12 minute read
ARMOURY: VORSK 3.8 HI CAPAS
armoury VORSK 3.8 HI CAPAS
SMALL AND FIERCE
AS NIGHTS DRAW IN AND WINTER APPROACHES IT MAY SEEM THAT FOR SOME AIRSOFT IS ABOUT TO GO INTO HIBERNATION, BUT TURNING THE NEGATIVES INTO 100% POSITIVES THIS MEANS THAT OUR INDOOR GAMING AND RANGETIME COMES VERY MUCH TO THE FORE! THANKS TO THE HARDCHARGING TEAM AT VORSK THERE ARE ALSO SOME NEW PISTOLS THAT SEEM PURPOSE-MADE FOR THIS ABOUT TO LAND… ENTER THE VORSK 3.8S!
November is always a strange old month, the clocks have changed and the greyness of autumn heading into winter can be a depressing time for many. It has been said however, that “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons” and with our woodland sites changing it is certainly a dramatic time! The vibrant greens of summer are behind us now, and leaves are turning to gold and rust-red and falling in heaps (much to the joy of the sniper fraternity!), and for the feint-hearted airsofter it’s time to head indoors and take up residence behind the keyboard…
There is a breed of airsofter though that heeds not the change of the seasons, one that will venture forth to their local site come rain, ice, or drifting snow, and indeed playing during a hard winter can often bring some of the greatest gaming rewards to the prepared player! This, of course is also true when you play in more extreme weather conditions anywhere around the globe, but for me the onset of winter means changing out gear and being ready for whatever the elements can throw at me… and I do love a physical challenge that just adds to airsoft.
For many though, November is a time where their gameplay and visit to sites slows somewhat; the weather means that many that are ill-equipped will stay home, and the thought of Christmas just around the corner means that our “airsoft spend” in generally curtailed until a New Year dawns. For many small airsoft retailers November is a really hard month, so if you have a few bucks to spare then pop in to see them, even if it’s to buy a bag of BBs as they WILL appreciate your custom, and it’s your custom that keeps them going and keeps them open for business… which of course benefits YOU in the long run!
November is also generally a quieter time in relation to new AEG and GBB releases from the manufacturers. This year into next is going to be somewhat different again as I’m hearing that a number of airsoft manufacturers will not be attending SHOT or IWA as usual in 2022, although I’m hopeful that we’ll see some cool new directions at MOA (and we’ll report on this via Stewbacca of course!). New models that would usually be held back for release at the shows will therefore be filtering through from now on, and for once November is proving already to be pretty darn exciting.
The first of the new releases have come from none other than my old mates at VORSK, and by the time you read this their new “3.8” compact Hi Capas should be landing, and heading straight out to retailers! These are models that I knew were in the pipeline, but again have been sworn to secrecy about until now, and I’m excited as I believe that the new 3.8 Hi Capa Pro and 3.8 “Vengeance” models may well be the3 very VORSKs that I have been waiting for!
Ernst Schumacher, statistician and economist, once said “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction”, and although this quote alludes to a totally different sphere it is also true when it comes to the creation of pistols! Sometimes the design ethos of the handgun market appears to be all about “going large”, with increased size and load counts, but the VORSK Team have moved in the opposite direction to enhance their Hi Capa offering and provide what, in my opinion, are some of the most awesome and usable hand-cannons out there!
I do love a short, compact pistol, and although by their very nature the two new VORSKs will not be super-compact, the decreased barrel length and slight reduction in overall weight means that the sheer bulk of carrying an effective secondary will be reduced… and any weight and size saving when you’re carrying a full set of “battle rattle” has to be a good thing!
Ultimately both pistols are based on existing platforms that I already love, namely the full-size Hi Capas and Vengeance pistols, and I already know that the performance of these is exemplary; both Jon and I have spoken at length on the existing pistols, and both of us have a VORSK pistol in our PAMG loadouts for good reason. For me though the addition of a shorter, lighter pistol to this “pool” means that I can have a dedicated sidearm specifically for uber-close-in encounters, one that is easily manipulated and moved swiftly, but that is in operation one that I have “muscle memory” for.
This will also cross over to more general CQB/CQC scenarios where you need something small, light and agile to carry as a backup for your primary; why lug around a dirty great DEagle when you can have a super-compact Hi Capa? I honestly believe that the new 3.8 VORSK models are pretty much the perfect CQB handgun.
THE WORD OF VORSK
So, with all this in mind, let’s have a closer look at what the new 3.8 models will bring to the party, and getting together with Ross and Tom they gave me a little more information on both new pistol variants.
VORSK 3.8” HI-CAPA
• PRO – 3.8” Hi-Capa • Reduced Weight Slide – Slide Cut-Outs and Etch
Styling • Moulded, Stipple Textured VORSK Grip • Flared Magwell and Extended Magazine Baseplate • 12mm (CW) to 14mm (CCW) Barrel Thread
Adaptor • 6.03 mm Inner Barrel • Fluted Outer Barrel • Fibreoptic Sights (BDS Option Available) • Hi-Capa – Large Gas Reservoir – Excellent Gas
Efficiency
Since their launch, the VORSK Hi-Capa models have grown in popularity due to their excellent shot performance and gas efficiency. This high gas efficiency, the result of a large gas reservoir combined with their distinctive weight reduced slides, has been improved further by the introduction of a shortened slide. When the slide is reduced in length, the compact ‘PRO’ designation, a further weight reduction occurs but also the slides travel distance is shortened. This combination gives the VORSK Hi-Capa PRO a faster cycle rate, snappy trigger action and a solid felt Blow-Back.
The forward Picatinny Accessory Rail is there for mounting taclites and LAMs, making the “PRO” perfect for close-quarter, indoor environments. VORSK Hi-Capas come fitted with a 12mm (CW) / 14mm (CCW) thread adaptor hidden under a cover making the VORSK Hi-Capa ready for a series of Barrel Attachments. The 6.03mm inner barrel is threaded, making it ready for the barrel extending VORSK AGENCY suppressor. Electronic Dot Sight or Fibre Sights options are available in a series of colours.
VORSK VENGEANCE COMPACT
• COMPACT – 3.8” Hi-Capa Model • Floating BDS Option • 12 mm (CW) to 14 mm (CCW) Thread Adaptor
FLASH HIDER • Rail Cut-Outs and Etch Lines • Functioning Beaver Tail Safety • Fluted Outer Barrel • Fibre Iron Sights • Flared Magwell • Extended Magazine Base Plate • Scaled Polymer VORSK Grip
The CS VENGEANCE was VORSKs first Hi-Capa variant to come through their Custom Shop range, and what a Hi-Capa it is; both Jon and I love it! Based on a popular race-platform design, VORSK have furthered this design by introducing a floating BDS option. Add to this a distinct range of colours including a Metallic Red (JON!!!), and a Dark Earth/ Tan variant, the CS VENGEANCE is another racker of a pistol!
The 3.8 CS VENGEANCE features an adjustable rear iron-sight, an extended magazine base plate and the inclusion of the floating BDS option, just like its 5.1 big brother. The slide markings are a new pattern though, with some forward cut-outs revealing the fluted outer barrel within. A common feature of VORSK Hi-Capas is the inclusion of a Flash-Hider that
neatly covers a 12 mm (CW) to 14 mm (CCW) thread adaptor, making VORSK Hi-Capas “attachment ready”, especially with the real-estate provided by the Picatinny under barrel. As an added bonus the 3.8 CS VENGEANCE will arrive in a magnetically sealed box with Velcro patch holders and a Manual sleeve, allowing the box to be used for display and storage at home, along with safe and secure transit.
FIRST LOOK
As any of you that follow Airsoft Action will know, I have a particularly close relationship with the VORSK Team as I’ve worked with them since the brand came into being, and in relation to the two new 3.8 pistols this means that I’ve been able to access a preproduction sample of each to see if they have what it takes. Although both pistols tested are largely complete, they do lack some of the finishing of the production models that we as players will receive soon.
Although both test pistols are fully functional, and therefore “test ready”, certain elements such as the fluted/threaded outer barrels are absent, but as these elements add to the finished models and don’t really affect basic shooting operation I’m going to look past this, as I hope you will when it comes to these two exciting models!
I’m pleased to say though that all the months of concept work, design, and development, has resulted in VORSK pistols combining direct input from shooters around the globe with the experience of the best factories in the business to create a family of pistols that are equally at home on the skirmish field as on the range, and the new 3.8 models fit into that “family” like they were always meant to be there!
Starting with the Hi Capa PRO, my steels were a’clangin’ at 10 metres for quite some time! Although there is some cool down (as you would expect), the pistol keeps on shooting, and with the shorter barrel seems distinctly more “punchy”. I have tried a few of walk-downs on the woodland range, firing on the move and the 3.8 keep things on target nicely, especially given the as-standard fibre-optic sights. Mag changes are also a breeze as the extended floorplate on the mag and the flared magwell really help to push things along efficiently and smoothly. Design-wise the PRO is very much a VORSK, with those distinctive cutaways to the slide, and a nicely pre-tippled grip which fills the hand and gives a very positive sensation during target transitions. All in all it’s a VERY tidy package.
VORSK have obviously wanted to make a firm statement of intent when it comes to what they are able to achieve with the Custom Shop Program, and the net result of this was the original 5.1 CS VENGEANCE; the 3.8 model moves on from what has come before and makes the most of Mark’s modern yet elegant look. With this pistol they’ve kept things completely streamlined yet downscaled; as I said of the longer 5.1 “this is a pistol fundamentally designed to be shot, to be used rather than just carried in a holster”. Even though the design is obviously at variance with the lines of a “classic 1911” in terms of both the frame and slide, the grip angle and operation is both familiar and comfortable; it’s as if Mark has taken that classic “rake” and feature set and incorporated it into a new, stylish design that works well and looks great, and the 3.8 just makes the entire deal more compact and usable!
Bottom line is that the 3.8 CS VENGEANCE pistol feels perfect in the hand to me, cycles smoothly, has a super recoil impulse, and the scaled polymer VORSK grip keeps it firmly in your hand. The flared magwell and extended magazine base plate once again help with swift changes when you run dry, and with the fibre-optic front blade and an adjustable rear sight (a red dot can of course be fitted) it’s massively easy to track from target to target if you’re shooting plates or centre mass.
I won’t go into performance in detail here as I’ll reserve that for the production models when they arrive, but neither of the pre-production models failed to impress; to give you an idea though, they both chrono’d just shy of 0.83 Joule/300FPS using VORSK V6 gas and the new .20g VORSK Precision BBs, but this shouldn’t be looked at as anything other than an indication as both nozzles appeared non-standard. I fully expect the production models to be a little different, but I’ll be able to tell you more on this when the “stock” pistols arrive and have been thoroughly tested.
And when do they arrive I hear you ask? Patience they say is a virtue, but not one that many airsofters, including me, share, so I’m pleased to tell you that both the PRO and the VENGEANCE 3.8s should be in store before November is out, but I’d advise you keep an eye on their social media pages for exact dates. When there’s not a lot to look forward to though, and the nights are drawing in, the release of these pistols to me is like Christmas has come early, and I’ll be ho-ho-ho-ing all the way through December thanks to VORSK! AA
