many Gas Blow Back (GBB) versions. I think that could be largely because they all sucked pretty badly in the past. You had two choices, the WE that was “alright”… and the Umarex Version 1 which was “alright”. Both

April 2018

suffered with similar issues; poor gas consumption, leakage, inconsistency… you know, all the standard things you’d think would be ironed out in the design phase. Vega Force Company (VFC) manufacture this for Umarex, who hold the license for all H&K airsoft replicas worldwide (Glock now too!). VFC really are the best choice for Umarex as their external finish has always been second to none, however, the internals on the other hand weren’t always the best in my experience but these last 12-18 months a whole new lease of life has been pumped into the VFC internals and they have surged forward in both quality and performance. A G36 isn’t the most ground-breaking design, so it’s hard to say anything massively new about the sleek black German lines and comfortable, easy to use design without covering some very old ground. The G36C has a shorter barrel and front hand guard than its longer “K” brother and like all other versions, it is select fire with safe, single and fully automatic fire available from the ambidextrous selector in the M4 “thumb” position on the lower receiver. The short barrel is finished off with a nice metal, four-pronged flash hider and the fixed RIS carry handle sports the classic sights and a rail to ensure you can fit any optics you desire. The hand guard is capable of taking three additional short rails for flash lights, vertical grips and lasers. Of course the standard stock is included – it’s the C side-folding stock, meaning you can quickly store this into a compact bag rather than a long case.

Armoury UMAREX H&K G36C GBB

“THE TRADEMARKS ARE ALL PRESENT AND CORRECT AND THE WHOLE BODY JUST FEELS “TIGHT”, WITH NO CREAKING OR FLEXING ANYWHERE. THE STOCK LOCKS SO FIRMLY THAT YOU WOULD THINK THAT THE BODY WORK WAS ALL ONE SINGLE PIECE, INSTEAD OF AN EASY TO USE FOLDING STOCK.”

A LITTLE ABOUT THE REAL VERSION

Developed and manufactured by the world famous Heckler & Koch in the late 20th century to replace the 7.62mm blasting G3 rifles, in the same way the British shed the 7.62mm SLR in favour of the 5.56mm L85 platform. The G36 fires from a closed rotary bolt and is gas operated. A standard rifle design, it shares common internal parts throughout all the variants. The folding skeleton stock is lightweight and tough, yet allows the rifle length to be reduced dramatically for vehicle use and storage. The magazine is a 30 round polymer magazine, the same capacity as the L85 but the polymer magazine is more like a PMAG, very tough and very light. The design of the G36 magazine does allow for magazines to be clipped together to allow for faster magazine changes. Overall the G36 is a very successful rifle and has seen service all over the world, it will be interesting to see how the design continues to develop over the next few years.

BACK TO THE AIRSOFT VERSION

The finish is pretty much identical to the real version and given they’re both polymer, isn’t that surprising. These are the finest looking G36 you get today, next to the electric version made by Ares for Umarex. The trademarks are all present and correct and the whole body just feels “tight”, with no creaking or flexing anywhere. The stock locks so firmly that you would think that the body work was all one single piece, instead of an easy to use folding stock. The fire selector is very positive on both sides because a GBB is mechanical. Occasionally the cheap electric versions just feel entirely vague in each position, more like an oven temperature knob than a fire selector. As I said before, this is the Version 2 and it really is a completely different animal. The magazines don’t even work from one type to another. The old rifle suffered from easy to

break magazine feed lips, leaky magazines and a variety of weak parts that cause issues with the longevity of the rifle. What we have now is a brand new hop up design, stronger bolt carrier, one piece bolt head and loading nozzle, new magazines, single stack feeding and an overall increase in the quality of the materials used throughout the construction – of course this means the price went up too. But would you rather save yourself £50 knowing your rifle won’t work for a full game? Of course not, that’s crazy thinking.

TIME FOR AN “AIRSOFT RANT”…

Airsoft can be compared to being a delivery driver in some ways. Think of it this way; if you were a delivery driver would you buy a cheaper delivery van knowing the parts weren’t as good and it would maybe only work for 75% of your day? Of course not. You’d need it 100% of your day or you’d lose money. Airsoft guns, in particular GBBs, can be viewed the same way. One thing I have never ever understood is the “Yes but you just buy it then buy the NPAS kits.” STOP! What are you actually talking about?! You are buying a product that isn’t suitable, then spending even more money just getting it to function well enough to use? That’s madness and it is high time the players stopped buying substandard gas products when so many companies (mainly KWA) nailed the quality level required many years ago! I could name a number of rifles that failed to last or were horrifically designed – in www.airsoft-action.online

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Armoury UMAREX H&K G36C GBB

“WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A BRAND NEW HOP UP DESIGN, STRONGER BOLT CARRIER, ONE PIECE BOLT HEAD AND LOADING NOZZLE, NEW MAGAZINES, SINGLE STACK FEEDING AND AN OVERALL INCREASE IN THE QUALITY OF THE MATERIALS USED THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION.” fact I will: The KSC electric and spring cocking HK33? The G&G VSS? The WE Katana? There are so many more too and what do players do? Spend their money and end up stuck accepting it. I’ve spoken to manufacturers directly about similar items in the past and they just flat out deny there are any issues and it is a pretty tiring way to work. So many companies, like Krytac, are gearing up to push the boundaries with high quality the first time around and I can’t wait to see them deliver the products. Rant over… Weighing in at a nice 3 kilos means it is a bit heavier than some of its electric counterparts and it is a little on the warm side for some indoor sites you might want to use it at - and that’s a key factor when thinking about your purchase. Then there are the magazines, they are an eye-watering £70 per mag and again, I’ve never understood why gas magazines ramp up in price so much, other than they are low production run due to the more specialist design. To get a player’s view, I spoke to Nick, who plays at the Gaol and who picked one of these up at New Year and he said: “I purchased this rifle at New Year and was sceptical about its performance. I ran it today at a local skirmish site and I can honestly say that I’m impressed, even in the cold 3 degrees it cycled perfectly and locked back every mag on empty. I was managing around two magazines from one gas fill, which is decent in the cold and suffered no cool down. The hop up is great and lifted .28s flawlessly with really impressive range and accuracy. The recoil, whilst not as much as some GBBRs, is definitely sharp and snappy and adds to the enjoyable experience of using a gas rifle. Overall I would definitely recommend this if you are a fan of the G36 and looking for a gas version.” So the long and short of the performance is that it works, whether you are willing to fork out for it is another matter? The G36 isn’t the most popular design as it is partly viewed as a “hire rifle” and that is a shame because it really is a great design overall. Okay, there aren’t 500 different stocks and rails to fit to them and the magazines can be a slight fiddle in pouches sometimes but overall the performance cannot be

questioned. The bolt magazine release catch is a really nice addition on this version too and I found it to be faster to use than the original type, especially when wearing gloves.

ON THE GAME FIELD

As Nick and I both found, the G36 Version holds up very well in the cold and with the usual realistic takedown design of a GBB, they can be therapeutic to own in an evening to clean. The ability to work all year round with heavy weight ammunition is a key factor in the success of any GBB. Will you be able to go toe to toe with a full automatic drum magazine fed electric rifle? As always, probably not in most cases. For realism, functionality and satisfaction the G36C wins a lot of brownie points for me.

CONCLUSION

Living in the cold wastelands of the North I still steer away from a GBB day to day. But if I do veer into the GBB zone I look for quality first and, having only just sold my GBB KRISS Vector, I may be in the market for something else. Would it be a G36? Urgh! I don’t know! I’d be torn between this and one of PTS rifles but it’s not because I think there is anything lacking on the G36, it’s just because I prefer the M4 platform. I do really like this G36 to shoot, I’m just not sure if I love it quite enough.

features Weight: 3.1 kg Length: 740 mm Magazine Capacity: 30 rds Power: 360 fps Power Source: Green Gas Blowback: YES Shooting Mode: Burst / Semi Auto / Full Auto Expect to spend around: £330

www.airsoft-action.online

feature PAINTING YOUR GUN

PAINT YOUR WAGONGUN

WANT TO CREATE THAT “TIER 1” LOOK? TOM HIBBERD OFFERS SOME TIPS AND ADVICE ON HOW TO TURN AN ORDINARY AIRSOFT GUN INTO SOMETHING “SPECIAL”. THERE COMES A POINT IN our airsoft “careers” where we spend far too much pouring over photos and videos of Special Forces on the internet. One of the main visual differences between SF and line infantry units is that they often have painted weapons. These range from the simple to the highly complicated. Here are some simple techniques and tips for achieving that “Tier 1” look! (main picture above) Something to bear in mind when you start to plan your paint job is that what looks good in the safezone may not be as effective when out in the field. In this article we are going to cover using easily available spray cans, most of these leave a semi-permanent colour scheme that will gradually wear off with use. There are products that are harder wearing but as these need to be baked in an oven to cure they are more difficult to apply or require specialist equipment. The basic premise behind painting your rifle is to break up the outline at distance with some bold contrasting colours and then adding some texture to help it blend in with nature closer up.

Masked Pistol Grip

Masked Eotech

PREPARING YOUR RIF

The first step is to get your gun ready for painting. Depending on how technically competent you are these can be done in two ways. The first is to strip it down and remove the gearbox and any moving parts. The second is to leave the mechanisms in place and seal up any ingress points that the paint might find. It’s a good idea to pick up some masking tape before you start your project. I chose to paint my new NUPROL Delta Nomad Bravo AEG and degreased the exterior of the weapon with some bike cleaner and cotton rags. Before spraying I left the internals in place and sealed up the gun with masking tape and tissue. I sealed the magwell, put tissue in the muzzle and taped it in place. I filled in space inside the ejection port and closed the cover. To protect the electronics I covered the glass on my Eotech and Surefire clones and taped over the controls. Finally I laced a length of string through the flash hider.

April 2018

Masked Magwell

Masked Surefire

Feature PAINTING YOUR GUN

BASE COAT

The next stage was the longest… I had to wait for a good day to paint! Spray paints work best within quite a narrow range of temperatures. Make sure you read the instructions carefully on the ones you use to ensure you get the most out of them. Don’t spray indoors and use a well-ventilated area to avoid fume inhalation. It’s also important to use a backdrop to avoid overspray onto another object. I used Krylon Camouflage Paint making sure to shake the can for at least 2 minutes before use to mix the paint properly. Before you start painting test your planned camo pattern out on some scrap cardboard to make sure it’s what you wanted. There are some ideas at the end of this article to get you started. To make sure I got the result I wanted I used some drainpipe to test my idea. This is available from any local hardware store and is much less expensive than making a mess of your pride and joy! I hung the gun from a washing line using the paracord. This would allow me to get to every part of the AEG without having to touch it. For my backdrop I used a large piece of cardboard. This was also useful for doing a quick test spray to make sure the can was working correctly and I had picked up the correct colour. Starting from a distance of 30-45cm away I started spraying away from the gun and then drew the paint across ending the paint burst away from the weapon. Don’t try and get coverage in one coat, this can lead to bubbles and pooling of paint. It’s best to put on one thin coat, let it dry and then go back and put on another thin coat. In this case I used the Karki Paint as my basecoat and built up the colour in several layers. I then let the paint dry for several hours. The gun was hung from a washing line to ensure that every part could be painted. Several thin coats were applied and then it was left to dry

ADDING CONTRAST

For my contrast colour I chose to use Krylon Brown. As this is the rifle that will be used mainly for CQB and urban combat I selected a scheme that would be effective in that environment. If I was playing in woodland I would go for green instead. I sprayed the brown in several broad strokes over the top of the khaki base coat. By holding the can away from the surface this created a feathered edge between the two colours. If you want a sharp edge you can mask off areas with your tape in between colours. Once I was happy with the effect I left the brown to cure for a few hours so that any handling in the next stage wouldn’t mark the finish.

TIME FOR DETAIL

For the next stage I removed the gun from my washing line and placed it on top of my cardboard back board. To add texture I used a mesh washing bag. Any sort of netting material can be used so have a look around the house to see what you have handy. Make sure you have a practice or two on scrap material so that you are happy with the effect you will achieve. The closer the netting material is to the surface of the gun the sharper the pattern will be. If you want a blurry texture then hold the netting further away. I used the brown spray paint on the khaki areas and the khaki paint on the brown sections. You could also potentially introduce a third colour at this stage. Be careful and don’t be heavy handed. You can always add some more paint but it’s very difficult to take it away. Once one side is dry (be patient) you can flip the rifle over and paint the other side.

A mesh laundry bag was used to add texture to the rifle

Stripes of a contrasting colour were applied to break up the gun's outline

The mesh leaves a snakeskin effect on the gun

www.airsoft-action.online

Feature PAINTING YOUR GUN

When adding wear and tear to your gun go slowly and focus on the areas that would receive the most handling

WEATHERING

The best way to add wear and tear to your guns paint job is to use it. It won’t take long before it takes on that war torn look we all desire. However, if this doesn’t happen fast enough you can artificially add some yourself. I used a scouring pad and very slowly and carefully started to remove paint, focussing on the areas that would receive the most wear. Much like applying paint its best to take your time and only take off small amounts.

Masks You can use pretty much anything as a mask to add texture. One of the best is natural foliage, if you can it might be a good idea to take leaves and plants from your regular playing area. Once again apply your basecoat. Then when applying your additional colours apply these over leaves that you have placed on the surface of the gun. This will create the contrast and texture that you are looking for.

OTHER TECHNIQUES String This makes a great masking material. Once your base coat is dry you can wrap string around the gun in a random pattern. I’ve had good success with cheap gardening string as it has a softer and more furry edge. Apply a second colour and allow to dry again. Apply even more string on the areas that haven’t had any applied yet and use yet another colour. If you have it available it can be effective to vary the thickness of the string. Once your final colour is fully dry remove all the string and admire your handiwork. Your top colour will be the most predominant colour so make sure that’s the one you want showing. With this technique it’s normally best to go from lightest to darkest.

Woodland As mentioned above it’s a good idea to match your paint to your playing environment. For a woodland area we used a base coat and contrasting stripes of Olive drab. We followed by using our mesh again to create a texture.

WARNING: Painting your gun can potentially damage it. Misusing spray cans can potentially damage your health. Be careful and go slowly. Always follow the instructions on the can and dispose of them properly. Airsoft Action accepts no responsibility for any damages that may occur as a result of following the advice in this article.

www.airsoft-action.online

Survival FIRE LIGHTING

ALTHOUGH NOT A SKILL YOU ARE LIKELY TO USE EVERY GAME DAY, THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHERE BEING ABLE TO LIGHT A FIRE WITH JUST THE MATERIALS AT HAND MIGHT BE USEFUL, AS PAUL YELLAND EXPLAINS.

FIRE LIGHTING

: SURVIVAL

BEING ABLE TO CREATE FIRE is a necessity very often overlooked in today’s modern world. With advances in military technology, the modern day soldier is certainly well equipped in both weaponry and personal protection. There are a vast array of new military vehicles – both ground based and aircraft to get troops from point A to B whilst providing more protection. This is all great, but what if you are in a position where you have lost all of this? What if your mode of transport crashes in a remote area, or what if you find yourself on the run with nothing more than the clothing that you stand up in? Technology and equipment is all well and good until you don’t have it any more – then it is back to the very basics. Fire is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, a fire will provide warmth and protection. Fire makes it possible to purify water by boiling and enables food to be cooked. It is not always tactically possible to light a fire, but sometimes the pros and cons on whether one should be lit will need to be weighed up against the risks of detection. Lighting a fire just to keep warm really can be a life saver. So, say you have found yourself in a situation where a fire is required but you don’t have any matches or a lighter…what can you use instead? The phrase “rubbing two sticks together” is sometimes quoted by people as some kind of generalisation to the practice of survival skills. The quote almost mocks the practice and makes creating fire by friction sound easy. This couldn’t be further from the truth as the technique of using friction between two pieces of wood to make fire is extremely challenging – but when fire is produced from this method, very rewarding. Making a “fire bow and drill” set will give you all of the tools that are needed to create a fire without the aid of matches or a lighter. There is a considerable amount of written material in circulation that gives instruction on what specific types of wood are required to make the bow and drill set, but in reality, you will have to use whatever wood is available to you. However, some basic knowledge on the most common types of tree species would be of benefit – it might not seem relevant to most people, but this extra knowledge can be quite useful. The wood used in this example to start a fire was sycamore. There are four components that make up a fire bow and drill set. These are the bow itself, drill, base board and hand block. Getting the detail right is really important when making this set as there are lots of little detail and technique that will make the difference between the set working or not.

A sycamore drill and base board with a bow and hand block

April 2018

What you are looking for is a length of dry dead standing wood. The wood should give a dry ‘crack’ when you snap it which will indicate that it is dead. Green wood will not work as well because there will be too much moisture within it. The bow should measure between 2 and 3 centimetres in diameter and 50 centimetres long. Paracord can be used as the string and should be tied firmly to each end of the bow whilst keeping the length of cord in the middle slightly loose. The drill needs to be about 20 centimetres long and at least a fingers thickness in diameter. It is important that the drill is as straight as possible and has points carved at both ends. The base board is made from a split piece of wood with a diameter that is slightly greater than the drill. The length of the base can be around 30 centimetres which will allow enough room for it to be stood on and held in place when using the bow and drill. The next thing to do is carve a circular indent into the base – this is where the end of the drill is placed. The final piece is the hand block and this is just a small block of wood that fits into the palm of a hand and is used to apply downwards pressure on to the drill. Like the base, a circular indent needs to be carved into the hand block that will hold the top end of the drill.

THE TECHNIQUE

Now all of the parts have been sourced, the set needs to be ‘burned in’. To do this, kneel down and place the base onto the ground, clamping it down with your foot. Next, take the bow and loop the drill into the cord (which should now be tight). One end of the drill is placed into the indent on the base board and the other end into the hand block. Now whilst holding the block in one hand and the bow in the other, balance the drill vertically and start to move the bow in a forewords and backwards motion. The drill will now start to rotate and as it does, gradually increase the pressure downwards which will create more friction between the drill and base. After a minute or two a scorched hole will begin to develop in the base board. When this appears, stop drilling and cut a ‘V’ shaped notch from the side of the base board into the burned circle. This notch is where the hot coals that are created from the friction will fall clear and onto the ground. Place something like a piece of bark underneath the notch to act as a tray and catch the coals.

‘Burn in’ the drill hole

Survival FIRE LIGHTING

Cut a notch into the side of the base

This is what you are after - smouldering coals

Gently place the glowing coals into the tinder

Adopt a stable position to maximise efficiency

Once the notch has been cut, the set is now ready to be used. Adopting the correct position will make bowing easier. Use your forward leg to support the arm which is holding the hand block as this will keep the drill up straight. Make sure that your rear leg is well behind the other to allow the bowing arm an unobstructed line of motion. Sometimes, the drill will slip out from the hole in the base and fly off. This can be frustrating but with practice and a fluid bowing motion things will improve. Start slowly and make sure to use the full length of the bow. After a few minutes a small amount of smoke will start to rise from around the hole in the base. Continue to bow and slightly increase the speed. After another few minutes, the volume of smoke will increase. Keep bowing harder until the smell of the smoke becomes quite strong and the colour of the smoke darkens slightly. When you notice this change, stop bowing and remove the drill from the base. You will now see a pile of black coals that should be glowing red on the tray. Gently blow on the glowing coals to encourage the ember to grow and then gently lift the base board away. Now lift the coals up using the tray and place inside the tinder material that you have made ready for your fire. Gently blow through the tinder which will start to smoke heavily before eventually igniting. You now have fire.

Fire by friction

TIPS

• Burn the initial hole at least 50mm into the base board • Only cut the notch to the edge of the drill hole and make the notch wider underneath • Control the tension on the bow string to increase the grip around the drill. • Use a small piece of bark or a leaf as a tray to catch the smouldering coals • Have the tinder and fuel ready to take the coals

Smoke starting to rise from the base board of a hazel wood set

This method of fire lighting does require lots of practice to get it right. Don’t give up when it doesn’t work – keep trying and you will master it.

www.airsoft-action.online

The Last Post CHAIRSOFTERS

CHAIRBORNE WARRIORS WE ALL COME ACROSS THEM ON OUR TRAVELS ROUND SOCIAL MEDIA AND FOLLOWING A STRAW POLL OF AIRSOFT ACTION CONTRIBUTORS, FRENCHIE SHARPENS HIS QUILL AS HE TACKLES THE SUBJECT OF “CHAIRBORNE WARRIORS”. WHEN YOU SPEND A LOT of time writing, the muse can, on occasions, be rather hard to capture. Finding myself in this position recently I canvassed the opinions of my fellow contributors about what subjects they would like to see covered in Last Post. I received many excellent suggestions, most of which you will see addressed in future issues but top of the list was “Chairsofters” - that rare and challenging breed of “player” whose backside seldom if ever leaves the comfort of their Lazy Boy. Challenge accepted! I must, however, begin with a confession - there are those who might insist that I include myself in the ranks of the great immovable. It’s been nearly two years since I played, mainly because for 15 years I spent practically every second Sunday on a site somewhere and after that length of time you do start to yearn for something else to do with your Sundays, like sleep. On the other hand I am still involved in airsoft, every week I spend several days working on guns and obviously I am still pounding the keyboard for Airsoft Action. The key difference between me and the archetypal chairsofter is that I know what I’m talking about, not that I get involved in lengthy discussions on-line any more. I used to, hours spent on UKAN (U.K. Airsoft Network) arguing the toss with all and sundry about all aspects of our pastime, I miss dial-up modems… (Note: I don’t miss dial-up modems at all, the nostalgia police demanded that I include that). No, to truly ascend to the rank of Chairsofter-in Chief you have to volubly express opinions based on absolutely no first-hand experience

April 2018

whatsoever. This is critical. If you cannot hold an opinion that is so utterly at odds with reality and use this exalted position to insult and troll everyone else, frankly my dear you’re just not trying. That motor height adjustment screw? Why obviously it’s there to increase rate of fire and improve battery life, how dare you suggest otherwise! MosFets? If you can’t see that they are the answer to every single problem with airsoft guns, especially HPA guns, then you are thicker than a short plank and twice as useless. What do you mean that no-name BBs made in a sink using a sieve aren’t utterly the bestest ever?! What the hell do you know about it?!! You weren’t there man! And there, in a nutshell, is the problem… Chairsofters not only weren’t there, they were never there. I would no more accept their deluded ravings about airsoft than I would ask them to perform surgery on me. They are naturally children of the internet, as is airsoft itself as I have argued in the past. Before we all had the ability to transmit our innermost thoughts to the rest of the world from our laptops and phones, they had probably never heard of airsoft, let alone had a single thought on the subject (that obviously leaves aside the question as to whether they had more broadly ever had a single thought on anything). No, the internet has made everyone a critic and all of us an audience, willingly or otherwise. There is a very good reason I almost never watch airsoft videos; the vast majority of them are crap, produced

The Last Post CHAIRSOFTERS

by people with scant knowledge of their subject. Likewise Chairsofters - they are to be avoided at all costs. Their fatuous nonsense pre-dates our current world of “fake news” and “alternative facts”. They know nothing but seem to think that an argument won by bluster, profanity and occasional threatening behaviour somehow enhances them. “Look at me, I AM the big I am”. No, no you’re not, you are a sad fool who has no moral compass, no feeling for your fellow human being and precisely zero knowledge of the subject you are holding forth on! Sadly they aren’t limited to airsoft, you will find them in every interest group in every corner of the web. They are the pernicious weeds of the online world and, like weeds, the best thing to do is to deprive them of light and let them wither. Attempting to engage with them is as likely to bear fruit as attempting to engage with a ravenous tiger that has decided that you are today’s lunch. Much, much better to be somewhere else as quickly as possible. If you’re a page admin, block them as soon as they show their true colours. It’s not about preventing free speech, or taking unreasonable offence like some pathetic snowflake, it’s about looking at their contribution and deciding that “actually, the Teletubbies would add more to this discussion” and then acting accordingly. Just because they shout louder and longer than anyone else doesn’t mean that what they say has any currency and I’m with Roosevelt on this - speak softly and carry a big stick. If what you have to say is valid, there is no need to act like an overgrown, underdeveloped man-baby. And breathe…! I suspect that the preceding paragraphs have possibly given the impression that I have a poor regard for the benighted chairsofter, and yes, that would be true. I am equally intolerant of all their ilk, wherever they are found, holding forth from positions of profound ignorance. Maybe it was my upbringing but I still regard rudeness as a cardinal sin and chairsofters are rude. They have to be rude because - using the Roosevelt analogy again - they have no other stick with which to beat you. Only sturm und drang feeds and sustains them and for that I have zero tolerance and absolutely no sympathy. It’s an axiom for our times I’m afraid but the best advice I can offer is: don’t feed the trolls! Happy days!

“SADLY THEY AREN’T LIMITED TO AIRSOFT, YOU WILL FIND THEM IN EVERY INTEREST GROUP IN EVERY CORNER OF THE WEB. THEY ARE THE PERNICIOUS WEEDS OF THE ONLINE WORLD AND, LIKE WEEDS, THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO DEPRIVE THEM OF LIGHT AND LET THEM WITHER.”

www.airsoft-action.online

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Looking for somewhere to buy Airsoft Action? Your local Newsagent sold out? Then why not visit any of the fine airsoft companies listed here? They all keep Airsoft Action in stock and while you are there, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to have a good browse round to see what else they can tempt you with...

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

SYMBOL KEY

IS IT WOODLAND OR URBAN? CHECK THE KEY! UKARA MEMBER

SHOP ONSITE

WOODLAND

PYROS ALLOWED

URBAN

BATTERY CHARGING

DESERT

REPAIR SERVICE DISABLED FRIENDLY

Email nige@airsoft-action.co.uk to add or change a site listing

ABER AIRSOFT – THE BUNKER

Allt-lywd Wood Farm, outside Llanrhystud, nr. Aberystwyth, Wales. Tel: 07511554740 www.aberairsoft.co.uk

ABSOLUTE AIRSOFT

Maidenhead, SL6 3SS Tel: 07871 314951 www.absolute-airsoft.co.uk

ACE AIRSOFT WAR GAMES

Holbrook Coppice, Buidwas Bank (A4169), Buildwas, Telford, Shropshire, TF8 Tel: 07786 192832 www.aceairsoft.co.uk

AIRSOFT ASYLUM

North Lanarksire, ML7 5 www.airsoftasylum.webs.com

AIRSOFT KGB

Porkellis Moor near Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0 Chef1322@hotmail.com www.kgbairsoft.com

AIRSOFT PLANTATION

Goatsmoor Lane, Billericay, CM4 9RS Tel: 07534 636289 / 07771 556395 www.airsoftplantation.co.uk Email: apairsoftplantation@gmail.com

AIRSOFT SKIRMISH

Stoulton, WR7 4QW Tel: 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk

ACE AIRSOFT WAR GAMES

Tong Wood, Newport Road Wolverhampton TF11 8PN Tel: 07786 192832 www.aceairsoft.co.uk

ALPHA ELITE GAMING

BADLANDS AIRSOFT

AMAZON EVENTS

BARNSLEY AIRSOFT

AMBUSH ADVENTURES – CHOBHAM

BATTLETEC AIRSOFT

Le Mont de Rozel, Jersey, JE3 5 Tel: 01534 733697 www.aegairsoft.je

Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4HL Tel: 0844 2570433 www.amazonoutdoorevents.co.uk

Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8SL Tel: 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk

AMBUSH ADVENTURES SOUTHAMPTON

New Forest National Park, SP5 2DW Tel: 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk

Rowlands Castle, Hamps PO9 6DP Tel: 07534 465589 www.badlandsairsoft.co.uk

Shafton, Barnsley, S72 8RE Tel: 07779 236166 www.barnsleypaintball.co.uk

La Couture, Guernsey, GY1 2 Tel: 07781 104068 www.battletec.co.uk

BETTER BATTLES

Ravenshead, Notts, NG15 9DH Tel: 07967 940043 www.better-battles.com

BLACKDAGGER AIRSOFT AIRSOFT SKIRMISH CQB Studley, B80 7LY Tel: 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk

APOCALYPSE AIRSOFT Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7QP Tel: 07872 348 576 www.apocalypseairsoft.com

Grasscroft Wood, Barlow Lees Lane, Dronfield, S18 7UR www.blackdagger-airsoft.co.uk

BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT ACE COMBAT

Kent, TN12 7DG Tel: 01303 814803 www.acecombat.co.uk

AIRBORNE 101 AIRSOFT CLUB Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 Tel: 07718 032541 robinsonm24@btinternet.com

April 2018

ALL ARMS AIRSOFT Near Trawden, BB8 8SN Tel: 07909 683464 www.allarmsairsoft.co.uk

ALPHA 55

Halkyn Wood, North Wales CH8 8DF www.alpha55.co.uk

ARENA AIRSOFT

Grimsby, DN31 3JD Tel: 07752 404060 www.arenaairsoft.com

AWA HERTS

Sawbridgeworth, Herts, CM23 4BJ Tel: 07732 184957 www.awaherts.com

Westcott Venture Park, Westcott, Aylesbury, HP18 0XB Tel: 01296 658600 www.bluestreak-airsoft.co.uk

BORDERLINE AIRSOFT

51 Green Road, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim Northern Ireland, BT39 9PH Tel: 028 9303 7030 or 07729219341 www.borderlinecombat.com

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

BRAVO 2-2 AIRSOFT

Leisure Lakes, Mere Brow, Southport. PR46JX Tel: 07790 715059 www.bravo22airsoft.com

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE WORKS (URBAN)

Off Badger Lane, Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8PL Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

BRISTOL AIRSOFT

Bristol, BS1 2HQ Tel: 07776 288826 www.bristolairsoft.com

BRIT-TAC AIRSOFT

Sheffield, S2 5TR Tel: 07795 631331 www.brittacairsoft.com

BUNKER 51

Charlton, SE7 8NJ Tel: 0870 7549653 www.wolfarmouries.co.uk

BUSH VALLEY AIRSOFT

Runham Woods, Lenham ME17 1NQ Tel: 07786 448608 Email: bushvalairsoft@gmail.com

C3 TACTICAL

Longhope, Gloucestershire, GL17 0PH Tel: 07597 938011 www.c3tactical.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE COMPLEX Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4RP Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE OUTPOST (WOODLAND) HPC, York Road, Flaxby, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG5 0XJ Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CHESTERFIELD IMPERIAL AIRSOFT

Bolton Wood Quarry, Bolton Hall Road Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 1BQ Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – RIVOCK EDGE Keighley, BD20 0LS Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – SHEFFIELD WOODLAND Sheffield, S6 6JE Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

Truro, Cornwall, TR2. Tel: 07863 240153 www.cornwallseliteairsoft.co.uk

COTSWOLD AIRSOFT

CLOSE ACTION AIRSOFT

Corby, NN17 3BB Tel: 07740 165787 www.close-action.co.uk

COMBAT ACTION GAMES

Combat Street, Felthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk, NR10 4DR. Tel: 07748 023832 www.facebook.com/combatactiongames

COMBAT AIRSOFT

Just off the A11 outside Thetford Norfolk follow signs for Combat Paintball Tel: 07703 045849 www.combatairsoftgames.co.uk

COMBAT READY CQB

38 Full Street, Derby DE1 3AF Tel: 01332 493258 Email: info@combatreadyairsoft.co.uk www.combatreadyairsoft.co.uk

COMBAT READY OUTDOOR

Middle Wildpark Farm, Wildpark Lane, Brailsford, Ashbourne DE6 3BN Tel: 01332 493258 Email: info@combatreadyairsoft.co.uk www.combatreadyairsoft.co.uk

CUMBRIA AIRSOFT

FIREFIGHT COMBAT SIMULATIONS

Dumfries, DG12 cumbria.airsoft@virgin.net www.cumbria-airsoft.com

Fareham, PO17 5ND Tel: 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 0AN Tel: 01380 728982 www.experienceairsoft.co.uk

Lewisham, SE13 5SU Tel: 07973 240177 www.firefight.co.uk

DANGER CLOSE AIRSOFT

Ellough Lark Raceway, Benacre Road, Ellough, Norfolk Tel: 07455 906132

FIFE WARGAMES

St Andrews, KY10 3XL info@fifewargames.co.uk www.fifewargames.com

DARKWATER AIRSOFT LTD.

Mobile: 07947 558433 www.darkwaterairsoft.co.uk Email: darwaterairsofthythe@gmail.com DARKWATER AFTER DARK C.Q.B, (Battlezone Building), Britannia Lane, Kingsnorth, Ashford, TN23 3NA facebook.com/afterdarkcqb

FINMERE AIRSOFT Buckingham, MK18 4JT Tel: 07976 184897 www.finmereairsoft.com

DARKWATER SITE, Dering Wood, Church Lane, Shadoxhurst, Ashford TN26 1LZ facebook.com/darkwaterairsoftdarkwater

FIREBALL SQUADRON

DELTA TEAM 3

FIRST & ONLY: ANZIO CAMP

Skelmersdale, Lancs WN8 8UT Tel: 07986 053076 www.deltateam3.co.uk

Houston, Renfrewshire, PA6 7BP Tel: 07853 195290 www.dow-airsoft.co.uk

DOG TAG AIRSOFT COMBAT SOUTH WOODLAND

Bexley, Greater London, DA5 1NX Tel: 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk

EXPERIENCE AIRSOFT

DOGS OF WAR Portsmouth, PO6 3LS Tel: 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

ELITE BATTLEZONE

Bourton Woods, On the B4479, Blockley Near Bourton-on-the-hill www.cotswoldairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07724629140

Brimington, Chesterfield, S43 1DQ www.cia-airsoft.co.uk

COMBAT SOUTH URBAN CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE SANDPIT (DESERT)

CORNWALLS ELITE AIRSOFT

Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4SE TEL 01293 852 314 www.holmbushpaintball.co.uk/airsoft

Sutton Coldfield, B75 5SA Tel: 07582 684533 www.fireballsquadron.com

Leek, ST13 8 Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FIRST & ONLY: BUNKER WOOD Kidderminster, Worcs, DY11 5SA Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FIRST & ONLY: KHE SANH

WOODS

Otley, West Yorkshire LS21 2NA Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

DRAGON’S LAIR CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM14 5 Tel: 01438 368177 www.thefightschool.demon.co.uk

Brentwood, Essex, CM15 0LA Tel: 07703 530189 www.dragonslairairsoft.co.uk

FIRST & ONLY: MANCHESTER

WOODLAND

Bolton, BL7 9TS Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

DRAGON VALLEY AIRSOFT COOL UNDER FIRE

Doddington, Kent, ME9 0JS Tel: 07960 532613 www.coolunderfire.co.uk

Caerwent Training Area, South Wales, NP26 5XL Tel: 07921 336360 www.dragonvalley.co.uk

FIRST & ONLY: THE HIVE

Middleton, Manchester, M24 1AZ Tel: 0161 727 8863

www.airsoft-action.online

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

FIRST & ONLY: THE ARMOURY Wrexham, Denbighshire, LL13 9RG Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ACADEMY

Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 6QF Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ASYLUM

GRANGE LIVE GAMING Bravo One Birmingham, 93–99 Holloway Head, B1 1QP Tel: 0121 643 2477 info@grangelivegaming.com www.grangelivegaming.com

GREENZONE COMBAT Co. Armagh, BT60 1NE Tel: 07772 919974 www.greenzonecombat.com

Kidderminster, DY10 3PT Tel: 0161 727 8863

GUN HO AIRSOFT FIRST & ONLY: THE OUTPOST Kidderminster, DY11 5SA Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: SLEEPY HOLLOW Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 5LS Tel: 0161 727 8863

GROUND ZERO WOODLAND

Guisborough, TS7 0PG Tel: 07525 435696 www.gunhoairsoft.co.uk

ISLAND RECON AIRSOFT COMBAT

Near Shorwell, Isle of Wight, PO30 Tel: 07964 751047 www.islandrecon.co.uk

LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT

MILITARY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

LAC SITE 1

MILSIM UK

Gorebridge, Midlothian, EH23 4LG Tel: 0131 654 2452 www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk

Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – TUDDENHAM

Cavenham Road, Tuddenham, Bury St Edmunds IP28 6DF Tel: 07711 774461 (Doug) or 07711 774401 (Josh) www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gunmanairsoft-tuddenham/

LAC SITE 2

Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

LAC SITE 3

Saxillby, LN1 2JW Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

The Grange, Frogmore Grange, Balsall Common, Coventry CV7 7FP Tel: 01676 532 384 info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk www.giairsoft.co.uk/Skirmish-days

LAC SITE 5

Kirton Rd, North Lincs, DN16 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

LAGAN AIRSOFT CLUB FRV AIRSOFT

Annacloy, Downpatrick, BT30 8JJ Tel: 07730 586926 www.frvairsoft.com

FULL METAL AIRSOFT

Cilyrychen Quarry, Llandybie, Ammanford, Camarthenshire, SA18 3JG Tel: 01269 850404 www.fullmetalairsoft.co.uk

GASS AIRSOFT – PENN Penn Bottom, Bucks, HP10 Tel: 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – EVERSLEY The Welsh Drive, Fleet Road (A327), Eversley, Hants RG27 0PY Tel: 07711 774461 (Doug) or 07711 774401 (Josh) www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gunmanairsoft-eversley/

Wolverhampton, WV10 7HU Tel: 08000 354490 www.paintballuk.com

HOMELAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT

Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT Tel: 07971 560249 facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft

HUMBER AIRSOFT

North Lincolnshire, DN21 www.humberairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07792 680297

GRANGE FARM AIRSOFT Leicester, LE9 9FP www.gingerliberationfront.com

April 2018

17G Stationview, Dunmurry, Belfast BT170AE Tel: 07733128484

LEEDS AIRSOFT: THE FOUNDRY CQB

Haigh Park Road, Stourton, Leeds LS10 1RX Tel: 0113 277 7707 / 07968 258952

HILTON PARK AIRSOFT

GASS AIRSOFT – PIDDINGTON Piddington, Oxfordshire, OX25 1 Tel: 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk

Wrightington, WN6 9PL Tel: 01942 514724 www.militaryoutdooradventure.co.uk

Checkley, Staffordshire, ST10 4NS Tel: 07523 916607 www.milsimuk.co.uk

LINDSEY AIRSOFT

Manby, Lincolnshire, LN11 8HE Tel: 07955 487983 www.lindsey-airsoft.co.uk

Fenwick, Ayrshire, KA3 6AY Tel: 07904 998250 www.nomadairsoft.com

NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT

Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ Tel: 01845 565465 www.northernallianceairsoft.co.uk

NORTHFLEET CQB

Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9AA Tel: 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk

NPF AIRSOFT, NPF BASSETTS POLE

Trickley Coppice, London Road, Bassetts Pole, Sutton Coldfield, B75 5SA Tel: 0121 323 1000 info@npfairsoft.com www.facebook.com/npfairsoft

NSC AIRSOFT MATLOCK COMBAT GAMES Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FW Tel: 07974 507166 www.matlockcombatgames.com

MAW

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 Tel: 07793 404346 1midaw@gmail.com

INVICTA BATTLEFIELD

Wilden Park Road, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 0HP Tel: 01622 831788 / 07876 263290 www.invictabattlefield.co.uk

Edinburgh, EH14 4 nick@ncis-airsoft.co.uk www.ncis-airsoft.co.uk

NOMAD AIRSOFT

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – MIDLANDS Farcet, Peterborough, PE7 3DH Tel: 01733 247171 www.freefirezone.co.uk

Abbey Cwm-hir, Midwales, LD1 6PG Tel: 07497 480243 www.facebook.com/Midwales-airsoft

NCIS AIRSOFT

Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2DF www.groundzerowoodland.com

FREE FIRE ZONE

MIDWALES AIRSOFT

MIA

Cornwall, EX23 9JL Tel: 01288 331748 www.airsoftsouthwest.co.uk

Hetton, Sunderland, DH5 0 Tel: 07983 333521 www.nscairsoft.co.uk

NTAC

Durham, DL4 2ER Tel: 01642 281220 www.ntac.co.uk

OBAN AIRSOFT – ILL ARGYLL Argyll and Bute, PA37 1 Tel: 07967 710185 www.argyllsurplus.com

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

OP-TACTICAL UK – TEAN-OPS

RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM)

OVER THE TOP AIRSOFT CLUB

SECTION 8 AIRSOFT

Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT Tel: 07964 990831 www.op-tac.co.uk

Anglesey, LL71 www.ottairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07731 744471

PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT MILITARY SIMULATION

Former RAF Camp Sopley/Merryfield Park, Hants, BH23 Tel: 02380 899369

PHOENIX AIRSOFT

Welbeck Airsoft, Academy, Budby Road, Notts NG20 9JX Tel: 07956 587213/01623 812483 www.phoenix-airsoft.co.uk

PLATOON 1HQ

Rochester, Kent, ME1 1 HQ Tel: 01634 829063 www.ptt-1hq.co.uk

PLAYERS OF WAR

Cambridge, CB24 8RL Tel: 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

Shotts, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB Tel: 07974 026517 www.s8airsoft.com

Co. Londonderry, BT45 8NA Tel: 07713 273102 www.sg1combatgames.co.uk

SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY

Billericay, Essex, CM11 2TX Tel: 01277 657777 www.airsoft-billericay.co.uk

SKIRMISH EXETER Exeter, Devon, EX4 5 Tel: 01548 580025 www.airsoftexeter.co.uk

SOUTH COAST CQB

PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES

SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT

RAVEN’S NEST

Suffolk, IP8 4 Tel: 01473 831563 www.ravensairsoft.co.uk

Browndown Road, Lee-On-Solent PO13 9UG Tel: 07533 434203

Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0LR Tel: 07766 770830 www.southdownairsoft.com

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – BLOXWORTH

Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7EU Tel: 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

RAW WAR AIRSOFT CUMBRIA Wigton, Cumbria CA7 3SZ Tel: 01900 85645 www.airsoftcumbria.co.uk

RED1AIRSOFT CQB

Red1 CQB. Kings Langley, WD4 8RN Tel: 07956 522691/01727846069 www.red1airsoft.co.uk

RIFT AIRSOFT COM’S SITE 3

Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ Tel: 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

TA EVENTS

Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP2 7QB Tel: 07894 059794 www.ta-events.co.uk

TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT Reynoldston, Swansea SA3 1AS Tel: 01792 473336 www.tacticalwales.co.uk

TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT– THE ROCK Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG Tel: 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

STIRLING AIRSOFT

Coventry, CV3 6NX Tel: 07831 429407 www.stirlingairsoft.com

STORMFORCE AIRSOFT

Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 4LD Tel: 07515 937633 www.stormforcepaintball.co.uk

Slinfold, RH12 Tel: 020 8150 9284 www.sussexairsoft.co.uk

Co Tyrone, BT71 4DY Tel: 07922 377131 Facebook: search ‘Torrent Warfare’

TROJAN AIRSOFT

Macclesfield, SK10 4SZ Tel: 07428 024874 www.trojan-airsoft.com

TROJAN AIRSOFT – OLYMPUS CQB

Weir Mill, Viaduct Street, Chestergate, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7JP Tel: 07428 024874 www.trojan-airsoft.com

UCAP AIRSOFT

TAZ AIRSOFT

UCAP GREEN OPS

Farr, Inverness, IV2 6XB Tel: 07848 448408

TECH BRIGADE

Newgate Street, Hertfordshire. SG13 8NH Tel: 07841 713356 www.techbrigade.org

Portsmouth, Hants, PO17 6AR Tel: 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

Linch, West Sussex, GU30 7 Tel: 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – FAWKHAM Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY Tel: 01268 796130 www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

TASK FORCE SKIRMISH Cowbridge, S Glamorgan, CF71 Tel: 02920 593900 www.taskforcepaintball.co.uk

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – LIMPSFIELD Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

THE BUNKER

Aberystwyth www.aberairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07841 462806

Glasgow, G45 9SB Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.thedepotglasgow.com

THE EX SITE

Mold, CH7 4 Tel: 07840 001975 www.theexsitewales.co.uk

URBAN ASSAULT

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1 Tel: 01733 247171 www.urbanassault.org.uk

VIKING AIRSOFT

Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0UN www.vikingairsoft.co.uk

WARMINSTER AIRSOFT Warminster, BA12 7RZ www.warminsterairsoft.co.uk

THE WARGAMES CENTRE Lundholm Road, Stevenston, Ayrshire, KA20 3LN www.thewargamescentre.com wargamescentre@gmail.com

THUNDER PARK AIRSOFT SUSSEX AIRSOFT

TORRENT WARFARE

Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PL Tel: 020 8665 1299 www.tacticalwarfare.co.uk

THE DEPOT

RED1AIRSOFT

Chislehurst, Bromley BR7 6SD Tel: 07956 522691/01727846069 www.red1airsoft.co.uk

Boathouse lane, South Wirral, Cheshire, CH64 3TB www.swatairsoft.eu Tel: 07703 177756

SG1 COMBAT GAMES

High Bonnybridge, FK1 3AD Tel: 07767 203979 www.playersofwar.co.uk

Ballynahinch, BT24 8NF Tel: 02897565651 / 07825169631 www.predatorcombat.com

S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT

Luxulyan, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL305FA Tel: 07751808055 www.thunderparkpaintball.co.uk Food & drinks available on site.

WEST MIDLANDS AIRSOFT

F O B (Woodland), Hollington Road, Upper Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT On site parking, HPA Top ups, covered safe zone, male & female toilets, hot lunch included, free tea and coffee available all day. Site memberships. Tel: Paul – 07861427553 Email: paul@wmairsoft.co.uk www.wmairsoft.co.uk

www.airsoft-action.online

SITE DIRECTORY

Email nige@airsoft-action.co.uk to add or change a site listing

FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

WEST MIDLANDS AIRSOFT

High Command (CQB), Doulton Trading Estate, Doulton Road, Rowley Regis B65 8JQ On site parking, HPA Top ups, secure safe zone, male & female toilets, hot lunch included, free tea and coffee available all day. Site memberships. Tel: Paul – 07861427553 Email: paul@wmairsoft.co.uk www.wmairsoft.co.uk

WORTHING AIRSOFT Arundel Road, Worthing Tel: 07877 210898 www.worthingairsoft.co.uk

XSITE AIRSOFT OUTPOST Dunstable, LU6 2EE Tel: 01494 881430 www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk

XSITE AIRSOFT – LANE END High Wycombe, HP14 3NP Tel: 01494 881430

April 2018

PRACTICAL PISTOL DIRECTORY AIPSC

The Grange, Frog Lane, Balsall Common, West Midlands, CV7 7FP Tel: 01676 532384 www.aipsc.co.uk Facebook: A.I.P.S.C info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk. Every Monday night 7pm– 9pm (except bank holidays). £5 or £10 with pistol and shooting rig hire. UKPSA-qualified coaches. UKPSA-qualified Range Officers.

COBRA ONE ZERO AIRSOFT Unit 9 Imperial Buisness Centre Mortimer Road, Hereford, HR4 9SP www.cobraonezero.co.uk Facebook: cobra one zero Airsoft

WATFORD PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUB WatfordPPC@gmail.com

DOUBLE TAP PSC

StrikeForce CQB, Morelands Trading Estate, Bristol Road, Gloucester GL1 5RZ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ Double-Tap-Practical-Shooting-Club979585958732937/?ref=hl doubletappsc@gmail.com

EBSC

MOD-approved gun club PP, IDPA, IPAS, IPSC, 3GUN UKPSA Coaches UKPSA-qualified Range Officers Equipment hire available www.ebsc.co.uk ebpracticalpistol@gmail.com 07752 713 970

HALO MILL

The Penthouse, Colne Valley Business Park, Manchester Road, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5QG Tel: 01484 840554 www.halomill.com

XSITE PRACTICAL SHOOTING Fryers Farm Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks HP14 3NP Tel: 01494 881430

SOUTH WEST PRACTICAL SHOOTERS (SWPS)

Action Air IPSC Club Based at The Tunnel Target Sports Centre near Charmouth The Tunnel, Axminster Road, Charmouth, Dorset DT6 6BY Contact: SWPSClub@Outlook.com

WETHERSFIELD AIRSOFT TARGET SHOOTING CLUB (WAT SIC)

Wethersfield Village Hall, Braintree Rd (B1053), Wethersfield, Braintree CM7 4EB. https://www.facebook.com/WATSiC/ Open Thursday & Friday evenings. Set-up from 6:30pm. Club shooting commences by 7:30pm. Pack-up starts at 9:30pm if you can stay to help. Contact via FB or 07939557029. Indoors. Club offers Action Air plus 2 & 3 Gun training and events.

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