FEATURE: UMAREX T4E

BIGGER BALLS?

NEW PLAYERS CONTINUE TO FLOOD INTO AIRSOFT, AND LONG MAY THIS CONTINUE! HOWEVER, UMAREX HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO ANOTHER AREA WHERE “BIGGER BALLS” ARE THE THING, AND WITH THEIR T4E RANGE THEY MAY JUST HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT CROSSOVER FROM PAINTBALL TO AIRSOFT, WITH A HEALTHY MARGIN OF “TRAINING PLATFORM” THROWN IN! AIRSOFT INDUSTRY VETERAN AND OUR INHOUSE “LEGAL BEAGLE” FRENCHIE INVESTIGATES FURTHER…

During my recent visit to Landwarrior Airsoft (LWA) I spent a fair bit of time discussing the T4E range from Umarex with them, and mainly the discussion revolved around business aspects of the product range, but the T4E range itself is rather interesting and worth taking a look at in relation to effective training and the legal position!

Essentially it is a range of paintball markers...

No, it’s a self-defence system...

Sorry! It’s a training aid, hence the name “Training 4 Engagement”...

Actually, it’s an airgun!

In truth, it’s all of these things, but exactly which seems to be a bit context sensitive. In the UK, suggesting that anything might be designed specifically for self-defence is seen as somehow improper, and in fairness the idea that the T4E range is intended for this role comes mainly from online reviewers and the manufacturer, Umarex, which does appear to tout the range by leaning heavily on the ‘defence’ angle. Their range of revolvers, the HDRs, stands for “Home Defence Revolver” according to their website… there is no doubt that at short range and with reusable ammo, getting on the wrong end of one of these would be unpleasant.

Other platforms in the range are clearly offered as training aids being 1:1 reproductions of the originals, with noticeable recoil, and features and controls which exactly mimic the handling of the “real”. These can be used to develop handling skills and for forceon-force training using suitable calibre paintballs offering a cheaper and safer alternative to Simunition systems. Images on the dedicated www.t4eguns.com website would appear to show this market as, if you’ll excuse the pun, a target for Umarex.

Mechanically, the T4E range ARE paintball markers, and are widely sold as such. For airsofters, now used to the VRCA, this puts them in an interesting legal position within the UK, as every website I have checked which sells them insists only that the purchaser be over the age of 18 years, with zero defence in law for ownership required. Like airguns it seems, the fact that they are replicas is of secondary importance to their being “paintball markers” intended to use frangible ammunition.

Personally, the mention of markers conjures up a vision of plumbing with a hopper and a trigger, but I have never been a paintballer and they probably view airsofters with similar disdain! The T4E markers are about as far removed from that stereotype as is

possible. While the range is nowhere near as extensive as the current range of airsoft guns, there is a good selection of pistols and long arms available already and given their popularity, it is within the bounds of reason that we will see more added over time.

Qualitatively, the guns are on a par with most good quality airsoft guns, making use of highstrength polymers and metal castings and Umarex make mention of their ability to deal with rugged use. I noted on LWA’s website that service kits were actually a thing so that you can keep both markers and magazines in top condition. I wish that had been the case when I was struggling to obtain the parts necessary to repair gas blowback pistols!

MODELS FOR TRAINING

• Heckler & Koch SFP9: Striker Fired Pistol 9, internationally also known as the VP9 • Heckler & Koch HK416 D T4E • Smith & Wesson M&P 9 • M4 RIS – no prizes for guessing! .43 Calibre M4 with a RIS front end. • Walther PPQ M2. A Walther training pistol in .43 calibre • Glock 17 Gen.5 pistol in .43 calibre

MODELS FOR “HOME DEFENCE”

• HDR 50 and HDR 68 – the Home Defence Revolver in both .50 and .68 calibre • Home Defence Pistol 50 (HDP 50) • Home Defence Shotgun 68 (HDS 68) – a .68 calibre double-barrelled shotgun • Home Defence Blaster 68 (HDB 68) – a doubleaction shotgun-styled marker in .68 calibre • HDX 68 – a fully functioning pump action marker in .68 calibre.

As with many airsoft GBBs and GBBRs all the models are powered by CO2, either 12g capsules or the larger 88g bottles which can be used with a couple of the long arms. The HD-X series all feature a ‘quick pierce’ feature which allows the CO2 capsule to be loaded, but not pierced until the user chooses to do so by hitting the specially designed cap. This means these models can be stored ready for action over an extended period without putting undue stress on seals and the running the danger of gas pressure slowly leaking away. The HDR models also tend not to be designed to emphasise recoil, unlike the training arms, all of which feature blowback to increase their realism when used for weapon handling drills or for force-onforce training.

Regardless of the designations applied by Umarex, all of these models are suitable for use at paintball sites! It is possible to obtain some of these models at higher power ratings, however over 16 joules of muzzle energy (for ‘rifles’) owners would be required to obtain a Firearms Certificate in the UK, and while I’m in no way a definitive guide to UK firearms law, I’d lay a small wager that the granting of a

certificate would not be forthcoming!

WHY?

I find this interesting; obviously at Airsoft Action, we do have a bit of a tendency to think of airsoft first and foremost, but thanks to the restrictions of the VCRA RIFs aren’t available to everyone. If you want a decent back garden plinker in the UK, your choice is limited to airguns (not easily obtained here in Scotland sadly) or... as a result, the option to buy a high-quality, blowback replica which fires either frangible ammo or reusable solid ammo is quite attractive. All the models in the range look and feel great, and as mentioned

above, Umarex makes service kits available to ensure that you can keep them running smoothly for years.

As gaming markers I can see their value and attraction, although it seems to me that with limited ammo capacity compared to ‘traditional’ hopperfed markers, they will be better suited to a more tactical ‘airsoft-like’ form of gameplay. I have already confessed to an ignorance of the paintball scene here in the UK; it may well be that this already exists and that the Umarex range slots very nicely in here. The concept of paintball markers as replicas is hardly new as I used to sell RAM markers years ago.

As a training aid, especially using chalk-based ammo these could be a really cost-effective tool. Weight and feel of the training platforms are excellent and like all markers they deliver sufficient impact to ensure that participants know that they have been hit. I did an exercise with a branch of the UK military some time back who were looking to find a training aid to use in sensitive areas. Airsoft fitted the bill well, but there concerns that a fully geared up soldier might not feel some of the hits. Not a problem here! Granted there isn’t an L85A3 variant available but given that AR platforms seem to be cropping up more and more often in the hands of British soldiers, I doubt that’s a major issue!

It’s an interesting range and its future may well be interesting too. As products they sit across a number of interests, paintball, training, casual plinking. They also carry an interest in these previously separate fields with them, so you will continue to see companies who previously only sold paintball equipment dabbling in airsoft. Likewise, some retailers of airsoft replicas and gear, who have long had broader interests, are now to be found carry a range of markers. May we live in interesting times indeed…

Whether this cross-fertilisation will extend to the playing fields remains to be seen; would airsofters be more likely to try another discipline if they could use an AR with limited amounts of ammo but in more tactical or Mil-Sim scenarios? Might exposure to airsoft gear tempt some current paintballers to venture a foot into the world of full-auto and nonfrangible ammo? Attributing such things to a range of replicas is probably going too far, but anything that closes the perceived gaps between sports is a good thing as it strengthens all of us should governments decide to meddle as they have done in the past.

Those thoughts aside, if you get the opportunity, check out the T4E range. They’re high-quality, very cool in their own right and may just spark your curiosity.

For more information please go to www. t4eguns.com and my sincere thanks to www. landwarriorairsoft.com (LWA) for supplying product images; you can also buy T4E products direct from LWA if you fancy checking them out for yourself.. AA