Issue 44 - January 2015 by Airsoft Action

THE Airsoft Magazine

MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS! AIRSOFT ACTION

WEAPOANR RSIFLE G&P LVOA W EZ G&G VSS VINTOR LE TM P90 HIGH CYC

SITES

SOFT WARMINSTER AIR B SOUTH COAST CQ ORTRESS S.W.A.T. - THE F

INTERN2A014TIONAL

COMPETITIVE TACTICAL SHOOTING

COLD WAR WARRIOR COLD WAR BODY ARMOUR

JAN 2015

WW1: NEUVE CHAPELLE l DEBATE: TOO MUCH TECH? l SKILLS & DRILLS: SLINGS

JAN 2015 - Â£4.50

VIPER - KIT WITH BITE

A SQUADRON

9 772047 348032

MANUFACTURER PROFILE

USA - IRENE GERMANY - TEC

THE Airsoft Magazine

MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

20 - TM P90 HIGH CYCLE

AIRSOFT ACTION

S WEAPONRIFL E G&P LVOA WAR G&G VSS VINTOREZ E TM P90 HIGH CYCL

SITES

OFT WARMINSTER AIRS SOUTH COAST CQB RESS S.W.A.T. - THE FORT

ATIONAL INTERN2014

COLD WAR WARRIOR

A SQUADRON

COMPETITIVE TACTICAL SHOOTING

COLD WAR BODY ARMOUR

JAN 2015

WW1: NEUVE CHAPELLE l DEBATE: TOO MUCH TECH? l SKILLS & DRILLS: SLINGS

9 772047 348032

MANUFACTURER PROFILE

VIPER - KIT WITH BITE

Editor: Nigel Streeter Assistant editor: Gareth “Gadge” Harvey Graphic design: Havoc Design Ad design: Havoc Design Publisher: Nigel Streeter

JAN 2015 - £4.50

USA - IRENE GERMANY - TEC

North / South Divide

Cover Picture: Chris Chatburn - www.hiwez.com

UK 12 - issue subscription rate: £43 UK 6 - issue subscription rate: £24 For overseas prices visit: www.airsoft-action.co.uk

Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6PL Tel: 01684 878 003 Web: www.airsoft-action.co.uk ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2014 Distribution: Distributed to the newstrade by Comag Magazine Marketing, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE T: 01895 433 800 Copyright © Calibre Publishing Limited 2014. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to print.

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december 2014

Well, we’ve made it to the end of 2014 and as we shut the door on what has been for many, a pretty tough year, I think we (and by “we” I mean airsoft in general) can give ourselves a little pat on the back! A year ago I was writing this leader and said “it is my hope/opinion/belief that we (airsoft) will continue to grow in both strength and size” and I think, to the greater degree, that has been the case. Think about it, we have seen the launch of the very first 100% European-built AEG, the ASG EVO3 Scorpion and we have seen one of the oldest established paintball marker manufacturers, Tippmann, start to take a big interest in what we are doing. There have been more airsoft “shows” this year than ever before, including the British Airsoft Show and Airsoft Expo, along with some really excellent airsoft “Boot Sales”. There has been even more kit to get our hands on - even in this issue we are talking about the new VIPER range and, as Jerry Noone says in his article, this is just the beginning. There has also been some really great innovations in the game and the emergence of many more “scenario-based” events, where the outcome directly influences the next in the series, along with more “Big Games”, such as the RedWolf and Gunman weekenders. CQB airsoft has seen particularly strong growth and as more and more urban sites become available, I think this is a trend that is set to continue, as will the growth in popularity of both practical and tactical shooting. This will only serve to open airsoft up to an even wider and more diverse range of players and participants, something that can only be good for all of us. So what lies in store for us for 2015? Strewth! I wish I knew that answer to that question. I have a feeling that 2014 was just a precursor to how things are going to develop but if I had to put my money on anything, I think it would probably be the emergence of more “international” play, with players travelling further afield to experience airsoft in different countries. Of course, that also largely depends on what happens to the economy in general but things are definitely on the up again. All that remains then, is for me to wish you all a superb Christmas and New Year and to thank you all for your support throughout 2014. Here’s to an awesome 2015!! See you out here. Nige.

CONTENTS JANUARY MARCH 2015 2014

CONTENTS

AIRSOFT ACTION – JANUARY 2015 6

AIRSOFT NEWS

The latest developments in the world of airsoft. 10 ROGUE’S GALLERY Cool photos taken by Airsoft Action readers. 12 ARMOURY: G&P WAR RIFLE Chris Costa has been seen promoting the LVOA rifle and now Scott Allan gets his hands on the first airsoft version from G&P. 16 ARMOURY: SOCOM G&G VSS VINTOREZ Jay Slater pulls on his ushanka and gets to grips with this strangely odd release from G&G. 20 ARMOURY: TM P90 HIGH CYCLE P90s are a bit of a “love it - hate it” rifle but Scott Allan finds there’s a lot to like about TM’s High Cycle version. 24 KIT AND KABOODLE FireBaseAlpha takes a quick look at some of the gear that’s caught his eye over the last few months. 26 EVENT: RED MIST 17 - OPERATION VULTURE Oscar P reports from the latest episode of Gunman’s Cold War FilmSim. 32 SITE: WARMINSTER AIRSOFT If you’re going to rent land for an airsoft site, it might as well be from a Peer of the realm, as Iggy Roberts found out when he visited this site near Longleat. 36 EVENT: OPERATION INTRADON Nige reports from a secret location somewhere in the Midlands where ex-SAS soldier Bob Podesta and his company, A Squadron Ltd, ran their first airsoft event. 40 COLD WAR WARRIOR: BODY ARMOUR

64 SITE: SOUTH COAST CQB Les Lee gears up and heads off to take a look a new CQB site and discovers that sometimes good things come in small packages. 68 KIT: MULTICAM TROPIC FireBaseAlpha rakes a look at some of the kit that’s currently available in the new Multicam Tropic camo pattern . 72 AIRSOFT ACTION DEBATE: AIRSOFT LASER TAG In this issue Gadge asks “Are we getting a bit too technical? Do we need a return to grass roots or do we need to take on the tech?” 76 A SQUADRON: COMPETITIVE TACTICAL SHOOTING Ex-SAS soldier Bob Podesta is used to combat shooting and can now offer a similar experience to airsofters, through his company ‘A Squadron’. 80 SKILLS & DRILLS: SLINGS Pro-Tact Training’s Andy Nightingale takes a look at probably one of the most ignored, yet important pieces of kit, the sling. 83 LOADED OR UNLOADED: TAN MAN Pressing on with how easy it is to establish Team differentiation purely through the colour of the loadout worn, this month Jerry Noone looks at just how easy it is to be the “Tan Man”! 88 SITE: S.W.A.T. - THE FORTRESS Phil “Yosser” Hughes gives us the lowdown on this huge CQB site in the heart of Liverpool. 92 WW1: NUEVE CHAPELLE Dan Mills continues his journey through the battles of WW1 with a battle that brought down a Government.

Departing from his normal overview of an individual loadout, Gareth “Gadge” Harvey instead looks at how warriors protect themselves with body armour.

94 BILLY BASICS: THE NEW THREAT PART 2

44 INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT: USA - IRENE 2014

98 SNIPER: CARLOS HATHCOCK

John Lu, founder of Operation Lion Claws, gives us an overview of their latest and greatest event. 47 MEET THE MANUFACTURER: VIPER TACTICAL KIT Jerry Noone gets behind the doors of one of the UK’s best-known manufacturers of affordable tac kit and takes a good look at their new products. 52 EVENT: BIO/BRITAIN - FAILING QUARANTINE Caught between Zombie hordes and a World gone mad, Kris Roberts reports from the latest instalment of Bio/Britain. 57 EVENT: NORTH SOUTH DIVIDE Iggy Roberts travelled to Wales to report on an interesting twist to the normal North v South game. 60 INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT: GERMANY - THE EASTSIDERS COMPANY Hannes Ertel writes about his team and gives us a brief insight into playing airsoft in Germany.

Billy continues to explore the “What if?” theme he started in the last issue and comes to a fairly surprising conclusion. Sniper One, Dan Mills, writes about a legendary US Sniper who held the record for longest kill shot for over 30 years. 100 BOOK REVIEW: DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND Having seen the original manuscript, Nige was keen to get his hands on the book when it was published - especially as it is written by an Airsoft Action contributor. 101 BOOK REVIEW: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Kris Roberts finds himself deeply affected by a book that was banned and burned by the Nazis. 102 SITE DIRECTORY If you’re looking for somewhere to play, you’re sure to find it here. 106 DEALER LISTING: AIRSOFT ACTION’S ADVERTISER INDEX Find who you are looking for in our listing of all the adverts that appear in this issue.

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

AIRSOFT NEWS Speed Airsoft

SPEED releases Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mounts SPEED Airsoft releases the new SPEED Tactical KeyMod Rail Mount for cylinder action camcorder that will direct-mount with no adapters for the popular line of cylindrical action camcorders with 24mm or 30mm diameter. The new SPEED Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mount provides airsoft players with an improved tactical performance by forward positioning any 24mm or 30mm diameter action camcorder, so it will not impede the playerís various handgrips on the rail. Players can now quickly transition from left to right more fluently while recording, without the camera bracket interfering their hands. As a bonus feature, both 24mm and 30mm mounting rings have a special notch milled into it for cylinder camcorders with dual buttons. Each SPEED 24mm and 30mm Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mount Kit includes SPEED Dual Spec KeyMod nuts that are fully CNC machined to ensure the highest quality and precision fitting onto any KeyMod handguard. All SPEED KeyMod based airsoft products come with the Dual Spec KeyMod nuts system, that will support and enable users to fully utilize SPEED KeyMod products on both KeyMod Mil Spec nut specification as well as KeyMod Airsoft nut specification. The following SPEED Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mount Kits are now available. Part# SA3728 SPEED 30mm Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mount Kit Part# SA3729 SPEED 24mm Tactical Camcorder KeyMod Rail Mount Kit SPEED Airsoft releases KeyMod Flashlight Mounts SPEED Airsoft releases KeyMod mounts for tactical flashlights. The new SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Mount positions a tactical flashlight up tight against the top corner of the KeyMod rail, allowing fast to the flashlightís on/off button for quick action during intense CQB games. The new SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Mounts are all direct-mount with no adapters to any KeyMod based airsoft handguard system. Two different versions are available for the two different styles of grips: those who grip close to the magazine area (standard mount), and those who grip the handguard almost to the end towards the barrel (extended mount). These mounts also come in three different diameters to support the industry sized tactical flashlights: 0.83î, 1.00î and 1.03î. Each SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Mount include SPEED Dual Spec KeyMod nuts that are fully CNC machined to ensure the highest quality and precision fitting onto any KeyMod handguard. All SPEED KeyMod based airsoft products come with the Dual Spec KeyMod nuts system, that will support and enable users to fully utilize SPEED KeyMod products on both KeyMod Mil Spec nut specification as well as KeyMod Airsoft nut specification. The following new SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Mounts are now available. Part# SA3732 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Standard Mount - 0.83” Part# SA3733 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Standard Mount - 1.00” Part# SA3734 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Standard Mount - 1.03” Part# SA3735 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Extended Mount - 0.83” Part# SA3736 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Extended Mount - 1.00” Part# SA3737 SPEED KeyMod Flashlight Extended Mount - 1.03” SPEED Airsoft products are all in-house CNC precision machined from USA grade billet aluminum by SPEED Airsoft in Canada. All SPEED Airsoft products are available through your favorite airsoft dealers worldwide. For more info, visit their website at www.SpeedAirsoft.com or contact them at SpeedAirsoft@ymail.com

january 2015

THE ADVENTURES OF MAG Over the last three years of Airsoft Action I have often been asked “Why don’t you do a cartoon strip?” which is a great idea - but I am not an artist (let’s face it, the only thing I can draw is my sidearm and I have trouble with that sometimes!). What was needed was someone as passionate about airsoft as I am, with the ability to create something totally unique. As luck would have it, that person exists and his name is Chris Chatburn. Chris wrote to me and after looking at some of his other work I was completely sold on the idea, so he set about putting his ideas on paper and created the comic strip you see on this page. So, let me introduce the three main characters: First there’s “Mag”, he’s a front line player, scouting ahead toting an M4A1 usually and trying his best to use camo. He plays for recreation and to keep as fit as a large roast dinner every week and ample sitting around while not playing will allow. Then there’s “Tank”, the heavy gunner. Doesn’t care much for blending into the scenery and will wear his shades even if it’s a grey and rainy day. He’s probably an Arnie fan.

January 2015

Last up is “Scope”. Scope has invested in the sport and bought himself a very nice looking WA2000 Sniper Rifle which likely shoots at juuuust above the acceptable FPS rate. He sources his own BBs and equipment from specialist sites ‘coz he’s a pro. In this first strip, it’s Christmas and Mag has been given his first very own rifle. No more rentals, no more beaten up loaners or having to borrow something from Scope or Tank, this is his and his alone. Do you remember the feeling of walking into the Safe Zone for the first time with your very own rifle? That feeling of “look what I’ve got” and how good it made you feel? Well that’s what this is all about but what he pulls out of the box is up to you… Take a look at the Airsoft Action Facebook page (www. facebook.com/airsoftaction) and you will see that Chris has created a one-off special - but it looks a bit “bare”. All you have to do is “Like” or “Share” the picture - the more Likes and Shares, the more kit gets added to Mag’s gun! Over to you….

AA GALLERY READERS PHOTOS

ROGUE’S GALLERY AT Fortress HeroShark at SW

Michael Clarke with WE

Scar L GBB at IronSight Airs

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PAW Airsoft

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.

JANUARY 2015

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G&P WAR RIFLE CHRIS COSTA HAS BEEN SEEN PROMOTING THE LVOA RIFLE AND NOW SCOTT ALLAN GETS HIS HANDS ON THE FIRST AIRSOFT VERSION FROM G&P FROM G&P, THE MASTERS OF THE universe when it comes to M4s, we have…. another M4! With the very catchy description GP-AEG072BK the new G&P War Rifle, or GP-AEG072BK, is quite a thing of beauty. I have never been very keen on the micro/pistol M4 scene and while some people love them, I’m a long gun fan. From the wire cutter style sleek front end to the ambidextrous magazine release the War Rifle is stunning.

WHO ARE G&P?

G&P are based in Hong Kong and while their background is firmly set in the M4 market, they do make some outrageously lovely M249s and MK23 Stoner rifles too. Going back over ten years ago, they only made extras to enhance the Tokyo Marui replicas but in the last decade they offered complete packages. As we burst into 2015 we have seen a large number of their M870 shotguns (which are stunning but only single shot) and the new M4 recoil rifles that this rifle unfortunately doesn’t have.

THE REAL DEAL

The LVOA, or Low Visibility Operations Application, made by War Sport Industries in the US sports the Wire Cutter rail. Chris Costa has recently been heavily into the promotion of this rifle while slinging untold amounts of 5.56mm around the ranges he teaches on. The LVOA has been set up in a trade agreement with Krytac already for release in 2015 but it seems G&P have beaten them to the finish line with a not quite 100% version 12

January 2015

of the rifle, yet it gives the overall impression. The real version retails for a mere $3,050. In recent years the airsoft market has been stormed by numerous Chris Costa related items, such as Salient Arms pistol slides when he adopted the golden barreled look but the upcoming product had yet to be seen in the airsoft community. This rail system had grown in popularity ever since the debut of the Transformers 4 movie. Not only that, Chris Costa himself has recently switched to using the LVOA rail system from his old URX4 rail system and many other rifle users are starting to adopt this rail system on their rifles too.

THE ARMOURY G&P WAR RIFLE

“From the wire cutter style sleek front end to the ambidextrous magazine release the War Rifle is stunning.”

WHO IS CHRIS COSTA?

Some in Airsoft will speak ill of Chris Costa but really they have little right to do so. He was a US Coast Guard for many years before moving to Magpul with Travis Haley. Since then they have moved separate ways with their own brands being established. There is nothing I could find fault with in Costa’s career path or the tuition courses he runs. He’s a charismatic and articulate shooter which can only ever been a good advert for the industry as a whole, rather than some toothless bumbling redneck with his arm held a bit too tightly around his sister.

THE AIRSOFT VERSION

G&P always make pretty much the best full metal rifles in Airsoft. This version is no exception, a front rail styling may not be 100% accurate like the recently released Angry Gun version but it sure looks awesome. The Troy style sights I like but I do slightly prefer the Magpul or Diamondhead sights at the moment. The adjustable crane stock is quite standard and nothing overly exciting. The magazine is the G&P own style polymer “PMAG”, which is okay but again not as cool as the PMAGs we used to see. The metal body sports an ambidextrous magazine release for faster reloads and three rail covers for the front to help you grip the system.

deal. Okay the polymer magazine isn’t a PMAG but then they aren’t available now anyway, unless you consider the new PTS EPM magazines. It does have the Skull Frog marking which is a nice touch and it is a similar PMAG material. All this says to me that G&P are adapting to the market situation. The M120 motor is a solid performer for G&P and will give you a good rate of fire. A slight shame this version doesn’t sport their new recoil system. Like many players out there I look at my upgrade options on any rifle I buy. This is just gagging to have to the new Gen 3+ ASCU fitted and with plenty of stock space you won’t be short on battery life either. Tight bore barrels are always worth a look at to, especially the Ultimate 6.03mm or Madbull 6.03mm which are good value and performers. If you have more money to splash have a look for a Prometheus 6.03mm. The gearbox itself is pretty sound and you shouldn’t really have to change anything there unless you are going for a dedicated high speed set up.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE IMPORTANT STUFF?

G&P always make a high end rifle, but what really gets the blood pumping is the M120 high speed motors that are fitted as standard. G&P are by far the fastest out of the box rifles on the planet. Nothing else even comes remotely close except the Tokyo Marui High Cycle range. Internally they have a 8mm bearing gearbox so they can withstand you tinkering types with upgrades. Out of the box most G&P rifles are on the warm side, anywhere from 350 up to 420fps although most respectable companies will downgrade these for free if required. The inner barrel is the bog standard 6.08mm barrel, which is the same as TM and ICS. With companies such as G&G shipping some rifles with a 6.03, the standard brass barrel of a G&P is always something I would change as quickly as possible for either an Ultimate or Prometheus 6.03. While it is not necessary the rifle will often easily run an 11.1v Lipo albeit at a outrageous 1200-1300 rounds per minute. Always best to check with your warranty provider before doing this. When you have an overall look at the rifle it stands out as a good www.airsoft-action.co.uk

features GP-AEG072BK WAR RIFLE MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 130 ROUND M4 MAGAZINE LENGTH: 695MM / 775MM WEIGHT: 2950G BUILT MATERIAL: METAL & ABS INNER BARREL LENGTH: 292MM GEARBOX: 8MM BEARING GEARBOX MOTOR: G&P M120 HI-SPEED BATTERY: ADVISED USING 7.2V LIPO OR 8.4V NIMH BATTERY INCLUDED: -MOTS METAL BODY (BLACK) (MEB014BK) -MOTS 12.5” KEYMOD (WIRE CUTTER DESIGN) (KEY008H) -11” ALUMINUM OUTER BARREL (COP073A)

USE IN THE GAME FIELD

A lightweight and very easy to use rifle with an 11” barrel, it would be equally well suited indoors and outdoors without getting caught up in everything. Personally I would have some form of front grip fitted to help my aiming out. The adjustable stock while good, I would probably swap out for a Magpul MOE or CTR stock. I do personally like an 11.1v Lipo battery in a G&P which gives a frightening rate of fire and a quick trigger response for close range. It is not that I want to hose endlessly but at range I do always like the quick 3-4 round bursts to ensure my target takes the hit quickly and without fuss.

CONCLUSION

So yes, this is yet another G&P M4, which is about their millionth design but if people didn’t buy them they wouldn’t make them. They keep ticking the boxes so they keep doing slight design tweaks and variation with the latest designs, which keeps the format fresh. The reliability and build quality of G&P is hard to surpass, they may not have all the internal bells and whistles that the new G&G Gen 3 rifles have but then at this price it is not a massive surprise either. Given a standard front rail can easily cost £90-100 for a quality product (I do not consider ACM, DBOYS or JG to be at the high end of rail manufacturing) then this rifle really is very good value. It is a shame it doesn’t sport the recoil system and that the rail isn’t quite 100% the LVOA style but the overall look is achieved - even though I can’t grow a Costa style beard. So if you are looking for a good offering from G&P it will not get much better than this.

-M4 FLASHIDER (CLOCKWISE) (GP087C) -ANGLE GAS BLOCK (OTH023) -BALL BALL MID-CAP MAGAZINE (BLACK) (130RDS) (MAG007BK) -TD M16 GRIP WITH HEAT SINK END SET (BLACK) (GP711B) -BUIS SIGHT (BLACK) -CRANE TYPE BUTTSTOCK (BLACK) (COP068BK) -EXTENDED STOCK DUAL SLING MOUNT (GP878) -KEYMOD SOFT RAIL COVER B (BLACK) X 3 (COP058B) -MANUAL INCLUDED:  -SKULL FROG TYPE METAL BODY (GP707) -SR16 URX RAS  -M4 FLASHIDER (14MM CLOCKWISE) (GP209)  -BALL MID-CAP MAGAZINE (BLACK) (130RDS) (MAG007BK)  -BALL GRIP (BLACK) (COP039B)  -MILITARY 600M FLIP UP REAR SIGHT (GP254)  -POLYMER TRIGGER GUARD (BLACK) (COP012B)  -BALL BUTTSTOCK (BLACK)  -BALL SOFT RAIL COVER (BLACK) X 3 -MANUAL RRP £335

January 2015

JAY SLATER PULLS ON HIS USHANKA AND GETS TO GRIPS WITH THIS STRANGELY ODD RELEASE FROM G&G COMRADES, NOW FOLLOWS A GENERAL HISTORY LESSON on our great Mother Russia. It is the world’s largest country and covers one-seventh of the earth’s land area; Hitler did not take that into account when the Third Reich launched Operation Barbarossa; and Adolf and his Nazi pals were soon dead when they discovered to their horror that the motherland is larger than Pluto. As well as beetroot, caviar and dash cams that record death and destruction on the roads, it is a country that is abundant in online pornography; one can presume that everyone is at it. There are more than nine million women than men. Russia and “the great evil” that is the USA are only 4 km apart at the nearest point and the holiday season is usually marked by a week-long binge with the average citizen spending over £400 on booze. Unsurprisingly, some 23,000 people die of alcohol poisoning each year and happy juice-related assaults, suicides and murders are among the highest in the world. The average life expectancy of a male is only sixty-three years. Laika was the first dog in space, albeit a dead pooch and vodka comes from the Russian word “voda”, which translates as water – 25 per cent of all Russians die due to vodka abuse before reaching fifty-five. When Stallone’s Rambo: First Blood II was released in 1985, Russia followed suit the same year with The Detached 16

January 2015

Mission/Odinochnoye plavanye – it is a pig’s ear of a movie. With the phrase “The church is near but the road is icy; the tavern is far but I will walk carefully,” beer was not considered as an alcoholic beverage until 2013. How we love Russia for its many careless vices. History lesson over, which brings us to the G&G VSS Vintorez, a subsonic 9-mm supressed sniper rifle favoured by

THE ARMOURY G&G VSS VINTOREZ

“It is solid, feels great, weight is well distributed as a firing platform and aesthetically, she looks a work of cordite art; however, looks can be deceiving. And they are.”

Soviet Special Forces. Intended to replace some AK-47 rifles, the VSS, better known to you and me as the Vinovka Snaiperskaja Spetsialnaya, was designed for crack troops, the MVD and KGB. Its round can penetrate body armour at some 1,300 feet and has been in use since the late 1980s and is favoured for its compact size and capability to ruin good looks. G&G has been on a roll recently with well-designed and packaged weapons, which are accurate, made to last and are, for many at £330 or so, affordable (with that being said, ICS’s M1 Garand gives the G&G equivalent a howling roundhouse kick to the cojones). It is a compact and tidy presentation. The gun comes in two parts – the front-end silencer and wooden stock that is easy to detach for transport purposes – and is initially impressive. It also comes with two dedicated batteries, Li-Po charger, a lead to allow the use of large stick batteries and the usual paraphernalia to be expected such as BBs and what not. It feels just right and assuring in the hand, the huge and weighty silencer adding menace to the package as well as mechanised grooves to assist grip. The battery compartment is generous. To gain access, simply twist the bottom ring of the silencer housing until it becomes loose. It is detached from the main body to reveal a 330-mm inner barrel of elegant quality and the battery connection. Care is to be maintained as the barrel can be easily damaged however and this includes rehousing the silencer to the platform. What is noticeable is how

large the internal compartment is and this VSS bad boy can hold large stick batteries with ease. Access to the hop-up is another breeze; located in the right-hand side of the rifle, the charging handle reveals the hop and away you go: couldn’t be simpler. The wooden stock is beautiful in terms of quality and this VSS certainly looks the part. The mid-cap magazine slots into the well just like an AK-47 – the front part of the magazine feeds first into the well – and you are ready to rock ’n’ roll. The plastic magazine reeks of top quality and is easy to wind, even with the nimblest of fingers and those resembling pork

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sausages. It is solid, feels great, weight is well distributed as a firing platform and aesthetically, she looks a work of cordite art; however, looks can be deceiving. And they are. Just like an Alfa Romeo Alfasud from the early 1980s, the G&G VSS looks the part but fails to deliver. It is an electronic nightmare that is over-designed, ridiculous and stupid. In the magazine well a switch allows an inspection/test mode for dry firing and semi- and full-auto use as well as correcting the position of the gears. Also, it has a quick change spring, easy access gearbox, a charging handle to imitate the real steel and its artificial intelligence can work out to the last BB as to what is fed in the magazine. On paper, it sounds great; however, this suddenly looks over-complex and over-egging the pudding. In short, how we hated it. The G&G VSS is junk. The G&G VSS was tested with .20 and .25 MadBull BBs at a target range of 200 feet. The stock battery was fully charged as was a normal stick battery and on both occasions, a blue light in the magazine well indicated that the gun was ready to be put through her paces. So far, so good but it took an hour or so to get the VSS to work! This is not rocket science: a fully loaded magazine is inserted into the rifle, the safety is selected as “live” and you’re ready to rumble. Although the blue light indicated power, there was nothing: nada, zilch, zip! And then she blossomed into life, letting rip with anger and hell-bent fury. She fed flawlessly and range and consistency were impressive

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING, “ВИНТОВКА СНАЙПЕРСКАЯ СПЕЦИАЛЬНАЯ” (VINTOVKA SNAYPERSKAYA SPETSIALNAYA) TRANSLATES AS “SPECIAL SNIPER RIFLE”. RETAIL PRICE: £280.00 APPROXIMATELY.

January 2015

“Vss vintorez 01” by Plomarkie - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons”

and as to be expected from a midrange shooter, although ammo did flow upwards towards their final arc, however that could be an issue with the hop-up needing bedding-in, which was to be expected and .25s helped. On first inspections, the G&G VSS showed promise in holding its own on the airsoft killing grounds as a decent AEG. Despite this, it then went (for want for a better phrase) tits up! Both batteries were fully charged later in the week for another test and this is where it became infuriating. Although the blue power light suggested that there was power and the gun was live, it failed to fire. Batteries were changed, buttons were pressed and heads were scratched. Despite its fancy and futuristic electronic interior and razzle-dazzle allure, the G&G VSS was having none of it. Thereafter, it refused to work. The blue light shone bright, there was power and no joy: nothing. A week later, it worked fine and with no issues. A day later, it was having none of it – dead as a Dodo. The VSS was then placed back into its box, shelved and forgotten about, unloved and uncared for. At some £150 cheaper or more, the ASG Sten Mk. 2 and its brethren, which are not inflicted by insane hardcore electronics, perform far better, are more reliable and more importantly, do their job for being simply engineered. Or as some would say: not at all bad for a budget China clone. This VSS is a temperamental wild child. Despite its eyeball candy, visual allure and solid weight, it is unreliable and far less satisfactory than many low-budget entry weapons into the sport. Unless the version that Action Airsoft was sent to review suffered from technical bugbears – which can and does happen on the rare occasion (but we refuse to gloss over such facts and lie to our readers) – do we really recommend the G&G VSS? “Niet!” is the honest answer and Comrade Stalin would not be a happy bunny.

HIGH SPEED KILLING MACHINE P90S ARE A BIT OF A “LOVE IT – HATE IT” RIFLE BUT SCOTT ALLAN FINDS THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT TM’S HIGH CYCLE VERSION SO YOU WANT TO BE A SUBURBAN AIRSOFT NINJA, high speed low drag and an orbital platform of white plastic death? Then look no further the Tokyo Marui micro high speed machine of doom – the P90 High Cycle. When I first heard Marui were to release a “high cycle” range, my dreams of penny-farthing races were quickly crushed when I discovered this range was all about rounds per minute. Tokyo Marui is, in essence, Airsoft as we know it – everything else is just a copy. They took the pioneering steps forward to engineer the electric gearbox as it is known today. There are very few exceptions that show true innovation and even systems like the Systema PTW do lean toward the TM design. We have much to thank them for but they have almost no interest, nay they have absolutely no interest, in the market outside Japan. So we know they are the masters, they know they are the masters yet they seem unwilling to expand outside the Japanese market. Clearly business sense isn’t their strong point, yet it remains that they make the finest and most reliable rifles in the world and they have the price tag to prove it. With production runs that vary over the year the stocks and supplies ebb and flow like a fat man in a canoe.

WHY IS HIGH CYCLE IMPORTANT?

Well ever since the “China Soft” boom back in 2006-7, Tokyo Marui were left standing with their pants down and their 20

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mouths open. Copies of copies of copies flooded the market. Cheap rifles for £80 were not uncommon in UK shops, they were largely awfully constructed with no quality standard throughout the batches - players lapped them up all the same. The joke was not uncommon on some sites that they were so cheap you could throw them away when the magazine was

THE ARMOURY S&T BIZON TM P90 HIGH CYCLE

“Overall the P90 is like its real steel counterpart, a lightweight and compact harbinger of death.”

empty. The Marui gearbox design was at the heart of it all, every major model they made was copied and it still happens today. So Marui took stock and decided they’d get back to what they did best – innovating. This is where the High Cycle range came from. In Japan they have very strict laws on the power of an electric rifle which is why you rarely see them above 300fps. The P90 is a Fabrique Nationale Herstal which Welsh for National Factory of Herstal (okay it’s not Welsh but French), designed in the late 80’s to provide a compact solution to defeat body armour which

the 9mm-spewing MP5 couldn’t. The 5.7mm round was born. It’s a little needle of a round and the P90 has 50 of them in a magazine! That’s a lot of little holes you can put into someone. At Shot Show 2014 we fired the FN Five Seven pistol, the range conducting officer said it was a silly round as it only put a tiny hole in you. We figured any hole was bad regardless of size! The bullpup design (magazine behind the trigger – sort of) and fully ambidextrous controls mean you can use them inside www.airsoft-action.co.uk

and outside with equal ease. The low recoil round means you can put down a withering hail of fire with almost no noticeable recoil. All this and Hollywood can rejoice because it looks futuristic, so shows like Star Gate SG1 and movies like I, Robot can sport them and appear to be futuristic. The general appearance of the rifle is odd. Truth be told it was the very first rifle I ever bought over 13 years ago! I never even used it in a Skirmish. I was drawn to the bullets in the magazine and the funky design instantly, although I secretly wanted a G3 SG1 (nothing to do with Star Gate). The external polymer construction mimics the real version and with only a few parts being metal the weight is low. This means it’s great for smaller and younger players. The scope rails, outer barrel and flash hider are metal so they provide a reassuring heft without pulling your arms out of their sockets. The magazines either come in a standard or high capacity format, the standard magazines holding 68 rounds are maybe a little small given their size and the high capacity 300 round magazines can sometimes jam up due to their compression feed system. Performance is not always going to be a worry with a Tokyo Marui rifle as they are generally always sub-300 feet per second and the high cycle utilises a short stroke system which lowers this a little further, so expect 270-280fps from the P90 High Cycle. The barrel extension (effectively making it into the civilian version) is a mock up so doesn’t provide anything other than a slightly different look, I cannot say I’d use it that’s for sure. The Marui ever-reliable EG1000 motor giving you a slightly less than realistic rate of fire at around 1,200 rounds per minute. Of course this is able to be increased with relative ease if one was so inclined. The FPS was never going to break the sound barrier or any land speed records but the rate of fire is impressive in such a stable little platform. Often as speed increases reliability goes out of the window. Marui overcome this by maintaining a high build quality unlike many, if not all other manufacturers. They are Bentley in a world full of Fiats basically. From small designs such at the anti-reversal latch keeping in constant contact with the bevel gear, this prevents even the smallest amount of gear reversal. Running at higher speeds this is important to prevent unnecessary snapping on the gears. The bushes are metal, which is a slight change from the usual nylon Marui types. The centre bushing 22

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is an odd oval shape so standard aftermarket replacements might be tricky. I’d be tempted to quickly put a bigger spring in there to bring it up to 320-330 fps. Purely so that it would run 0.25s a little better. Overall the P90 is like its real steel counterpart, a lightweight and compact harbinger of death. With the 300 round magazine there is the potential to burn through your ammo in under 10 seconds which is pretty crazy. The rail system allows flash lights and scopes to be fitted, this makes all indoor and outdoor play easier. Storage of the magazines isn’t always the easiest. A few companies make the pouches for the magazines but there are not a huge number of suppliers available.

IN THE GAME FIELD

People always make the mistake in Airsoft that barrel length means anything to do with range. It doesn’t and nothing I have ever seen suggests otherwise. The quality of the barrel and the hop system is on the other hand of paramount importance. Tokyo Marui use a 6.08mm brass barrel which may seem average and in some ways it is but their hop units are high quality and the steady power means they work very well together. You should easily keep up with any other rifle out there. The 270fps is quite low and you may find at extreme ranges you are literally floating the BBs on to your target. This is the only reason I would upgrade to 330fps but that aside, out of the box the P90 is solid.

CONCLUSION

There is the stigma of being the “guy with the P90”. He is generally a happy chap who doesn’t care a jot that everyone else at his skirmish site is using a M4. I’ve also seen guys doubling these up with a sniper rifle to great effect as they sling very, very well. The smaller battery capacity does put off some players as does the spare magazine storage and the second point is a fair one. The high capacity magazines, while they are pretty good, would be nice if they were complimented by a Marui 100-120 round magazine for the more MilSim-orientated player. So the High Cycle P90 may not be for everyone, compact and high rates of fire on the other hand tick all the boxes for other players. There are the standard Marui P90 and G&G version which are both cheaper than the High Cycle. This is definitely a quality purchase with a fairly high price tag unless you absolutely need the rate of fire.

features POWER 270FPS USING BLASTER 0.20G BB WEIGHT 1.9KG LENGTH 665MM BARREL LENGTH 210MM MAGAZINE P90 300 ROUND HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINE MOTOR EG1000 ALLOY 13:1 HIGH SPEED GEARS SHORT STROKED PISTON RRP £335

Gear Overview KIT AND KABOODLE

KIT AND KABOODLE ONCE AGAIN, FIREBASEALPHA TAKES THROUGH SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT HAVE CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION RECENTLY Fortis Grips The Fortis Shift™ fore-end vertical and angled grips are now being stocked by Dave’s Custom Airsoft. I (and a number of other people I know) have been using both of these styles of grip for some time and the one comment is that they do have a more aesthetic quality than the more regular shaped grips on the market. My experience of the two seems to have been the angled grip being more favourable, however both work well as a hand stop and for those that adopt a “thumb over” method. The one pictured is a Vertical grip, cerakoted in Magpul FDE and is my own personal grip but as you can see, you have options. The top line features are: One Piece Billet Design, Aircraft Grade 6061-T6 Aluminium, Military Specification Type III Hard Coat Anodized and very light weight 3.4 oz If you are looking for a versatile grip that provides comfort, security and manipulations and fancy an alternative to thee grips currently on the market then this should be a serious contender. Retailer: Dave’s Custom Airsoft - http://www. davescustomairsoft.co.uk/

Otterbox ‘Cigar Caddy’ Have you noticed the increase in cigar smokers at events now? Now this got me thinking “Does a tactical cigar case exist?” Well, meet the Otterbox Cigar Caddy (in 2, 5, 10, 15 & 40 Churchill cigar size). The 2 cigar carry was good, slim line and had a lot of similar features to the one pictured (5 cigar) however the one pictured is also a humidor. Some of the features of this case and the other cases in the range include being waterproof to 100 feet, crushproof, buoyant and airtight. I can see this getting some serious use around Christmas for both home and outside. This one was purchased via e-bay but a friend picked one up from UK sellers so hunt around. Retailer: Ebay

Ferro Concepts Ferro Concepts is a name that I would imagine more and more of us are now seeing on other players? I recently saw a plate carrier and the Assault back panel and all I hear is good things so it was no struggle to pick this up on their “sales” page. This is the “LEOHT-PC” (Law Enforcement Officer High Threat – Plate Carrier). It’s a medium sized, swimmer cut, plate carrier in Multicam and was a one off prototype. They also had one in Black that was quickly picked up. As you can see, a very simple plate carrier and more in line with the minimalist/essential only style that is becoming more popular in today’s age The features include X3 magazines pouches fixed, 5.56mm size, removable and elasticated cummerbund, Velcro shoulder straps and plenty of Velcro for patches. I bought plate carrier direct from Ferro Concepts but the Plate Carrier and Assault Back Panel were from Tactical Kit in the UK. Manufacturer: Ferro Concepts - http://ferroconcepts.com/ Retailer: Tactical Kit - http://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/

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RED MIST 17 OPERATION VULTURE OSCAR P REPORTS FROM THE LATEST EPISODE OF GUNMAN’S COLD WAR FILMSIM, WHERE NATO AND WARPACT FORCES ARE LOCKED IN A FIGHT TO THE DEATH THERE IS ONE BOOK THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO READ. Raymond Briggs is a well-known Cartoonist who wrote and drew the much-loved Fungus The Bogeyman, and perennial Christmas favourite The Snowman. But for all the Walking in the Air, gambolling Snowdogs and collecting of snot, he also wrote one of the classic pieces about the cold war – When the Wind Blows. Following a pair of British pensioners immediately before the nukes start to fly and then charting their slow, lonely demise from radiation sickness, it’s a desperately bleak, heart-breaking story about the threat of nuclear Armageddon that hung over everyone’s heads during the last days of the iron curtain. As a kid, and to this day, I can’t pick up the book. It scares me too much. But what if the cold war had eventually gone hot? If Perestroika and Glasnost had not come to be – if hardliners in the Kremlin, the White House and Downing Street had gone to the wire and the massed battalions along the eastern borders of Europe had been given the go order? That’s the concept behind Gunman Airsoft’s Cold War Filmsims; what would have happened if East and West had started exchanging rounds instead of just words - and god forbid, anything more lethal than conventional munitions. I went up to take a look at their latest event (Red Mist) to see how it might have played out. Gunman have been holding their Red Mist cold war filmsims for several years now – this event is number 17 in the series – with a storyline developing in line with

the result of each event. The game calendar has also progressed though the games don’t run in a strict sequence. Gunman simulate the breadth of the expected Warsaw Pact onslaught by sequencing their events to take place days, hours or even simultaneously in game-time with previous events. That means that the outcome of one game – for example if a major supply dump is captured by one side – can have really clear implications for the next events, without plotting in weeks or months in which anything could conceivably have happened. That means there’s a really strong thread running through the sequence rather than feeling slightly disjointed as some sequences can. This event is “Operation Vulture”; picking up a story line which has been built around the attack/counterattack strategy that could be expected in mobile, mechanised warfare. WARPACT forces at this event are pushing hard to reach the River Weser and secure their supply lines. NATO forces, which have taken a battering, are hastily putting together a series of defensive lines to bleed the momentum from the attacking force, hoping to buy enough time for engineers to mine the river and blow the bridges. The Soviets need to break through – NATO need to hold on long enough to pull back to safety. So that’s the story – but the first thing that struck me was that looking around the camping areas (these events are weekenders) I was blown away by the effort that players put in. This event is built around British and American troops on the NATO side and Russian and East German for Warsaw Pact. I’ll freely admit that I have got a bit of thing for cold-war era kit, so for me it’s always a treat to see an event that’s near as damn free from MOLLE or RIS rails.

“FILMSIM; IT’S A HAPPY MEDIUM BETWEEN AIRSOFT AND RE-ENACTMENT, WITH PLAYERS ENCOURAGED TO GET STUCK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS – IF YOU’RE HIT, SCREAM, FALL TO THE GROUND AND SCREAM FOR A MEDIC, RATHER THAN JUST STICKING A HAND IN THE AIR AND STANDING AROUND LIKE A LEMON.”

January 2015

Event Review GUNMAN COLD WAR

Apart from the odd optic on a sniper rifle (or in one case a very snazzy SUIT sight on an SLR) its iron sights all round, with webbing the order of the day! And the players are even taking it one step further, camping in period shelters as well, with pup tents for the yanks and poncho shelters from the WARPACT. It’s dead impressive and adds hugely to the feel of the event even before we head out into the playing area – and (if you’ll excuse me getting up on my hobby horse for a second) it’s a good reminder that you don’t need a £$£$£ super-RICAS-molle-plate-carrier-rig with a million and one pouches to play airsoft. A £15 set of ’58 pattern and some DPM? You’re sorted. Crack on! There were, however, a couple of bits of kit that would be useful for this event but not for an average skirmish… NBC kit. The Cold War wasn’t all about Nukes; both sides were awash with Chemical weapons and many commentators expected that both sides would have used them, given the massive concentrations of troops. Gunman factor this into their games and both sides were warned that chem weapons might be deployed – if that was the case, only players in suits would be able to move through the affected areas! Luckily, NBC can be had for relatively few quid and masks that have been fitted with ballistic-rated or mesh lenses are easy to get hold of! The event is taking place at Gunman’s site just off of J20 of the M25; it’s a big old place, with 120 acres made up of mainly woods but with a fair few open patches as well, plus lots and lots of tracks and roads. It’s complex but not confusing and it lends itself well to bigger or more tactical events. Gunman use a squadbased respawn rule; each squad has a pack with a flag that can be deployed as a regen, which negates the need for tedious slogs back to spawn – in my opinion that helps keep hit-taking to a high level as players don’t have the temptation to ignore a glancing blow to avoid a long walk – and as the regens can be captured and neutralised by the opposition, it adds a tactical element as well. The other thing the site really fosters is the use of vehicles and there are several in play – a WMIK, some sov-era light vehicles and a thumping great truck. Given the scenario is about an armoured invasion, it’s cracking to see so many vehicles in play. Another thing that was in evidence throughout the day was how the players got into the spirit of their factions, as well as the kit! Brits were laconic and got on with it. Yanks were suitably Gung Ho. The East Germans were ruthlessly efficient and the Russians – well, the Russians wouldn’t talk to me and pointed me

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towards their Commissar… apart from a group of Spetznatz who just carried on cleaning their weapons! The spirit also played out in the way the units interacted – at one point I amused myself by stirring the pot between the Russian and East German Commanders, asking one if they needed the other – funnily enough, neither thought they did! That’s one of the characteristics of FilmSim; it’s a happy medium between airsoft and re-enactment, with players encouraged to get stuck into the swing of things – if you’re hit, scream, fall to the ground and scream for a medic, rather than just sticking a hand in the air and standing around like a lemon. For my money it adds a lot to the experience for players who have just taken a position to be able to advance over the bodies of their fallen enemies, rather than watch them walk off back to spawn waving their hands in the air like they’re at a bad late-90’s rave! The structure of the play added to that feeling, too. Players were out in the field all day, with a harbour area for kit, but in the main fighting with what they had on their backs. The event is split into stages, rather than games, to give it some structure but not make it feel choppy. With a lovely touch of realism, the day begins with a massed

January 2015

Event REview GUNMAN COLD WAR

WARPACT assault against entrenched NATO forces – and when I say entrenched, they spent a hard half hour digging foxholes along a ridgeline! In those they mounted more HMGs than I’ve seen in a long time and in a stroke of tactical genius pulled a WMIK up hull-down behind a ridge, with only its guns on show! It was into these teeth that WARPACT had to advance; the game was set up so that the attackers had clear lanes of advance, simulating the edge of notional neighbouring units in the advance. As you might imagine, that lead to a vicious battles – the day kicked off with wave after wave of WARPACT troops charging into the interlocked guns of the NATO forces, on more than one occasion getting tantalisingly close to grenade range but the concentrated firepower of the NATO forces (and their well-prepared positions) held them back. Again and again they came forward but only when eventually a vehicle mounted PKM was brought forward did the NATO line crumble – when one gun pit was knocked out, the WARPACT had the key to the door and were able to work up onto the ridge and roll up the ridgeline. Undeterred, the NATO forces fell back to their next position in a wooded area to the rear – again, as would be expected in a cold war scenario, the WARPACT forces exploited the hole in the line that they had carved at great expense, by pouring through mechanised units, so this next phase revolved around an all-around defence, with WARPACT forces approaching the NATO forces from all directions, literally swarming around the perimeter! Again, NATO put up a hell of a fight but their lack of reinforcements compared to the seemingly inexhaustible WARPACT reserves meant that eventually this position too was overrun, though every man went down fighting to last. After that, play broke down into small units patrolling. Again, as might have been expected, the NATO forces, worn down into small squads, found themselves behind the main thrust of the Soviet advance – and made it their business to cause havoc! The third section of the day, therefore, saw small units patrolling – NATO laying mines and bushwhacking WARPACT units, with the latter trying to hunt down the battered but vengeful remnants of the NATO forces. That led into day two, which found NATO with their backs up against the river, again fighting a holding battle where every movement they held out counting against the WARPACT. But the highlight of the event for me came right at the end of the day’s play. Remember the warning that chemical weapons were in play? As darkness fell, a group of NATO troops ambushed a truck full of Russian troops – but unfortunately for everyone

concerned, it also had cans of chem weapons on board. As clouds of gas billowed out of the truck, Russian and NATO troops alike scattered for cover, leaving those without suits to die horribly. So, three phases, three different types of games, but all three fought brilliantly by both sides. Huge effort, really high levels of sportsmanship and massively atmospheric – watching day one from the sidelines I really felt for the WARPACT in the first game, who knew that the only way through was to throw themselves again and again into the meatgrinder on the ridgeline. Then later my sympathies lay with the NATO troops, encircled, outnumbered and thoroughly aware that they were cut off and just had to fight until they fell, rounded off by a brilliant if chilling end to a great day’s play. All in all, this was a great game to watch and players were clearly having a whale of a time. The structure was well thought out, the kit levels were AWESOME and the sense of witnessing a small part of a much bigger, historical conflict was intense. If old-school is your thing, take a good look at Gunman’s FilmSims!

Cold War FilmSim Westwood, Herts 31 October - 2 November 2014 £65 for the weekend with a £25 deposit £85 with no deposit. For information about future Gunman events, contact Gunman via their website: www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk, or by phone on: 07854 277264.

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PUTTING THE WAR IN WARMINSTER IF YOU’RE GOING TO RENT LAND FOR AN AIRSOFT SITE, IT MIGHT AS WELL BE FROM A PEER OF THE REALM, AS IGGY ROBERTS FOUND OUT WHEN HE VISITED THIS SITE NEAR LONGLEAT I HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW WARMINSTER AIRSOFT on one of their weekly regular Sunday games and I have to say right up front, for a regular Sunday game I was mighty impressed; with 106 players attending, it made for a very target rich environment. Not only is this an Airsoft site but it also has a fully stocked shop, called Raven Airsoft, selling everything you would expect from a high street airsoft shop.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The story of Warminster Airsoft started around 10 years ago with the site owner Dave George. Dave regularly played paintball at Hill Billie’s paintball and the team he played for were successful enough to gain sponsorship from Raven paintball, an American paintball company. Not long after this, having run an activity site for Centre Parks, Dave decided to become independent and start his own activity centre. After searching for a place to establish his business he found some land available near Longleat, which he ended up renting from Lord Bath - and has stayed there ever since. As paintball became more popular with the customers than quad biking and his other activities, Dave set up a full-time paintball site under the Skirmish Paintball banner. It remained so until four and a half years ago, when he was approached by some airsofters local to the area and asked if he would run an airsoft site alongside the paintball. After talking to an airsoft site manager, Dave decided to give airsoft a try. He hired the help and advice from Dave

January 2015

Ridgway to set up the airsoft side to his business. Dave (Ridgway) has been around ever since and now manages the site. The initial airsoft day had only eight players and the marshals joined in to bulk out the numbers but since that first game, the number of players attending has grown steadily. Initially knowledge of the site was spread through word of mouth, with his Christmas games attracting the highest numbers - but that was before their Facebook page was set up. Now that the Facebook page has been completed the player turn out has grown everlarger and the player turnout is regularly hitting between 40 – 60 players. Since the introduction of airsoft it has taken over from paintball in terms of player numbers and the Warminster site is now around 45 acres. It is used solely for airsoft, meaning the site is clean and free from paint. The facilities include an on-site kitchen, flushing toilets, a covered area in the safe zone with a surplus of seating and tables for kit, charging points, a well-lit maintenance bay with all the tools provided to fix your own gun. There is a shooting range with the distance marked out in metres (so newer players can really see how far their airsoft guns can actually fire accurately). The site offers a UKARA membership with all UKARA numbers beginning with WAP. The food order for lunch is taken at the beginning of the day; the food is then brought fresh to the players in the safe zone for lunch. Warminster Airsoft run a game every Sunday and this weekly game is open to players of all levels. Two tone guns are accepted here and under 16’s are welcome - so long as they wear a full face mask!

SITE REVIEW WARMINSTER AIRSOFT

The emphasis is on the ethos of every player having a good time and playing airsoft and this is done by encouraging more time in the field skirmishing, than waiting around in the safe zone. Two sides are established at the beginning of the day and the teams are balanced in terms of numbers and levels of experience by mixing the more experienced players with the newer ones in both teams. The site currently has 14 re-spawn points, of which the longest wait to re-join the game is 1 minute, which again maximises the time in game, ensuring players get their value for money. The length of the wait at each re-spawn site is decided by a marshal to manipulate a fair and more realistic scenario on the battlefield. Throughout the year there are a number of MilSim games and these are exclusive and aimed at more serious, experienced airsofters; focusing on reality. The age limit for any MilSim event is over 16, two tone guns are not allowed, players can only use “mid cap” or “low cap” magazines and have to adhere to the stated ammo limits. Each team has to have two support guns and every player is a medic. The missions are thoroughly thought out and well planned. Warminster Airsoft allows Pyros up to 105 decibels at all games. Most pyros, such as BFGs (using 9mm blanks), MK5s, smokes and thunder flashes are accepted, all they ask is that you check with a marshal before using any pyro if you are unsure. The site “FPS” limits are 350FPS using a .20 BB and there is an allowance for snipers over the age of 18 who use a bolt action rifle, who can fire at 450FPS but have a minimum engagement of 30 metres. Recently the site has had a turret built which is proving to be quite a deterrent and ideal for base defence, meaning that the defending team can concentrate their man power in other areas. The site has a team of core staff, dedicated to the up-keep of the site and smooth running of the games. The core staff consist of Dave George (site owner), Dave Ridgway (site manager), Hamilton “Monty” Montgomery (senior marshal), Darren Ridgway (marshal), Mark “Puff” Kerley (marshal), Simon Marshall (gun technician) and their dedicated photographer, Clark Evans. Monty has been part of the staff since the beginning. He’d been injured and had to stop skirmishing but still wanted to be part of the airsoft world, so he became a marshal. He has 8 years experience of airsoft and a deep passion for the sport. What he likes about Warminster airsoft is… well it’s how he feels airsoft should be played; “Airsofting for airsofters by airsofters.” The site is not run as a money-making business, it is more focused on the customers having FUN. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

SITE REVIEW WARMINSTER AIRSOFT

Dave Ridgway, the site manager spent 23 years in the Army, which evidently adds to the style of game on the site and makes for a more thought out skirmish. Initially it took Dave a while to adjust to how airsoft works compared to a military exercise, so he decided to follow some basic military advice which was to “keep it simple, stupid”, which means don’t over complicate things. Make sure you get the basics right and then add to the game to expand it as and when. This method clearly works well considering the increasing player turn out. I spoke to a couple of players that were attending the regular Sunday skirmish, Sam and Tess Hudson. They are brother and sister and are regular to the site, even though they live in London. Sam said. “This is my regular site because it is managed so professionally. The marshals are friendly, the site is large but constantly well maintained and overall I experience good game play every time. It’s also less of a paintball site turned airsoft, like other places I have tried. It’s a dedicated airsoft site.” Tess added. “I like the variety of scenarios there are for each

game, it keeps things interesting.” Dave George recently added the onsite shop to Warminster Airsoft which, as I mentioned earlier is called Raven Airsoft. Initially Dave sold just BBs, gas and pyros but after regularly being asked for other airsoft accessories, he decided to start a standalone shop for all the player’s airsoft needs. There was a spare ex-military metal portacabin that was unused so Dave built the shop inside and it has since grown and grown. Raven Airsoft is now fully stocked with BBs of various weights, the most popular choices of gas, a selection of tactical clothing and chest rigs, eye protection, face masks, head protection, gloves, slings, holsters, scopes, torches and various gun accessories, plus a veritable arsenal of primary and secondary weapons to choose from with which to dispatch the enemy. The shop is open seven days a week from 10am to 7pm and currently there is only a Facebook page WARMINSTER AIRSOFT and eBay shop, however Raven Airsoft is progressing NORRIDGE WOODS, 149 BATH ROAD steadily and will have a WARMINSTER, WILTS BA12 7RZ website soon. Overall, Warminster PHONE: 01985 217123 Airsoft is a very friendly, WWW.WARMINSTERAIRSOFT.CO.UK professionally run site with lots to offer airsofters of all There is a Facebook page called levels. It is well worth a visit Warminsterairsoft and a dedicated if you’re in the area and I player page that’s only accessible would be glad to have it as to players who have skirmished my home site if I were local to Warminster. at the site.

CONTACT

The shop has its own Facebook page: RavenAirsoft. 34

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NIGE REPORTS FROM A SECRET LOCATION SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDLANDS WHERE EX-SAS SOLDIER BOB PODESTA AND HIS COMPANY, A SQUADRON LTD, RAN THEIR FIRST AIRSOFT EVENT.

OPERATION: INTRADON 68

January 2015

Event OPERATION INTRADON

STAYING CLOSE TO THE WALL THE FIGURE MOVED SLOWLY to the top of the stairs and stopped at the top. Keeping his profile as low as possible and aware of the light spilling up the stairwell behind him, he cautiously lowered himself to floor level and peered around the corner. A pair of double doors blocked his line of sight but the right hand one was open and he could see across a semidarkened room to where a similar pair of doors stood and beyond those, down a corridor leading to complete blackness. Raising himself up he lifted his custom-built CQB rifle to his shoulder and moved forwards into the room. No lights… No lasers…. He’d got this far and he certainly didn’t want anyone to know he was there, not yet anyway! A large object lay on its side in front of him and he recognised it as some kind of metal trolley, the perfect place to stop for a few seconds and take stock. What was that? Something flickered in his peripheral vision, off to his right, next to the doorway leading to the corridor opposite. Three shadowy figures were emerging from the darkness beyond, moving slowly towards him - but being in the corridor made them perfect targets for a well-placed grenade. Gently letting his rifle hang from its sling he snapped the cap off a grenade and ran the striker along the exposed top - and time slowed down…. The striker flaring…. The sound of feet retreating rapidly back down the corridor… The grenade arcing perfectly through the doorway… The sudden glare of torchlight in his eyes… What? A figure was running towards him! Dropping back into cover… Raising his rifle… Only time for one shot…. CLICK! Weapon jammed!! Going for his sidearm… A dark mass appearing above him… The glint of a muzzle… Out of time… Blam! Blam! Two shots… Centre-mass… It was game over and back to respawn for him! The date was 9th November and invited players from all over the UK had assembled at a postcode in the Midlands, before being lead in convoy to our final destination. I cannot tell you much about where we ended up as it is currently in use by various elements of the military and its exact location must not be compromised. Suffice it to say that I just wish it was a fulltime airsoft site because if you are into CQB, it is just absolutely awesome! However, in the words of Forrest Gump, “That’s all I’m gonna say about that!” Regular Airsoft Action readers will no doubt have seen the “A Squadron” column over the past months, where Bob and his MD, Faith Cowling, write about topical subjects and ideas and, with Bob’s long career in 22 SAS, it was only natural that they would want to stage an event. However, not having any experience in this field they turned to RedWolf Airsoft and, in particular, Gaz Perkins for help and advice. Gaz Perkins works with HT Immersive Solutions to create airsoft events that get as close as possible to military reality and so it was only natural that he would be able to come up with something “special”. As this would be A Squadron’s first event, it was decided to make it “Invitation Only”, with players being invited from previous

“I YELLED OUT “OMG!!” I HAD JUST SHOT BOB PODESTA!! A SMILE CROSSED HIS FACE AND I GOT A BRIEF THUMB BEFORE HIS CALL WENT OUT FOR A MEDIC.” A Squadron training courses, Airsoft Action contributors, guests and two very lucky AA Competition Winners. Unfortunately, one of these had to drop out at the very last minute but this is what the other winner, ex-soldier Jim Wentworth-Brown, thought of his day: When the WARNORD (Warning Order) arrived it was like the old military orders I used to get for activation: “STAND TO!” Kit check… Weapon check… Ensure all stores ready to go… Check the grid reference where we had to meet before proceeding to a secret location manned by armed guards (fellow airsofters) this was certainly no “Mickey Mouse” operation! The event was set up by HT Immersive Simulations at the request of A Squadron Ltd. - namely renowned SAS veteran Bob Podesta and his able sidekick Faith Cowling. This was A Squadron’s first foray into airsoft battle and they wanted to put into practice all the training they give to their team members and one lucky person would win a play alongside SAS Veteran Bob Podesta, arranged via a competition in Airsoft Action Magazine. The event itself was strictly invite only, hence the competition and secrecy surrounding the day. On arrival everyone kitted up and we were given a very thorough briefing and the game rules; a running/evolving storyline would be the order of the day, with the teams playing two factions from UKSF and a Russian drug gang (Ssssh! They were really Russian Special Forces…!) ...and so the day began. I had taken my trusty HK416D, my HK.45 and of course solid www.airsoft-action.co.uk

Event OPERATION INTRADON

So, many thanks to Gaz and his team for putting such a good event together and to the players, some of whom travelled long distances to be there, for really getting into the spirit of the game and playing it how it should be played - with honour and integrity! However, before I finish there is something I would like to mention that just felt “right”… Sunday 9th of November was Remembrance Sunday and so at 10:55 all play stopped and everyone gathered in the safe zone, where Bob and Faith has set up a board on which anyone could place a poem, photo or pledge. There was a countdown to 11 o’clock and at the count of “zero” I heard something I never thought I would hear on an airsoft site - total, complete and utter silence! Everyone; players, marshals and staff stood in quiet remembrance for two minutes. Bob and Faith read the Poem of Remembrance, which finished with the response “We will remember them” and wreaths were laid. I have been to many such occasions on Remembrance Sunday and just because there were no hushed crowds, no lowered standards or mournful bugles, were those two minutes any less solemn or sincere. Well done airsofters - you did yourselves proud! state BFG, all of which were allowed within the rules but only single shot was permitted (due to the nature of the CQB environment we were playing in) and every weapon was strictly chronographed before being allowed into play. I overheard Bob Briefing his UKSF members of the gameplay and reminding them of the training they had previously received: “Remember when you contact… Double-tap!”- a typical SF tactic that does not waste ammo and results in the instant take down of a target. Game on found the Russians working from the top level floors down and then it happened: Contact! SF Troopers were found accessing a stairwell, trying to flank the opposition. One Russian tried to hold back the steady stream of SF Forces coming in while another tried to edge forward and others followed in but were pinned down. I heard a voice call out “Doubletap only!” Really, would this be? Could it be? I inched forward, drew my pistol and took out my target before he could react: Tap! Tap! (Well, why not?) …and yes! I yelled out “OMG!!” I had just shot BOB PODESTA!! A smile crossed his face and I got a brief thumb before his call went out for a medic. With so many twists and turns in the location the whole day turned into a take and retake, with some Troopers and Russians holding all mission goals and targets. Never have I heard so much laughter while playing a serious mission. People, this was WAR get serious! Oh OK, maybe not. Yes war can be fun, it was there for all to see and often cries of “nice shot”, or “Wow, excellent grenade kill!” could be heard. One thing I just have to mention is my loyal fellow Russians, who held a Bomb Location until it blew up - with us still holding it! All I have to say is “For Mother Russia!!” (Sniffles… We did so well boys, holding it too!) I have to say that even some war photographer got involved, downing his camera and suiting up. (That might have been me… Nige.) There is so much that went on during the day that is worthy of mention; the gameplay, storyline, all the individual people I met with and interacted with during game play and I can honestly say I slept soundly that night - although my wife tells me there was the odd chuckle followed by a low whisper saying “Gotcha Bob Podesta!” I just hope that possibly, hopefully and if it happens, that I get a return invite for “INTRADON 2”, everyone there made my day. The game play flowed there was fun to be had and, more importantly, EVERYONE who attended the day was a Winner. So I won the competition, I was an invited guest of Bob and Faith (it was great meeting you guys) but look at the faces in any photo done for the day….they were all winners, so THANK YOU ALL. Jim Out! As Jim said, it was one hell of a good day and I am sure Bob and Faith both enjoyed their first airsoft experience too. I don’t get to play nearly as much as I would like to these days, so when I do play it is great to get all the boxes well and truly “ticked” and Operation Intradon certainly did that for me! www.airsoft-action.co.uk

COLD WAR INFANTRY BODY ARMOUR DEPARTING FROM HIS NORMAL OVERVIEW OF AN INDIVIDUAL LOADOUT, GARETH “GADGE” HARVEY INSTEAD LOOKS AT HOW WARRIORS PROTECT THEMSELVES WITH BODY ARMOUR Words: G.Harvey Pictures: G.Harvey and E.Wake 40

January 2015

US MADE M69 BODY ARMOUR IN USE WITH THE BRITISH IN NORTHERN IRELAND

feature INFANTRY BODY ARMOUR

SOVIET 6B2 BODY ARMOUR WITH A PARATROOPER IN AFGHANISTAN THE WARRIOR’S DESIRE TO PROTECT HIMSELF from damage is probably as old as war itself. In past times everything from padded cloth to plate metal has been used to protect the combatant from enemy blows but in the late medieval period, the invention of the handgun made heavy plate armour a cumbersome and useless addition to a soldier’s inventory. Until WW1 the only surviving examples of the cumbersome plate mail of the medieval knight was the gorget neck armour worn ceremoniously by officers and the formal breastplates worn by heavy cavalry. The advent of professional snipers in the Great War saw almost ancient-looking breast plates and re-enforced helmets being adopted by both side’s marksmen (but in particular the Germans). In WWII body armour once again fell out of fashion, with only the steel helmet being worn by most soldiers in the 1939-1945 conflict; however some units did adopt more protective measures. The British Medical Research Council (MRC) developed a set of armoured plates suspended within a webbing harness to protect the groin, lower organs and chest, while Soviet assault and pioneer troops were occasionally issued steel plate body armour before assaulting enemy positions – both sets of armour were only issued in small quantities to elite troops. Outfitting one’s entire army with body armour in a time of total war would be an outrageous cost in a conflict already bankrupting nearly every nation involved. Post-war studies however had revealed that the majority of casualties in the conflict had been caused by artillery and mortar fire and many fatal injuries could have been prevented by rudimentary body armour. By the time of the Korean War the US were among one of the first nations to begin to take individual protection for the fighting man seriously but it would be the Vietnam War that would see wide-spread adoption of “flak vests” and extended protection.

LIMITED CONFLICTS

The limited scale of the conflict in Vietnam made providing body armour for fighting troops on a mass scale affordable, in addition, the unpopularity of another war in South East Asia made the US more conscious of its casualties than ever before. This, coupled with a new era of war in which combat was no longer merely read

about in a newspaper days or weeks after a battle but beamed into living rooms nightly on the TV news, made it critical to be seen to be providing the best protection for the nation’s fighting men. Rather than the crude metal plates of WWI and WWII armour, the armour of the Korean (M51) and Vietnam (M52 and M69) Wars consisted of either ceramic or aluminium sections woven into a nylon vest, encapsulating a revolutionary new woven plastic “ballistic nylon” or, known in its trademarked form as “Kevlar”. In the 19th century it had been found that sufficient layers of silk or cotton could slow down and deform projectiles to create a “bulletproof” effect, yet this era of post-war armour was really designed to stop artillery splinters and “sub velocity” fragments (stones, fenceposts, tree branches etc.) thrown up by the effect of a blast - which could be as lethal to an unprotected man as the shell’s splinters themselves. In the UK no provision had been made to equip the British army with this new type of body armour. The British involvement in 1969 in Northern Ireland however would change this dramatically. Again fighting a “TV war” and with unacceptable levels of casualties being sustained (mainly by blast weapons), the British army hurriedly purchased Vietnam War surplus body armour until a domestic product could be devised. In the early days of “the troubles” British squaddies could be seen wearing the high-collared olive green US “M69” flak vest, sometimes even with Vietnam war era graffiti still on them. By 1979 a domestically produced cover was made for this vest with plastic panels on the shoulders to prevent the rifle butt slipping when in the aim position and to keep the sling on the shoulder when the rifle was carried. This “improved M69” armour would also be adopted by the Israelis, who created their own domestically produced copy. Overt military “body armour” did little to endear the British army to the local populace and also belied the British claim that they were not “at war” in the province. The army’s solution was “body armour Mk2”, or INIBA (Improved Northern Ireland Body-Armour). This soft Kevlar jacket was again enclosed in a nylon outer but was designed to be worn under the combat smock so as to look less overtly “military”; while this did have the desired effect of making the patrolling soldiers less hostile to the populace, it had

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SIMPLY AWESOME AIRSOFT AT GUNMAN NORWICH DEDICATED MONTHLY MILSIM EVENTS FOR AS LITTLE AS Â£30 FOR THE WEEKEND CALL JOSH ON 07854 277264 VISIT WWW.GUNMANAIRSOFT.CO.UK OR FIND US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/GunmanAirsoft

feature INFANTRY BODY ARMOUR

US 82ND AIRBORNE SOLDIER WEARING THE PASGT SYSTEM the unexpected secondary effect of making even the scrawniest recruit look like a body builder! Another important development with INIBA was the provision of pockets for hard ceramic plates to be carried over the central front and rear chest, capable of defeating high velocity rifle rounds which the rest of the vest was vulnerable to.

HIGH VELOCITY ROUNDS

During this time period many NATO armies were buying US or UK body armour for use with their counter terrorist and assault units. Pictures from the 1960s show Dutch marines in Korean War era body armour, while nations like West Germany were beginning to develop outstanding designs of their own that would not see issue before the end of the Cold War, as well as copying designs like the US M51/52 (which again would see extremely limited trials issue only). In the Eastern Bloc the Warsaw Pact showed very little interest in protecting the soldier (other than the ubiquitous steel helmet) until its war in Afghanistan. While some developments in bomb disposal body armour had been made by the Russians and the East Germans, these are outside the scope of this article. A war in Afghanistan (as unpopular in Russia as Vietnam had been to the US) made the Russian public deeply unhappy about its young men coming back in body-bags or seriously injured. For the first time in decades the Russians seemed to take individual protection seriously, with a series of nylon body armour vests containing protective metal plates. As with US and UK developments early patterns were simply carriers for the armour but later vests included “sling stoppers” and even built-in ammunition pouches. While the Russian “6b1” (anglicised from the Cyrillic) body armour predates the conflict in Afghanistan and was made in very limited amounts, it provided the basis for the 6b2 body armour which would see widespread use, especially with VDV airborne units, from the beginning of the 1980s.

INCREDIBLE LEVELS OF PROTECTION

By the mid-1980s both Britain and the US were looking towards a universal issue of body armour for their smaller, entirely volunteer, professional armies. The UK decided to break with its traditional steel helmets and adopt a ballistic nylon helmet in 1985, whereas the

US had led the field with adopting a Kevlar helmet as early as 1981 (again Cold War helmets will be covered in a future article) with their Personal Armour System Ground Troops system (PASGT). Trialled during the late 70s but first seeing operational use in the 1983 invasion of Grenada, the PASGT system would unify both body armour and helmet using well developed plastics to provide incredible levels of protection and weight distribution, in a welldesigned vest (bar its weak spot, its central closure) with a deeper more protective helmet. It would be the late 80s however before this armour system replaced the venerable WWII designed “M1” steel helmet with plastic or laminate liner in most units. PASGT would, however, influence NATO body armour, in particular helmet design, for decades to come. Back in the UK a similar ballistic nylon vest had been adopted in the form of Combat Body armour (CBA) in the late 1980s with a later “improved CBA”, with the provision to carry ceramic plates resistant to rifle fire (as with the INIBA vest), soon after. Like the US, the UK adopted a ballistic nylon helmet (the MK6) but its design was less influential across the globe than that of our US allies. By the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, body armour had once again become part of the combat kit of most European and US infantrymen for the first time since the introduction of the arqubus that had made plate armour obsolete so many centuries ago. As the potential for a global third world war dissipated, more “limited conflicts” against hidden enemies sniping from afar and detonating mines and IEDs from concealment has increased the importance of body armour again. While it is out of the scope of this article, combat experience in Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq and Afghanistan (to name just a few) has led to personal body armour reaching unprecedented levels of protection, mobility and functionality. As always we like to conclude Cold War Warriors by taking our “real world” history and presenting a practical application to airsoft. Here we’d like to say that if you’re going to wear body armour… make sure you hydrate! Not only are you carrying extra weight but you’re denying your body the ability to lose heat wearing a heavy nylon vest with little opportunity for the skin to breathe. Canny players remove the ballistic liners and replace them with roll mat foam cut to size. It’s still warm but you’ll find it less of a killer wearing a life saver! www.airsoft-action.co.uk

OPERATION IRENE - 2014 JOHN LU, FOUNDER OF OPERATION LION CLAWS, GIVES US AN OVERVIEW OF THEIR LATEST AND GREATEST EVENT NEARLY ALL AIRSOFT MILSIM ENTHUSIASTS WORLDWIDE are familiar with the name Operation IRENE, which was a project created by Operation Lion Claws Military Simulation Series (OLCMSS) some 12 years ago to pay tribute to fallen soldiers at Operation Gothic Serpent, which included the Battle of Mogadishu. Each year OLCMSS works with military units in securing an unique AO (Area of Operation) to host this world renown event… but not without road blocks! After the amazing 2013 season, we had to seek an alternative AO for IRENE and work began in November 2013 (for event dates Oct. 2014). IRENE has been in Kentucky and Indiana for the past nine years (the 1st year was in Georgia and the 2nd year in Tennessee), but due to the political climate (nothing to do with Airsoft), we decided to move IRENE to Fort Hood, Texas, home of our other military auxiliary exercise working alongside USMC, Operation Bull Dog (with USMC). This would be our first time having Col. (RET) McKnight (of Black Hawk Down fame) at Ft. Hood while Chief of Staff, Mr. James Campbell and his team made sure we had sufficient frago, props and most importantly, created an Op worthy of “IRENE”. As players arrived on Friday afternoon they were in awe of the constant movement of Bradleys and Abrams on the “tank road” which was adjacent to our designated staging zone (known as TA50 - Training Area 50), followed by Apache helicopters hovering over our area! It was a real treat to witness their training! One of the side stories to IRENE 2014 was that a 13-yr-old boy from Minnesota, who was recently diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, requested support to attend IRENE (which is an 18+ exercise). The family doctor indicated that by the time the young man turns 18 he may or may not have the physical ability to enjoy Airsoft. Our staff team stepped up to plead on the boy’s behalf, which prompted me to post this request on our Facebook page …and the response made me PROUD to call these men my friends! When the request to participate was passed to Col. (RET) McKnight his response was, “I’ll be proud to have this young man walk alongside 44

January 2015

event REVIEW INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT - USA | OPERATION IRENE

“THEY WERE IN AWE OF THE CONSTANT MOVEMENT OF BRADLEYS AND ABRAMS ON THE “TANK ROAD” WHICH WAS ADJACENT TO OUR DESIGNATED STAGING ZONE, FOLLOWED BY APACHE HELICOPTERS HOVERING OVER OUR AREA!”

me and my soldiers!” This fine young man fought his heart out on Saturday and was burnt out by Saturday night. The young fellow’s father came to thank us repeatedly on Sunday morning before he drove the tired young man back to Minnesota, a 22-hour drive one way.

There were other stories too… A Lionclaws alumni, Carl Holland, USAF (he was civilian when he first joined up with our events in Texas), came back just in time to join IRENE and wouldn’t you know it, it was on his birthday this time! Another young couple celebrated their 1st “Honeymoon Anniversary” at the event (they had just gotten married last year and used Operation Bull Dog as their honeymoon). A Texan who lost his father just two weeks before IRENE thought about dropping out but was able to come to the op and ease the pain while surrounded by his fellow enthusiasts.

…and the stories go on from one Lionclaws family member to the next… and this is WHY they continue to return.

with their “Rangers”, after which they fought so hard that you would think they were really fighting for their lives! Whatever Col. (RET) McKnight said to them worked and the Rangers successfully extracted all “embassy personnel” and held the LZ for 30 minutes. With the extraction successful, the men and women from the “embassy” were home free! Chanting of “One Team One Fight” and “March or Die” echoed throughout the MOUT site from the Rangers. Col. (RET) McKnight emotionally thanked everyone for their participation in Operation IRENE 2014 and stated how everyone had made late Ranger Command Sgt.Maj. Gallaugher proud. A $5,000 check was presented to USMC in support of their Ball Fund and a $10,000.00 check was presented to Special Operations Warrior Foundation as an OLCMSS annual tradition. In closing, a lone Apache helicopter did a low ﬂy by and dipped its tail in salute. What a wonderful way to wrap the weekend! We remind ourselves everyday WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO and THIS IS WHY. It was our honor and privilege to work along side military heroes and be supported by honorable military units. IRENE 2014 is a wrap!

Col. (RET) McKnight’s emotional speech about the recently fallen Ranger Command Sgt.Maj.(RET) Gallaugher further reminded Airsoft enthusiasts WHY we do WHAT WE DO. Xtreme Airsoft of Houston, Texas ﬂew Lionclaws Angel Kayla, call sign Coyote (as in the cartoon character Wildly Coyote) from California to fight in Irene, making this only the 3rd time a LC Angel had attended IRENE (all LC Angels are California -based). SFC (RET) Mike “Bubba” Moore and his capable XO, Mr. Richard Mi (LC VIP liaison, LC IT chief), led their militia and dominated the Rangers on Saturday morning. Granted, the Rangers had a very tough task assaulting the town but they quickly bounced back with support from TF216 team of Ohio with their .50 Cal! However, burdened by gear and everything else, the Rangers did not fare well by the time temperature hit 88 degrees under the unforgiving Texas sun. On Sunday morning Col. (RET) and MSG (RET) both had a heart-to-heart talk www.airsoft-action.co.uk

Kit MEET THE MANUFACTURER | VIPER TACTICAL GEAR

KIT WITH BITE! JERRY NOONE GETS BEHIND THE DOORS OF ONE OF THE UK’S BEST-KNOWN MANUFACTURERS OF AFFORDABLE TAC KIT AND TAKES A GOOD LOOK AT THEIR NEW PRODUCTS WORDS: JERRY NOONE / PRODUCT IMAGES COURTESY OF VIPER

HOW MANY OF US WILL ADMIT to being gear snobs, eh? I have to admit that I know what I like and a good few years of running around on airsoft fields and training areas have set me on a course with my gear, clothing and footwear which has been tried and tested extensively. Do I always go for the “Gucci items” though, or those that work? If you head to any (and I do mean ANY) airsoft game around the UK, you’ll always find the guys with the absolute maximum of branded clothing and gear literally dripping from them but you’ll also find the hard core of regular players who just want good, solid gear that’s dependable. Let’s face it, simple, straightforward army surplus gear was designed for our environment, is eminently affordable and works very well for most situations. One well-priced brand name stands out from the crowd in the “works extremely well” category of tactical gear, clothing and footwear market, namely VIPER. I’m sure, like me, at some point in your airsoft “life” you’ve owned a least one piece of gear from VIPER, even if it is just a simple sling or pouch! In the ten years that the brand has been trading they have become renowned for an unsurpassed level of personalised service to the trade. They have friendly, knowledgeable staff always on hand to help get any order out quickly and efficiently. They hold huge stocks to keep availability to a maximum; I know, I’ve been in their warehouse! Generally orders placed before 12 noon are dispatched the same day to their trade customers. They are constantly developing and researching new products to expand their ranges and enhance their brands. The VIPER brand has been involved in the military and airsoft market for over 10 years, so they have the experience, the knowledge and the resources to

offer players fantastic equipment manufactured to the highest standards, using quality materials at affordable prices. But now the team at VIPER have upped their game considerably, offering a completely new line of seriously upgraded products in their line up and I have to say that the products look very good indeed in the new versions, which are absolutely ideal for those who need good gear and don’t want to pay the earth. It would have been an easy and cheap “out” for them to produce this new range based on existing products and designs but instead they have gone for something completely new - and taken their time about it too! The range is pretty tightly focussed on what the VIPER brand has done well historically but has been seriously expanded to include a great new range of packs, tactical gear, clothing and footwear. I have a number of the new pieces in for testing right now and expect to see these fully and thoroughly covered in the coming months.

A CONSIDERED PROGRESSION When it comes to launching an entire new range of gear though, that’s no easy thing to do. Luckily the new VIPER line up has gone through a long period of design, development, and testing before they have even thought of bringing it to market. I first saw the new rucsac models on their impressive stand at the IWA Show in Germany back in March 2014. I’ve been speaking to them ever since and therefore know they have held back the full launch for some considerable time to ensure that that the quality of construction is as good as it possibly can be. I’ve worked in the manufacturing sector myself and know

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the implications of this to any business. Once you’ve gone through the design process and actually had the models mocked up as samples to show to the trade, you’ve already racked up some pretty major costs and it’s very tempting to get those products out and for sale as swiftly as possible to recoup that initial investment. Luckily for us they have not fallen into that trap with the new VIPER gear. Instead they have taken their time, not only tweaking the original sample designs but actually adding further models to the pack range, whilst branching out further to add to their already impressive tactical gear, clothing, footwear and accessory offerings. What process has led them to this point you may ask? All I can tell you is that the last couple of years have, in my opinion, seen VIPER products just get better and better with more quality in the fabrics chosen and more attention to detail in terms of how things are put together than ever before. To illustrate what I mean I’m going to highlight a few of the existing products that will go forward to form part of the new, wider range that I’ll be looking at in detail over the coming months as our testing procedure comes to fruition.

MOVING FORWARD I’ll start with clothing. A good while ago I received a package containing two new items of VIPER gear; a Tactical T-Shirt and a Tactical Fleece. The T-Shirt is a useful garment made from quality 220gsm cotton. The length is good, covering well down into the small of the back and the collar is snug but not restrictively so. On each arm is a deep flap pocket with velcro panels for placement of nametapes, team or morale patches. At £20.95 this is a bit of a steal and I’ve already seen a lot of players using these during the summer months; they also make an ideal range or training shirt. The jacket is made from a really good 250gsm Polyester Gridfleece which feels great to the touch and is extremely comfortable to wear; there is also a partial lining to the front panels which adds a little weight overall but helps to prevent “chest on” windchill when the jacket is worn on its own. The cut is very good indeed, with little bagginess to impede use of gear worn over it and flat lock seams are used throughout to avoid chafing. There are two zipped arm pockets with velcro panels for your unit/morale patches, two lower zipped pockets that are accessible when wearing a chest rig and one zipped pocket on the left chest panel. Cuffs are elasticated, and the hem drawcord means that you can snug everything in neatly. It’s really well priced at just £39.95 too. I’ve already used both of these items extensively during the warmer months, but as things have turned cooler I’ve been making more use of the new Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket and have to admit that I like it a lot. The “Special Ops” is put together using a waterproof polyester outer fabric laminated to a

January 2015

soft inner fleece lining. I would describe the jacket as being highly water resistant rather than waterproof though; whilst the outer fabric itself will keep out the worst of the elements the seams are not taped which means that water will find an ingress point after prolonged exposure. The feature set on the jacket is completely solid. There are four main zip pockets where you would expect them on the front, with two additional pockets high on the arm and one over the left wrist; the two upper arm pockets have velcro areas ideal for attaching your unit or morale patches. Internally there are two further pockets for securing those bits of kit that need additional security. The front closure is a two way YKK zip and tucked away neatly in the collar is a full hood, which is peaked and fully adjustable. The wrist closure is looked after with an elasticated cuff and some very neat moulded “VIPER” velcro closures. At £69.95 this has everything going for it than more expensive options from others. In use this is an exceptionally comfortable jacket to wear. The body length is great, covering the lower back well and the cut of the sleeves offers great movement whilst maintaining full coverage. The fabric is good and tough and I can tell that it’s going to stand up very well to wear and tear and offer a lengthy service life. Initial impressions of performance have been positive thus far, with the jacket remaining eminently wearable even in wet and cold early winter conditions. In relation to footwear VIPER already offer a simple tactical boot and have done for some considerable time. Recently though they have completely upped their game in this area too with the introduction of the Elite 5 and Special Ops boot models. The Elite 5 comes in either Coyote or Multicam; made of durable suede leather with hard-wearing 1000D Cordura, the Viper Elite 5 Boots come with a Hydroguard waterproof membrane, a moulded EVA midsole, rubber toe cap protection and rustproof hardware.

Kit MEET THE MANUFACTURER | VIPER TACTICAL GEAR

The high performance Vibram multi-sport rubber outsole, engineered for cross-sport grip, has a soft and flexible compound formulation and offers ultimate response to wet and dry terrain. These high performance tactical boots provide superb comfort, protect the foot and ankle and are ideal for all that any airsofter would need from their boots. Priced at just £89.95 they are a lot of boot for the money! The Viper Special Ops MultiCam Boots are made from a combination of 1000D Multicam and tan suede. These boots have the traditional lacing arrangement at the front which allows perfect fitting of the boot AND also have a YKK nylon zip on both sides, to allow you to get these boots on and off quickly. To ensure that the side zips do not come undone there is a Velcro tab at the top on each side. The tough EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) soles finishes off these light, flexible and tough boots. For the drier months of the year these are absolutely superb, and at £69.95 they’re not going to break the bank either! Again, VIPER have always had gloves in their range but the recently released Special Ops Glove ups the ante considerably, whilst remaining affordable £13.95! The gloves are made from a synthetic material

optimised for hand support and toughness on the palm. The glove is made of composite materials which map out the hand and provide support where needed. The palms are faced with synthetic leather which is sewn in several pieces to support rather than restrict hand movement. The backs of the fingers and thumb are protected with a vulcanised layer which provides additional stretch for the joints of the hand to bend more easily. The back of the hand is also faced with the vulcanised material for stretch and a back-of-hand velcro adjustment is provided to give additional adjustment. These really are superb for the money and if you want a camo model, the Special Forces Gloves are available for only a pound more; these are Cordura and suede and come in VIPER’s very own V-CAM, which is fully compatible with Multicam and MTP.

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

There’s new headwear coming too and the first model, a “FAST”-style lid is already out there. I’ve had “FAST” replicas from a number of sources over the years and the VIPER version is every bit as good as any of them. The test helmet arrived with me in a very eye-catching box, which contained not only the lid itself but a number of different internal fitting pads (which allows for different head sizes and whether or not you want to run it with a headset) and very clear, full colour instructions on how to set it up. It comes pre-fitted with accessory rails on both sides, along with velcro panels so that you can easily add accessories or team/morale patches. On the front is also a replica VAS Shroud should you wish to add night vision accessories, with retention bungees in place. The “dial in” system for fine fitting works very well, making the helmet extremely comfortable to wear and stays firmly in place once you have it adjusted, so that the helmet never rattles around your head. This is important if you do take a tumble as a poorly adjusted helmet can lead to injury still being sustained. Overall I believe that this is a great product at a good price, and for £69.95 you get a lot for your money!

have gone to some serious lengths to ensure that their new range of VIPER gear is fit for purpose in every way, whilst keeping prices sensible. As we roll into 2015 rest assured that you as players are going to have new kit with which to continue your airsoft adventures, as I’m certain that the new models will be a huge success. All of the new items, along with even more superb looking additions to the clothing line, are landing in the UK as I write, and samples have already been requested for testing. You’ll see a full overview of everything in Airsoft Action in the future. To keep up to date with the new VIPER tactical products as they become available please visit www.viperkit.co.uk. You’ll also be able to find full stockist details there too. You can also follow VIPER TACTICAL via their very own Facebook and Instagram pages which are regularly updated.

COMPLETE CHANGE! When it comes to nylon gear (packs and tactical kit) the VIPER range has remained essentially unchanged for a while now. I was working on one of my “Loaded or Unloaded” articles and needed to borrow a plain green plate carrier so I contacted VIPER to see if I might feature one of theirs. I was told that the old plate carrier had now been discontinued, but to “watch this space!” A couple of existing VIPER items are already in my possession and I can see entirely that these were just a taster of things to come. Their Riggers Belt, priced at just £14.95 is a workmanlike design

and does the job its intended too very well indeed. The Special Ops pack is a sturdy 45 Litre pack and features 3 zipped compartments (front, middle and main) with solid 2-way zippers. Additionally the main compartment has an internal pocket for a hydro pack and the front pocket has diagonal zipper for easy access. On the top of the rucksack there is a strong carry handle and one passage to the main compartment for a drinking tube or earphones. The pack also has two Velcro patches on the front. Adjustable and padded shoulder straps are about 7cm wide and there is also a sternum strap with a quick release buckle and elastic expansion section. The pack features a padded back and adjustable, approx. 5cm wide and partially padded waist strap which opens with a large quick release fastener. Both waist and chest straps can be removed if desired. At £45.99 or thereabouts this is a solid purchase in every way and ideal for carrying all your skirmish day essentials. However when I visited VIPER’s showroom recently, to say I was dumbfounded doesn’t even cut it as the entire range of VIPER packs and tactical gear has been totally remodelled to bring it 100% up to date! I’ve already mentioned the packs and you’ll get a taster of two new models in “Loaded or Unloaded” this month with more to come. What I had not expected was a full and complete new line of accessories, plate carriers and battle belts both in traditional MOLLE and laser cut fabrics. Virtually everything will be offered in a full range of sizes and colours, both block and V-CAM. I have to say that this company, who I already hold in high regard, www.airsoft-action.co.uk

BIO/BRITAIN: FAILING Q AT SPARTAN AIRSOFT

CAUGHT BETWEEN ZOMBIE HORDES AND A WORLD GONE MAD, KRIS ROBERTS REPORTS FROM THE LATEST INSTALMENT OF BIO/BRITAIN Dear Diary, e. neath these I have been here befor I walked this path, be has passed so e tim t las e th ll we ar I remember all too n canopy. I cannot believe that a ye ay’s. The trees and their autum ries of this place are as fresh as yesterd burst. uld mo wo me ey felt like th quickly but the shadow. e running till my lungs screams, the roars, thmy head and leaves me jumping at my own in e All of this echoes heading back into th re alive, yet now I amct, I see and hear nothing he of out it de ma y pe We barel fire. I don’t know what to ex and standing ready to un fray alone and hunted. otg sh my ng pi as gr f sel my nd fi I but still still is to die. I en it is this. To stay like me. I must th , ng hi yt an me ht ere are others If last year taug ving. I must find if th must move and keep mo survive.

With each passing moment the tension grows. It is tangible, thick, like chewing on cartilage. For the last ten minutes I have been following two others. At ﬁrst I stalked them, willing them to be friends but more than ready to make them the next victims of this godforsaken apocalypse. They are aware of me now but still I keep my distance. Caution. It ﬁlls my bloodstream like heroin, and I cling to it like the most desperate of junkies. Caution will be my guide, my friend, my saviour.

Dear Diary, I have allied myself with a pai myself who seek the sanctuary r of travellers. Lost souls like more conﬁdently now, but I am of safety in numbers. We move each of us entered these woods troubled in the revelation that friends bears news that rattles alone and that one of my new my nerves. We are wanted.

They see us in the same second that we see them. A bizarre and aggressive band of survivors that instantly go on the offensive as we run to seek cover in the tree line. Shouted orders fill our ears and rounds zip about us like hate filled hornets. On they come and we return fire with a volley of shots that quickly decimate their first wave of fighters. I cycle my shotgun as fast as my hands can move, blasting away with panicked desperation as target after target charges forward in an attempt to overrun us. And then the inevitable; they find their mark and I fall. Confusion reigns. There is a medic, hands pull me to my feet and march me off into the wild. One of my friends is with me. As 52

January 2015

Event BIO BRITAIN

G QUARANTINE for the other I have no idea. Has he escaped? Has he been left to rot on the fallen leaves and be food for the carrion and beasts? I have little chance to think on it further. My mind is swirling but soon becomes focused as we reach our destination. Our captors are no ordinary survivors; they are a twisted breed I have yet to experience. When I see the ritualistic markings on the ground and the circle of candles my fear reaches fever pitch. I make a grab for my shotgun but quickly get set upon and it is pulled from my reach. I break free and try to get a few yards of distance, drawing my pistol from a concealed holster at the same time. I ﬁre wildly into the group, taking out three or four of the sadistic swine before dozens of rounds slam into my body and I fall once more to the ground. More medics, more jeers and abuse. More marching, quicker this time. We are moving fast, my captors are anxious, there is enemy nearby and we are ﬂeeing. With their minds focused on the coming threat I notice that they have taken their eye off me, so I sprint away. Faster and faster I drive my legs like the thundering pistons of an out of control steam train. I can make it, I can get away, I have the distance, I am free, I am free... I run straight into a Survivor patrol. I am screwed.

Dear Diary, I am still trying to make sense of the last knows what fate awaited me at the hand few hours. God s of those madmen. I have found refuge with the survivors that through this area and they have regaled are passing the group I have escaped from. ‘The Anar me with stories of them but beyond the tales of butchery chists’ they call and savagery the Survivors are tight-lipped on any worthwhi le information. Secrets and whispers. These fellas have there is no doubt. I cannot help but feel an agenda, of that I would be better off on my own.

They have picked up my lost friend. I him alive and well. We cannot speak freeam relieved to see with slight looks and carefully hidden ly so must make do gestures. It is clear we must leave - and soon.’

We are gone for only a matter of minutes before the whole world goes to hell around us. The Anarchists and the Survivors clash in an explosion of gunfire that slices the vegetation to ribbons. The commotion attracts a nearby Army patrol who quickly bring their firepower to bear and in the middle of it all my friend and I lay huddled together, desperate to avoid the battle that is raging all around us. In this moment I catch my first and only glimpse of a small squad of special troops, dressed in black and dripping with sinister intention. I know on instinct that they are to be avoided at all costs and so I pull myself further into cover. With the sounds of chaos and violence echoing through the trees it was inevitable that the true terrors of this place would soon descend and as if on cue, the undead horde fall upon the fighters. Cries of terror fill the empty voids between the trees, the sound reaching my ears and tearing a hole through my gut. We have to escape. We must act now!

“I FIRE WILDLY INTO THE GROUP, TAKING OUT THREE OR FOUR OF THE SADISTIC SWINE BEFORE DOZENS OF ROUNDS SLAM INTO MY BODY AND I FALL ONCE MORE TO THE GROUND” www.airsoft-action.co.uk

Dear Diary, Somehow we made it. I can’t quite believe it but we managed to slip away from the battle unseen and unhurt. By sheer good fortune we managed to blag our way through an Army checkpoint and make contact with a group of Survivors who could get us safely away from the area. I write this while sitting in the back of an armoured car, ready to be carried away from this despicable place and surrounded by enough guns and good men to keep the demons at bay. I ﬁnd myself daring to hope that I could survive. Dare I hope? Dare I?

Immersion… Without it games like these would not exist. Players that attend events based on adverse realities must be willing to throw themselves headlong into the moment because of a very simple truth – The more you put in, the more you get back. I attended my ﬁrst Bio/Britain event in the autumn of 2013 and, as I remarked in the review I wrote afterwards (February 2014 Issue), I learnt quickly that by having players who are willing to leave any prejudices or ego back at home, a great day can be had by all. Immersive gameplay is ﬁnding a big audience these days and it is brilliant to see the variety of experiences on offer. These events won’t be for everyone but there is no denying that they have a place in Airsoft as our hobby continues to stretch its wings and explore new boundaries. I have taken part in several such events but Bio/Britain has captured my attention because they focus on one key aspect that I haven’t seen used elsewhere – Character. Zombies, monsters and evil government factions are common in pretty much every zombie-based game. But the focus at Bio/Britain is on the relationships between the players, the moral choices they face and the impact that this has on the overall outcome. Throughout the day I witnessed callous players who would abandon their team mates 54

January 2015

to the shuffling undead in order to save their own skin and also heroic individuals who would sacrifice themselves in order to lead the enemy away from their comrades. It is the selected information, the organised confusion, that causes players to respond in a more thought-based manner, rather than the usual run and gun responses you would expect to find. Andrew Wall and Chris Sidwell, the brains behind Bio/Britain, caught onto the idea of ‘Player Dilemma’ long ago as they developed the scenario over several years’ worth of gameplay. Take for example this year’s game. Andrew and Chris had decided to take a year out in 2014 but at the last minute gave way to the demands of the local players and quickly pieced together and organised “Failing Quarantine”. Yes, the game had many of the elements that appeared at last year’s event but each element had evolved in some small way and it was the manipulation of ‘Player

Event BIO BRITAIN

“I CATCH MY FIRST AND ONLY GLIMPSE OF A SMALL SQUAD OF SPECIAL TROOPS, DRESSED IN BLACK AND DRIPPING WITH SINISTER INTENTION. I KNOW ON INSTINCT THAT THEY ARE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS AND SO I PULL MYSELF FURTHER INTO COVER” Dilemma’ that brought it all together to produce a solid and well executed day. In fact, I’d happily go so far as to say it I thought it was a better game than last year. This success is (in no small) part attributed to the dedicated group of volunteers that make up the evil clan of zombies and varying monsters. These guys take an absolute hammering throughout the day, yet still return to provide the scares and plenty of laughs. My hat goes off also to the player characters who help bring about the immersion and lead the other players into this creative world. Whatever aspect of Airsoft you are involved in there is always the suspension of disbelief, no matter how small or large the measure of it. Bio/Britain seems to invite you in without judgement, as though saying “Don’t be self-conscious; we’re all silly buggers here so let’s have some fun with it!”

Laying down the Gauntlet

In closing I want to offer this message to Andrew and Chris. Last year you impressed me by proving that zombie games can be positive, fun and frightening experiences. This year you impressed me by putting together a last minute event that still managed to get my adrenaline up and provide some very memorable “Crap your pants and run!” moments. You’ve proven yourselves to us guys, but I can’t help but sense that there is more kicking about in your dark imaginations. Now, as you plan for next year’s day of the dead, I encourage you to take the gloves off and go for it. You have the support from the many players that attend your events. Whatever world you create there will be those willing to immerse themselves and bring the whole thing to life, me amongst them. Give us your best scare… I dare you! www.airsoft-action.co.uk

AA42_Layout 1 13/10/2014 12:27 Page 42

tickets on sale now!!

WWW.BRITISHAIRSOFTSHOW.COM

event NORTH V SOUTH WALES

NORTH SOUTH DIVIDE IGGY ROBERTS TRAVELLED TO WALES TO REPORT ON AN INTERESTING TWIST TO THE NORMAL NORTH V SOUTH GAME WALES. A PEACEFUL, PICTURESQUE COUNTRY steeped in history and with a particular reputation for wet weather. That almost came true as I drove towards the Tactical Wales Red Valley site. However thankfully that was the only time it did rain. I visited the site after hearing of a skirmish between the home team from South Wales (Tafs) and a visiting team from North Wales (Gogs). Tactical Wales Airsoft is run by a partnership of four people; Martin Jones, Steven Taylor, Lee Jones and Mark Williams and the site is situated in Carmarthenshire (South Wales). The safe zone is alongside a farm and has a hot food kiosk and portaloos in the car park, while the site itself is a steep climb up an off road track. This certainly gets you warmed up for the game. The visiting site from North Wales was Over The Top adventures (OTT) owned by Colin Rigby and Derek, along with the assistant site manager Daren “Mad Manc” Garside. With them were 12 regular players from OTT. The game itself was a semi MilSim type. On Saturday afternoon the Blue team, consisting of the regular players from Tactical Wales were on the defence with the red team attacking. The Red team was made up of Gogs from OTT, a few players from “Aber Airsoft” based in Aberystwyth, mid Wales and a number of experienced Tactical Wales players as advisors. On the Sunday the roles were reversed, with the Reds in defence. The game itself required the attacking team to seek out a number of objectives, building up to an overall battle of the main bunker. The first objective was to find a downed pilot and protect

“AFTER A RELENTLESS EXCHANGE OF FIRE THE PUMPKIN HEAD EXPLODED AND THE REDS WITHDREW THEIR FORCES”

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

him for an hour (the pilot was a stuffed camouflage overall with a pumpkin head, which had a Mk5 on a 1 hour fuse inside. On the hour the pumpkin blew up, meaning that the team in possession of the pilot no longer had to guard him). On the pilot was information that either team needed to retrieve. This information was a map showing the whereabouts of a bomb box (objective 2). Once the attacking team found the box they then had to find the bomb, place it in the box and carry it all to the final bunker. Clear the bunker and plant the bomb. Once the bomb detonated it signalled the end of the game and the timer stopped. The first thing any player will notice about this site is the terrain. The site sits on top of a very steep hill and all the players have to walk to the game zone up this hill from the safe zone. There is certainly no risk of injury caused through not warming up, you would be forgiven for panting and already breaking a sweat before the game even started. The actual game zone itself is undulating under foot with a mixture of forested areas and open fields, both of which have bunkers, foxholes, trenches etc. This means any mission would require a good hard fight. More real soldiering through grit and determination, as opposed to speedball-type games you would find at a paintball site. Saturday’s game saw the Reds (visiting team) complete the first objective in fifteen minutes, then go on to complete all three objectives in two hours and thirty five minutes. They took the final bunker using a few OTT players and the Tactical Wales advisors. After a hard slog advancing under fire up to the final bunker at the summit, they managed to get in and claim victory using the knowledge and assistance of the local advisors on their team. After a night’s rest (i.e. having a party), everyone was refreshed (i.e. groggy and hung over) and back up the hill they went. The remainder of the night’s socialising evaporated through the pores of their skin, clearing their foggy heads, just as the morning mist revealed the battle field once again and the game re-started. The Red team dug into the various positions they were to defend and waited whilst sending out a small scouting party to search and destroy/delay the advance of the Blues. The Blue team split into two sections covering the top and bottom areas of the site as they advanced through, searching for the pilot. Their advance was halted a few hundred meters from their objective as a scout party of Reds formed a barrier and assisted the other Red players already defending the pilot’s location. After a relentless exchange of fire the pumpkin head exploded and the Reds withdrew their forces, allowing the Blues to find the map and

proceed with the game. The rest of the day saw a very hard fight for each objective, each lasting up to forty minutes before falling. In the end the Blue team got all three objectives but failed to take the bunker from the visiting team. This meant the Red team claimed victory in both games. Overall the event was a success. Both visiting sites from North Wales enjoyed it and the weekend was a good time all round. Rebecca Doyle, a regular player to the hosting site (Tactical Wales) said, “I really enjoyed having the North Wales sites visit. It’s great to have fresh targets to shoot at!” Tactical Wales regularly play away games at sites all over Wales and England. They plan on going up against the teams from OTT in March 2015, when they visit the OTT site for their North West Alliance game. In the safe zone everyone gets on very well, it’s only when the whistle is blown in the game zone that the North South divide remains hostile and vicious. This game was set up due to Colin Rigby (the owner of OTT) being a long term friend with David Story, a regular player at Tactical Wales. They had served in the Army together and stayed in touch ever since. David Story set up the introduction of Mark Williams (Tactical Wales site owner) and Colin and the rest is history. I look forward to the next time these sites clash, it was very interesting to watch the different tactics being used against each other.

If you wish to visit Tactical Wales as an individual or a team please, visit the tactical Wales Airsoft Facebook page. For any questions or to arrange another site to site skirmish with: The South Wales site - Tactical Wales, please contact: martin@ tactcalwales.co.uk or 01792 43336 The North Wales site - Over The Top Adventures (OTT), please contact: ottairsoft.club@mail.com or 07731744471

January 2015

THE EASTSIDERS COMPANY HANNES ERTEL WRITES ABOUT HIS TEAM AND GIVES US A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO PLAYING AIRSOFT IN GERMANY THE EASTSIDERS COMPANY (TEC) IS A SMALL TEAM from Germany. They come from Dresden, Saxony and there are a total of 3 regulars with a few guest players. The team, under the name EGT “Einsatzgruppe (Task Force) Toni” was founded in 2009. They were all friends and began together with Airsoft. Gradually, more and more players were added and then formed a team of 10 players. They called themselves SK44 “Sturmkommando 44 Dresden”. However, after 2 years, they slowly broke up the team and Dennis joined the newly founded EGT. The EGT consisted of 2 players at the beginning. After that they participated in events. One of these was the “Beer Zone” in Meissen, Saxony. In addition, there also was the “Endwar” and the “SLAM” (Saxon State Airsoft Cup) was attended by regularly. Slowly they began to put together reasonable equipment. The G36K was a constant companion in such games. The uniform of the German Army (Bundeswehr) was one of the first of all camouflage they used. For this, the German armed forces battle belt came with matching bags. This formed the beginnings. Before long, they changed to olive. The olive colour is multifunctional and in our experience much better in German forests as the Bundeswehr Flecktarn. From urban combat (CQC) to forest fight - all was all part of the training. The camouflage and deception was very much set in the beginning. The forest fight was the main part of the training. They got support from a good friend who taught us everything what we needed to start with. It was not just playing airsoft but they also went along hiking and climbing. In addition, there was also instruction in survival training. Sometimes they slept for several days in the woods and tried to live off the land. They were shown a lot of tricks that could play a major role in the Airsoft field. In 2012 Paul (Nickname: Bogen) was added. This was the 3rd regular. There were also a few guest players, which

January 2015

sometimes lead to a few events. Bogen trained together next to the EGT with the AST (Airsoftteam Dresden). This team had specialized in the forest fight and played there all the tricks in camouflage and deception. Also our coach, who taught us all in battle and in survival, played in the AST. They tried to simulate a strong level of military realism. After several years of trainings they won first tournaments. The EGT took 2nd place at the ARMO “Airsoft-Meisterschaft-Ost” (Airsoft Regional Cup Germany East), which formerly was called SLAM. Also the equipment was constantly extended. During these years, people began to replace the coupling against a plate carrier. The Tasmanian Tiger brand became the standard. The quality convinced them. Dennis played in the meantime with a G36K and an MP5.

Slowly, they also went to international games. “The Beer Zone IV” was the first game in a different country. It was an operation with 600 Players and took place in the Czech Republic. In 2013 another regular player was added. This was Hannes. Dennis leads the team now. The founder of the team said goodbye to airsoft for personal reasons. With a friendly team, the Rising Forces, a new team alliance was founded. With this team (EGT & Rising Forces), they took the first place at the ARMO. They have played with six men. The first place won a golden AK. The team quickly became known in eastern Germany and was already playing on the “Beer Zone V” in the elite squad. They had the same honor by “Endwar 2”, a game in Bautzen, Saxony with 500 Players. During leisure, they spent a lot of time tuning the guns. The tuning was a trouble. They replaced the standard parts of the gearbox, but many parts were not compatible. That is why they say: “Never change a running system”. In 2014 the EGT went back to play on known fields and visited the ARMO again. This year we started as The Eastsiders Company and missed a place in the final scarce. We got the name by our sponsor from Dresden. The TEC were invited back to the elite squad at the “Beer Zone VI” to play with. This Game was the first with over 1,000 Players. They explored many play areas in Germany and gained a lot of experience. They met lots of new people who are now with them in constant contact. They have now introduced a new camouflage pattern on the team. Dennis and Hannes equip of olive now on to A-Tacs FG. Dennis (21) use a light olive Plate Carrier and a Tasmanian tiger (TT) Battle Belt. This includes also TT double magazine pouches

Team Profile INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT | GERMANY

for G36 magazines and some multi-purpose pouches. In addition comes a TT Holster for its USP Compact. His primary weapon is a G36C with silencer and an EoTech. To capture everything in picture, he attached a GoPro camera on his MICH 2002 helmet. Hannes (20) has a Flyye Industries Plate Carrier of three magazine pouches for his HK416 with an Aimpoint and a silencer. He plays with a Polar Star, the latest investment. He is wearing a day pack on his back to stow his air tanks and light equipment. Bogen (21) is the only one still olive Tarn. He has a Plate Harness of Zentauron and magazine pouches from Tasmanian tiger. His rifle is a G36K with EoTech and a LLM01, which was built on the model of the KSK. The equipment is constantly expanding and if tomorrow the equipment is still like now remains uncertain.

“THE TEC WERE INVITED BACK TO THE ELITE SQUAD AT THE “BEER ZONE VI” TO PLAY WITH. THIS GAME WAS THE FIRST WITH OVER 1,000 PLAYERS.”

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

MISSION PACK apacity: C Material: Colours: Dimensions:

38.5 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 52 x 24 x 32 cm

Internal hydration sleeve Ventex system back panel Adjustable hip pad/harness Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings Multiple compression straps Hydration/coms outlet Side carry handle 2 x V-Lock 1 x D-Lock SRP £84.95

RANGER PACK apacity: C Material: Colours: Dimensions:

>GET THE

TACTICAL ADVANTAGE

36.5 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 46 x 33 x 26 cm

Multiple compression straps 4 point, Ventex system back panel Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings Side carry handle Internal hydration sleeve Internal retaining straps/bungees Felt lined exterior utility pouches Hydration/coms outlet 2 x Velcro ID panels 2 x V-Lock 1 x D-Lock SRP £84.95

IN ALL AVAILABLE BLACK OLIVE GREEN & E, T O Y CO , M A V-C

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RECON EXTRA PACK Capacity: Material: Colours: Dimensions:

20 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 45 x 22 x 20 cm

Internal hydration sleeve Internal retaining straps/bungees Felt lined exterior utility pouches Hydration/coms outlet Multiple compression straps 4 point, Ventex system back panel Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles Grab carry handle MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings 2 x Velcro ID panels, 2 x V-Lock, 1 x D-Lock

SRP £54.95

TACTICAL

MIDI PACK Capacity: Material: Colours: Dimensions:

22 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 43 x 23 x 26 cm

Internal hydration sleeve Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles 2 x side stow pouches Internal Nylon utility sleeves Mesh back Compression straps MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings 2 x V-Lock 1 x D-Lock

SRP £45.00

MINI MODULAR PACK Capacity: Material: Colours: Dimensions:

19.5 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 42 x 23 x 34 cm

Mesh helmet hammock located on front with compression straps for adjustment Internal hydration sleeve 2 x External side pouches Hydration/coms outlet Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles Multiple compression straps MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings Compatible with Plate Carrier 1 x Large Velcro ID panel 2 x V-Lock, 1 x D-Lock

SRP £45.00

ONE DAY MODULAR PACK Capacity: Material: Colours: Dimensions:

13.5 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 19 x 20 x 43 cm

Hydration/coms outlet Multiple compression straps Internal mesh pocket to accommodate hydration bladder Shoulder straps with QR buckles. MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings Compatible with Plate Carrier 1 x Large Velcro ID panels. 2 x V-Lock 1 x D-Lock

SRP £26.50

SHOULDER PACK Capacity: Material: Colours: Dimensions:

10 litres (approx) 600D Cordura V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black 31 x 20 x 16 cm

Retaining straps/bungees Exterior utility pouches. Mesh back panel. Shoulder straps with QR buckle. MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches including D-Rings. 2 x Velcro ID panels. 2 x V-Lock 1 x D-Lock

SRP £29.95

SPECIAL OPS POUCH Capacity: 5.5 litres (approx) Material: 600D Cordura Colours: V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black Dimensions: 20 x 15 x 18 cm MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior front External mag/phone pouch Sectional internals Fold out compartment Removable shoulder carry strap Compatible with Plate Carrier 1 x Large Velcro ID panel 2 x V-Lock, 1 x D-Lock

SRP £24.95

SOUTH COAST CQB LES LEE GEARS UP AND HEADS OFF TO TAKE A LOOK A NEW CQB SITE AND DISCOVERS THAT SOMETIMES GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES STRAY JUST A FEW YARDS OUTSIDE the Southern perimeter fence and you’re gonna be swimming with submarines in the Solent and battles at the closest of close quarters are the order of the day in this new and very exciting Airsoft venue in Hampshire. Six months ago, Gary Byrne managed to get his hands on this pretty unique, decommissioned MoD site known as “Browndown Camp”. So how about we start with a bit of the site history: The camp has been used by the Royal Marines Small Arms Corps (1922–1959), South East District as a Minor Training Facility in 1961 and 121 Weekend Training Centre up to the mid-1970s. The current predominant use now for Browndown Camp is by ACF, CCF, ATC & Territorial Army units for Adult training and Cadet courses. It was also transformed into a 1950’s National Service camp for the 2002 ITV reality show Lad’s Army. Facilities at the

January 2015

Camp included accommodation for Soldiers, NCOs and Officers, a cook house for Soldiers, indoor lecture room/cinema, Sgt’s mess, Officer’s mess and various other buildings within the camp perimeter. So as you can see, there is quite a mixture of disciplines on camp and with over sixty buildings to find your comfort zone in, you are spoilt for choice. Anyway, back to the review and starting where I always start which is from the nearest main road or motorway. Exit South from the M27 down the A32 and quite literally keep heading South to Lee-on-Solent and the road takes you right up to the front door. At 08.00 hours, honk your horn and a security Marshall will let you in to park next to The Officers Mess. Toilets are right by the free, hard top and secure car park so if you need to go, now would be a good time before you drag your ever-consuming gear bag into the safe zone, which is situated within what was The Officers Mess. Inside here you will also find the check-in desk, the briefing room,

SITE Report SOUTH COAST CQB

refreshments and Socom Tactical selling their fine range of guns, gear and goodies. Ooohh yes! Attendance is by pre-booking only, either via the website or good old Facebook. The reason behind this is very simple. Due to the site being new and CQB, Gary has to manage the numbers attending otherwise he would be turning players away at the gate, which he obviously doesn’t want to do. This is down to the attraction of this moderate-sized site of six acres which has 60+ buildings of awesomeness and with the CQB scene interest being on the increase, it must remain manageable as it could easily spill over into a mass of uncontrolled firefights (which would serve no purpose other than to cover the ground in BBs and make it look like a scene from a Christmas card). Another reason for the pre-booking is that the site presently has a limited number of hire guns and of course as the site grows, so will the armoury and more importantly, from a Health & Safety perspective, the number of players need to be effectively managed by the staff and the bigger the attendance the higher the risks, so it is without doubt the right thing to do. Besides, Gary isn’t in this for the money, he opened this site because of his passion for Airsoft and if he makes a few quid on top it is simply fed back into the venue to improve the site, purchase hire weapons and investments such as that. Before we move away from the pre-booking subject, Gary, a wheelchair user himself, is committed to making South Coast CQB as equally welcoming to the widest range of disabled men and women that want to be a part of our amazing sport/hobby/ pastime. I have a funny feeling that this is going to be a huge success, as this type of activity until now (and to the best of my knowledge) has been restricted due to so many factors when risk assessed. However, having seen for myself the structures and surroundings I feel that SCCQB can cater quite adequately, as the boss himself clearly understands this subject and if anyone can make it happen then Gary can - and he will. If disabled folk can play laser tag as they do, then there is absolutely no reason why Airsoft in this type of urban environment should be any different. At 9.30 prompt, the briefing gets underway and is very comprehensive. Briefings in a built up CQB environment have to be absorbed and absorbed well, as there are so many different structures which in turn could become a slip, trip or fall hazard if you don’t have your wits about you. It’s all too easy to become complacent when all your footsteps are met with flat, solid floors and this can sometimes present a false sense of security as a misplaced footing can unexpectedly be a precursor for a tumble

down a step or worse. We become accustomed to uneven surfaces in a Woodland setting and our senses seem to compensate for this as if we have a built-in gyroscope but with symmetrical structures all is not always as it may seem, however having said this, every ‘potential’ hazard from a low doorframe to a raised flooring area has been well highlighted and this is one of the safest CQB sites that I have visited to date. Anyway, enough of me and my health and safety OCD issues and back to what you really want to hear about, a typical game day at South Coast CQB! After the briefing and chrono check, the teams are led out into the respective start points. A combination of any of the 25 scenarios are deployed, from basic building clearance to team focused conflicts which incorporate props of varying nature, but hey, I’m sworn to secrecy on this one so the only way to find out is to get your butt down there and experience it for yourself. Or if you really want to know the secrets behind the specific missions, make the cheque payable to Les L....... The included BBQ lunch is of cheese burger AND hot dog and there is a vegetarian option for those that don’t. With free tea and coffee all day plus free spring water in the summer, hot chocolate in the winter, this gives you a chance to top up your energy levels and compose yourself ready for the next onslaught (and of course a re-visit to the on - site shop, just in case you missed something

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SITE Report SOUTH COAST CQB

“THIS IS CQB AT ITS BEST - NO QUESTION. IT WAS FAST, IT WAS FURIOUS, IT WAS FRENZIED AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, IT WAS FUN.” the first time around). It’s important to mention that certain pyro’s are banned, not only due to the proximity of game play but a simple deployed red smoke grenade could cause upset with the neighbours. They get a bit funny when the alarm sounds and they launch the lifeboat when they see smoke drifting along the waterfront - can’t think why... Some people are so touchy! Also the restrictions on some of the ordnance in enclosed spaces is not to be sniffed at, as we are always enforcing mandatory and best practice when it comes to eye pro but what about our poor old lugholes? We almost seem to forget that explosions above a certain decibel level at close range can cause two types of deafness, the temporary and the permanent of which neither do I want or would like to see anyone suffer from. Perhaps this is a subject worthy of its own feature at a later date as the increase of the trending and favoured CQB presents new challenges and what works in the woods might not be such a smart idea surrounded by walls. I’ll speak to Nige about this and get back to you as every single one of our five senses are not worth a “wrong place, wrong time” moment. South Coast CQB may be the new kid on the block but not for Gary and his team of dedicated and very professional Marshalls. Back in the early days (well, a humbling four years for me) it seemed that the only requirement to be a Marshall was to possess a hi-viz vest and a play-for-pay deal going on - but my, how things they are a changing. In my travels around the South East I have seen some of the finest and most dedicated personnel controlling gaming areas, respecting players, enforcing sportsmanship and camaraderie with their charismatic enthusiasm energising the games from start to finish. And I have yet to find a Marshall that isn’t at very least first aid trained (which surely must be an absolute MINIMUM qualification before stepping foot into the field?) and Gary’s crew were no different. A

January 2015

great bunch of adequately qualified guys and lots of them, keeping the games flowing and the players safe with a typical walk on day playing host to around 50-60 shooters, give or take, with ages ranging from full faced young guns upwards. As the games got underway, I wasn’t surprised to see some amazing firefights taking place. This is CQB at its best - no question. It was fast, it was furious, it was frenzied and above all else, it was fun. I saw some superb sportsmanship and an array of tactical manoeuvres which would have had Seal Team Six taking notes for their playbook. The Marshalls kept the games flowing so there wasn’t time to get complacent, as to stay in one place will make you dead very, very quickly. So what about future plans for South Coast CQB? Well I for one will be keeping a very close eye on this place as it is unique. It has lots to offer to such a varied clientele and I have no doubt whatsoever that South Coast CQB will be one of the major players in the industry, given that it is still relatively in its infancy. Remember you heard it here first - and am I qualified to offer this type of opinion? I think so having been visiting sites in the South East for around a year and a half now and carrying out reviews. I have had the pleasure of meeting awesome people in awesome places playing this amazing whatever you want to call it. Perhaps I’ll do an online vote to see who considers it a sport, a hobby, a pastime, an activity or simply an obsession, as I really don’t think that we can rule that last one out. As always, I will keep you posted on any Airsoft related developments in the South East but I would urge you to come and meet Gary and the guys at South Coast CQB. If you like your Airsoft experience to activate your adrenaline gland for the day, it doesn’t get any more in-your-face than this… literally! Les OUT!

MULTICAM GOES TROPICAL FIREBASEALPHA RAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE KIT THAT’S CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE NEW MULTICAM TROPIC CAMO PATTERN WHEN THE FIRST IMAGES OF THE NEW “Multicam” family appeared last year there was obviously some excitement (as well as intrigue) into who was going to do what with it. A lot of companies had not only kept up supply of their standard colours and patterns but had also invested into the new ranges out there from other manufactures. So for a whole new family of patterns to build in, even with the Multicam pedigree, it was a slight gamble for those involved. In this overview I have used primarily two companies, “Applied Orange” and “Tiger Tailor”. Both are based in Europe and they both design and manufacture either uniforms or tactical nylon and they were both building in Multicam Tropic. I have then picked up two little extras in the shape of a TRU-SPEC “Tactical Response shirt” and a Black Palms “Range” cap. The Applied Orange Performance Equipment uniform consisted of a boonie, UBAX Top and FDD trousers. Some of the features on the short brim boonie include ITW cord-locks, two headed attachment point as well as moisture wicking and very comfortable.

January 2015

Kit MULTICAM TROPIC

The Applied Orange UBAX top has earned its respect in both government and private sectors. The choice of fabrics combined with a solid design has allowed it to stand out amongst the rest. The FDD (Field Duty Design) Trousers are one of the newer products that Applied Orange has bought to market this year. The pair seen here are Gen.1 but the Gen.2 are what will be available in the future, I understand. The last point I would also make is that both the UBAX and FDD Trousers utilise the “D30” impact protection system for elbows and knees. Tiger Tailor, based in France always produces great kit and this is my second “Chestright” X7 magazine chest rig. The one pictured in Multicam Tropic is the Gen.4 edition. One of the great things I liked was how they addressed the complete lack of MC Tropic webbing when these were getting built. The end result, although not ideal has allowed them to build modular high capacity chest rigs in MC Tropic and with a new range of pouches and systems coming out expect to see more of their gear around. The load carry is made up of the “Chestright” (Gen.4) x7 Magazines, “Rushingle” (Version2) x3 Magazine pouch mounted in the middle, two “MuFo” general purposes pouches mounted left and right and the “Dumperator” (Version2) dump pouch mounted at the rear Black Palm is certainly one of my newer finds and they have a great choice for range caps, including one in Multicam original “soft shell” fabric; however this is the Tropic version. The few noticeable things are the snapback closure system, no rivet on top of the cap and Black Palm logo stitched into the mesh.

The TRU-SPEC “Tactical Response Uniform” jacket is made out of the 50/50 Nyco rip-stop and has all the normal features you would expect. I do like the mandarin collar on these jackets for added neck protection as well as the reinforced elbow pockets for padded inserts. Plenty of pockets for storage and Velcro for morale and ID patches. Only recently has Crye Precision released their G3 Combat Range and some friends picked up a few pieces. These are the G3 Combat Pant in Multicam Tropic. Made out of mil-spec 50/50 NyCo and with the distinctive AirFlex Combat Knee Pads I cannot imagine it will be long before we see more of these in Arid. Extreme Gear Labs are an US East Coast based company that produces bespoke gear, however you may recognise them more as the designer behind the Haley D3CR? This is a x3 Magazine VOCR (Variable Operations Chest Rig) with GP pouch, STUFFIT pouch and double pistol magazine pouches in Multicam Tropic, fixed pouch system. These are just a very few of the items that have so far caught my eye in Multicam Tropic but you can be certain that many more will follow.

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HIGH-TECH, HIGH COST AND A BIT OF A DRAG IN THIS ISSUE GADGE ASKS “ARE WE GETTING A BIT TOO TECHNICAL? DO WE NEED A RETURN TO GRASS ROOTS OR DO WE NEED TO TAKE ON THE TECH?” NEARLY EVERY MONTH AN INVENTION seems to come along that takes airsoft “up a notch” in the “realism” stakes. It might be something as simple as the recoil of blowback mechanism in an AEG (something we’ve accepted in gas guns from the start), it might be the PTW that strips down like a real rifle but more recently it’s been methods that replicate “real gunfire” that have caught our eye in the Airsoft Action office. We’ve seen muzzle flash simulators which were pretty cool (and a long awaited alternative/addition to our old friend the tracer unit) and more recently “gunfire” noise generators but all these high tech add-ons were really all quite cosmetic. They look cool but don’t change the game other than visually. More recently, however, we’ve seen a “laser tag” style hit detector and beam generator. I remember systems like this being linked to blank-firing rifles in HM Forces, systems like the MILES equipment, that were a real boon to training (and frustrating as hell at times) - but does airsoft need this? Would a laser shot generator and hit detector linked up to your rig enhance your game or annoy the hell out of you? Would it be an end to “hit calling” or change your game to the point where you ask “what’s the point of loading up with BBs?” Clearly you’d need to employ it across the board at a site or you’d simply create a two tier game… One part of which engaging at 50 to 70 metres and the other firing out to a few hundred! So how do you feel about high tech airsoft, is it the future of the game or just a flash in the pan? Are you finding it enough to keep up with the costs of the basic

January 2015

game, or would you happily splash out a few hundred quid to get a few hundred metres range? Would you bother with BBs and, if you wouldn’t, have you not just committed yourself to laser tag and not airsoft? In the Airsoft Action office the jury is still out on kit like a new system which incorporates body armour, helmet and rifle with passive sensors and active “hit generators” on both the rifle and a thrown grenade element. Hits on your kit are registered (as well as the ping and pain of a bb if you’re hit) and hits can even be set to disable a player’s gun! On the whole this “revolutionary” new system seemed very much like the army’s MILES system, but on a civilian budget. On the whole this was one of the more one-sided debates we’ve featured in Airsoft Action, with the vast majority of you who expressed a view on our Facebook page either being unimpressed at the least, or downright hostile at the other end of the scale. Many of you felt that the thrill of incoming BBs was the reason that got you up on a weekend at 7am to kit up for a skirmish and that a beep from a sensor just didn’t have the same appeal. Likewise, many of you felt that without “suppressing fire” you can see and feel, there was something fundamentally missing from the game. To a lesser degree the noise and gunfire simulators were also dismissed as “pointless novelties” that, at best, just made you easier to see and at the worst could cause “noise pollution” problems for some sites and even health dangers to nearby users (as anyone whose spent time firing real firearms without ear protection can testify… it’s a bit of a tinnitus generator). Well we put the question out there and while we expected a slightly more balanced view, the “vox populi” was heard and it was a resounding “Nay!” See for yourself… Tim Jacobs: “I don’t see the point in muzzle flash generators, particularly when they cost so much for what is virtually an openfront tracer unit. Gun manufacturers go to great lengths to reduce muzzle flash, so why create it where there is none? As for sound units, I don’t want to have to wear hearing protection when I go to a site to play, and my hearing’s bad enough with tinnitus caused by a lot of shooting when I was younger. Why should some people be allowed to inflict that on others for their own gratification? Plus, what will it do to planning permission? I’m pretty sure occasional pyro would be easier to justify than constant gun fire. As for the ARF95 (integrated vest and helmet sensors. Ed.) thing, how does it cope with the myriad loadouts people play with?” Charles Whittaker: “I don’t see anything wrong with being a “gearwhore”. Most of the players out there are 30-somethings with money in their pocket. If they want the latest or best kit let them buy it. And if it doesn’t exist then make it.” Scott Allan: “While it’s a great idea, it almost creates a new hybrid

debate AIRSOFT LASER TAG

“Polish AKMS” by RAYMOND A. BARNARD. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

debate AIRSOFT LASER TAG

game. With these systems they tend to be very expensive which puts them out of the average player’s wallet range. Last time I saw the laser units they were around £1,000£1,500 a pop. I like the idea and would play it all the same.” Angelo Di Vito: “Muzzle flash generators are a joke, they make your gun look like a child’s ray gun. And as for the noise generators, well I have no words. Two recent so-called innovations that do not improve the sport in any way. Therefore they are complete tosh IMO. Keep it simple. ...keep it real. If we had to use a laser tag system to confirm people have been hit then the whole ethos of airsoft is undermined. Honour is what it’s all about isn’t it?” G.S.X.: “The laser tag thing is horrible in my opinion. Why tech a stock gun to shoot super nice and put all the good parts in it if you’re just going to use a laser?” Billy Gumbrell: “The laser system makes me cringe. Our current system is by no means perfect but having used the laser stuff in the forces, it is simply awful. The kit required to make it work well etc. is very expensive and pretty temperamental. It’s essentially a posh version of laser quest.” Bulb Donaldson: “I don’t see the need for the laser tag system in airsoft... after all there is already places that do laser tag. Firing a bb you actually have something that registers environmentally and gain an awareness of shots fired. With laser tag you obviously lose this and the capability to do suppressing fire. For most sites and game numbers you are looking at small skirmish type combat instead large area fighting so 70 metres effective range is fine.” Michael Lee Carty: “If a laser system is used you might as well do away with BBs as getting a laser to hit where a BB would is gonna be impossible. It completely defeats the point of airsoft, removes the physicality of BB strikes and suppressing fire. It removes the fear factor of “if I raise my head I’m going to get tw**ed in the face”. I’ve also played against

January 2015

someone with a MFG. Makes spotting them much easier.” Lee Wyatt: “If they brought out a system similar to what was used in Starship Troopers (less the stunned senseless aspect though) that would be awesome... Would eliminate the cheating and thinking you hit when you actually don’t.” Phil Bucknall: “Tech applied with common sense is the way forward I think. The old adage “just because you can; doesn’t mean you should!” Is quite apt for this discussion. On the laser hit registering system. No; just no! It would change fundamentally what the game is and that’s assuming all sites take it up and invest in it across the board. As to other innovations - I’m not a fan of the spotlight, sorry muzzle flash device and as for the sound generator I see sites being shut down due to noise complaints if it’s used too much!! There are many innovations that are worthy such as the recoil mechanisms and last round cut off but these other two are gimmicks. Nothing more. I’d rather see a focus on mobile tech for tracking and communicating with other players that’s a) useable b) cost effective and c) cheap enough to be used without worrying tour £500 smartphone is going to get shot out.” Russ Von Bloomenburg: “Does this even needs discussing? It’s a game of honour, if you can’t play with a smile then don’t play!! I play airsoft not bloody laser tag!!”

COMPETITIVE TACTICAL SHOOTING EX-SAS SOLDIER BOB PODESTA IS USED TO COMBAT SHOOTING AND CAN NOW OFFER A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE TO AIRSOFTERS, THROUGH HIS COMPANY ‘A SQUADRON’, AS HIS MD, FAITH COWLING EXPLAINS.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR one and all. We hope you’ll all have an enjoyable Christmas break. As promised we’re back this month to unveil a new project which ‘A’ Squadron will be spearheading in partnership with ‘CTS’: Competitive Tactical Shooting. We welcome Rob Robbins of CTS, who many of you will know as an expert airsoft weapon technician, to explain further. Faith: “Rob can you start by explaining to us what CTS is?” Rob: “Competitive Tactical Shooting was formed by myself and Rob Moody. We were looking for a way to do the sort of stuff you see in the film S.W.A.T. – where you have the guys running around doing tactical training in kill houses - rather than skirmishing. We want to create an organisation where you can learn to use airsoft in competition, not just IPSC but in more of a manner related to skirmishing as IDPA and DAS. Combat shooting if you will. Our personal emphasis will be on DAS.” Faith: “So, what is DAS?” Rob: “Originating in the USA, DAS stands for Dynamic Action Sport. It is a shooting sport designed to test an array of different shooting skill sets on both the individual but especially the group level. DAS is comprised of three core stages: Target Down Par-Time Stage, Target Down Speed Stage and a Marksmanship Skill Test Stage.” Faith: “I believe you’ve just returned from the Midlands Airsoft Fair where you ran an introductory DAS course for the first time. Can you tell us more about that and how you got on?” Rob: “The course we ran was a ‘lightweight’ version of the DAS Target Down Speed Stage, which comprised of a seven-room kill house with 18 DAS-style targets. We kept it to pistol only but we did have one team come back and ask to do it with their shot guns

JANUARY 2015

A SQUADRON TACTICAL SHOOTING

– which of course we let them. 23 teams came through during the day in total. Teams ranged from an all military team from The Rifles, regular skirmishers, all the way to a family team made up of Mum, Dad and two children! Without exception they all really enjoyed it. We had a very successful day, positive response and are now excited about launching our range in Hereford in partnership with you and Bob at ‘A’ Squadron.” Faith: “We’re really looking forward to working with you and launching the range, both for DAS training and as an open range and club for members to come along and practise. Can you elaborate on what we have planned?” Rob: “Our goal is to create a venue to practise any discipline, be it IPSC, DAS or IDPA and provide individual and team training. That is why we are excited to have ‘A’ Squadron’s involvement, one for providing us with a venue and two for the perfect opportunity to collaborate in offering realistic pistol, carbine and room combat training which sits perfectly alongside the DAS and IDPA disciplines. ‘A’ Squadron already offer expert weapons handling and tactics courses and will now develop a DAS safety and introductory course for those who wish to take up the sport.” Faith: “We’ve already started work on the range in Hereford and are looking forward to opening the doors for our first session. How will it work?” Rob: “Our initial set up will comprise of two main range areas. One being a short range and the other larger, more complex area. In December we will have an invitation only day for our team and a handful of associates to trial the ranges, work through the rules and basically polish everything up ready for the official launch. The range will then be available for individuals, teams and ‘A’ Squadron members to book in and practise their skills; this will probably take place on a regular weekday evening. We will also offer DAS training days run by ex-SAS Bob Podesta which will involve weapons safety, handling and an introduction to DAS which will culminate in an afternoon of competitive combat shooting on our ranges.” Faith: “Will there be further opportunities for people to put their new DAS skills to the test?”

tournaments locally and around the country. These will be a full day or even weekend of competitive shooting running through the three stages of DAS as outlined above. We hope to have the first tournament in the spring and we will keep readers posted through the ‘A’ Squadron column as things develop.” Faith: “How can people find out more and keep updated with news, training days and tournaments?” Rob: “All our news will be posted on our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/CTSRange Please like and follow us to keep in contact. ‘A’ Squadron will also be linking in from their page at www.facebook.com/ASquadron” Faith: “Thanks for your time today Rob. We look forward to our CTS collaboration.” We hope that this has whet your appetite for DAS and our new indoor range area in Hereford. As discussed more details will be released in the near future and you can be sure that Airsoft Action will be in receipt of the first exclusive photos from our opening events when they happen. As always please keep in contact with our day to day news via our Facebook page www.facebook.com/asquadon If you would like to contact us about anything discussed in this month’s article or for all training enquiries please email trainingwing@a-sqn.com or phone 07762 507 146.

Until next time this is ‘A’ Squadron signing out. A huge thanks to Alex Ko of PTS Syndicate for sending across the pictures used for this article. Alex has been involved in DAS pretty much from the start and is keen to promote the sport globally, so you can be pretty certain that we’ll be hearing more from him in the not too distant future.

Rob: “Yes there certainly will. We aim to organise DAS www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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SKILLS & DRILLS WEAPON SLINGS PRO-TACT TRAINING’S ANDY NIGHTINGALE TAKES A LOOK AT PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IGNORED, YET IMPORTANT PIECES OF KIT, THE SLING DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF MY MILITARY SERVICE I found the rifle sling a bit of a pain in the backside. For some reason it would always get in the way. I can still hear the words of my section commander “Nightingale! Get two hands on that weapon, it’s a thunder stick not a walking stick!!” Those were the days… Being beasted for no reason but to please the hierarchy! Although the sling was my nemesis during weapons training, I soon discovered that I could not live without it when I was in the field. At the time I was issued with the L1A1 SLR and to those of you that are familiar with its sling, or for those of you that have used it, you will know that it’s not the best thing in the world. It would constantly slip off the shoulder and rattled like a snake. Then the British Army had a brain storm when they decommissioned the L1A1. No not the L85A1 (SA80), but its sling!

January 2015

The L1A1 used the 2 point sling; so called because it attached to the rifle at 2 points. The L85A1 however was a complete new design and called for a new sling. With the L85A1 being considerably shorter than the SLR it needed a different design altogether and a 3 point adjustable sling was chosen. The 3 point sling is nothing new but on the right weapons platform it makes all the difference to use and deploy when in battle. Over the cumbersome 2 point sling of the SLR it was like a breath of fresh air. Not only could you adjust it to suit your build and situation but the weapon could be carried in several different ways. In fact looking back, the sling is much better than the L85A1 rifle itself! Its versatility lies in the 3 point system. It attached to 2 points on the rifle; front hand guard and the rear of the TMH (Trigger Mechanism Housing) and the third point attached to the sling itself via a fast snap buckle that would run freely along the webbing strap that ran from the front of the weapon to the rear. Once you have mastered the mammoth task of fitting the sling (I’ve seen people that have no prior knowledge struggling to fit it) it is quite easy to use. Strapping the weapon tightly to your chest ensures you can use both hands when needed, yet have the security of the weapon being securely attached to one’s self and ready to go immediately. With the flick of a fast snap buckle, the weapon just falls from the secure mount to down by the operators strong side in a flash, yet is still securely attached to the operator. This sling can also be adjusted in length whilst being worn to obtain optimum performance and proficiency. The SA80 sling was specifically designed for the said weapon, but 3 point slings can be used on almost all weapon platforms that allow a sling to be mounted along the side of the weapon. A cautionary note to add is to make sure that the sling, if it runs along the side of the weapon, does not interfere with any of the weapon’s parts such as the charging or cocking lever or ejection port.

skills SLINGS

way to use the 2 point sling is to slip it over the head and one arm. This carry method will either enable the operator to carry the weapon in a muzzle up or muzzle down format securely but this method is slow to bring up into the aim. The other method of carry is to simply throw the sling over one shoulder. This is very quick to bring into the aim but the sling is prone to slipping off the shoulder. Again this method of carry means you can have the muzzle up or muzzle down.

SINGLE POINT SLINGS.

3 POINT SLINGS.

3 point slings are by far the most versatile. Attached to the weapon’s front and rear swivels, it can be utilized in many ways to suit the operator when situations in the game change. With the third point being attached to the sling itself, the configuration of the sling means it can be deployed fast yet supportive during firing. The method of carrying is also fast and can be changed in no time at all with usually a simple clipping or un- clipping of a fast snap buckle. Different manufacturers offer different methods of attachment and configuration with some being a little bit confusing when it comes to fitting onto the weapon. Once fitted however, they usually all do the same job.

2 POINT SLINGS

2 point slings offer little in terms of versatility. Simply attached via the weapon’s front and rear sling swivels, the sling is just simply a strap that goes from front to back of the weapon. This is the oldest method of carrying a rifle and although simple it is still used today by many armed forces around the world. The most secure

Single point slings are basically a simple loop that usually attaches to the rear sling swivel of the rifle. Simply putting your head and weak arm through the loop of the sling will allow the weapon to hang freely down the weak side of the operator. This will allow you to access your side arm during primary/ secondary transitions. Single point slings are less likely to malfunction due to the simplicity of design and mechanics of the system. They can however place stress points on the operator’s neck, especially if the weapon is heavy. It is however the simplest sling to use affording quick and easy weapon transition from shoulder to shoulder. If you favour wearing an assault vest or body armour, the single point sling can be configured to attach to the garment in two places, one point on each shoulder, to help spread the weight of the weapon. This will however make the rifle hang down in front of the operator rather than to the weak side. When using slings on long guns, cautionary note must be taken when adopting a kneeling position as the muzzle of the weapon can easily be stoved into the ground. This can be avoided by placing the front of the magwell into the groin of the weak side leg. This will hold the rifle securely in a safe position and keep the muzzle out of the dirt. The manner in which we can attach the sling to the weapon depends on the operator. Early sling design usually meant threading the sling onto the weapon’s swivels but new designs and development in materials have made attaching the sling via clips and QD (quick detach) systems much safer and easier. When looking for a sling to suit your weapons platform and your style of gameplay, consider all the options available to you, not ones that just look good and don’t be afraid to make personal alterations to the sling. Custom built slings should be simple yet advantageous to your needs. Just remember that your weapon should always be within arm’s reach at all times and the best way to ensure that is to strap your weapon tightly to you. Have fun and safe shooting.

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Kit LOADED OR UNLOADED | TAN MAN

TAN MAN PRESSING ON WITH HOW EASY IT IS TO ESTABLISH TEAM DIFFERENTIATION PURELY THROUGH THE COLOUR OF THE LOADOUT WORN, THIS MONTH JERRY NOONE LOOKS AT JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO BE THE “TAN MAN”! WORDS: JERRY NOONE / PICS: NETEE OVER MANY YEARS OF PLAYING AIRSOFT I’ve always had a good tan loadout tucked away in the gear room. So many teams around the country (and indeed the world) have adopted a majority tan set of clothing, footwear and gear which is often worn with either a dark polo or check shirt to give that “contractor” feel. If like me, you like to check out different sites rather than playing the same one all the time (a practice which in itself is great for helping to build your airsoft skills as you’ll pretty much always be playing on new ground), then turning up in a tan loadout is going to set you up with like-minded individuals, as inevitably some of the “locals” will also be wearing the same thing. Any site operator is going to welcome you if you’ve made an effort in relation to your gear and if you then go on to play hard and fair, you’ll be invited to return to said site time and time again. It may sound trite but just going that extra mile can make all the difference at a new venue, helping you bond with fellow players immediately. As always it really, really doesn’t need to cost you the earth to put together a half way decent loadout either. More and more I’m seeing site operators and airsoft shops hosting their own “airsoft boot sales” where you can bring, buy, sell, or trade gear with other players. Rules of Engagement in Essex for instance are now hosting a monthly event like this; they charge a pittance for you to have a table where you can sell off your unwanted kit with the proceeds going to a different military charity each month; this to me is one hell of a good idea as not only can you earn a few quid (which you’ll undoubtedly spend before you head home!) but the money goes to a good cause too. A lot of the kit I’ve used this month in the “Unloaded” loadout

came from shows and airsoft boot fairs around the country. I picked up the Condor chest rig, the leg rig, and the dump pouch at the Airsoft Fair hosted by The Grange and paid just £30 quid for the lot. A visit to the War & Peace Show down in Kent saw me heading home with a new Helikon soft shell jacket (okay, I paid full retail for that from Soldier of Fortune) and an unbranded plate carrier which I picked up for just £15! All the pouches for the plate carrier, a complete mix up of Condor, Warrior Assault Systems, and 5:11 likewise came from either airsoft boot fairs or trades with mates so in reality, the whole rig cost me very little. I’ve recently added one of the new sustainment packs from VIPER - but more on that later! The point I’m making (as always) is that you can run out and buy a complete rig from your local store, or easily find one for sale online. If, however, you take a little time you can not only create a set of gear that completely works for you in every way but you really can do it on a budget. The flip side of course is that you can end up ditching some serious moolah into your loadout as individual items catch your eye; in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with this if you play regularly as you’ll soon find the shortcomings of cheap and cheerful kit. Yes, you can buy a pair of tan “combats” from your local supermarket these days for a tenner which is excellent value but, if you’re going to use them every weekend then you’re going to be spending that money over and over as the “10 quid combats” are going to fail quickly. Take your time to set things up is always my advice and when you do spend money on something a bit “Gucci”, do so having researched your potential purchase thoroughly. Speak to other players who are using a bit of gear you like the look of and get

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their feelings on performance and value. Some people roll their eyes when I tell them that my CRYE combat pants are the real deal but I’ve had them for three years now and kicked the living beejaysus out of them and guess what? They’re still as good as new, so to me they’ve been a wise investment!

RECCE Taking my regular approach to the loadouts I’ll start with the “Unloaded” one. Although this is a set of gear on a budget I still want to include things that are good quality and fit for the rigours of the airsoft environment. I want them to be solid and have the right design characteristics I’m looking for, as well as being made of half way decent fabrics. I want to be able to buy brands I trust, but without having to take out another mortgage to do so! As my brief for this loadout is to keep things lightweight and reasonably uncluttered I’ve selected clothing that doesn’t obviously scream “military”. I’ve selected some khaki “Original” trousers from Vertx to start things rolling; these excellent trousers started a bit of a revolution in tactical apparel by combining the superior functionality of a battle garment with a highly coveted low-profile design. Working in conjunction with a top federal agency in the USA, the Vertx designers developed a really low profile, streamlined appearance and superior fit in order to give the best comfort and performance. On top I have the Helikon Soft Shell Jacket in Coyote I mentioned earlier. This is a well-priced, high quality jacket based on the Soft Shell APCU (Advance Protective Combat Uniform) Level V. It’s durable and windproof, lightweight and comfortable, made of breathable fabric and is designed to be worn in combination with various base layer garments. The high collar, adjustable hood, double storm flap with Velcro fasteners over the front zipper and secure closures at wrists, neck and waist give high levels of protection against wind and rain. There are numerous velcro panels for nametapes and morale patches, although you can keep it ultra low-key if you wish to. Headwear is a “PMC modular contractor ballcap” from Hazard4, again in Coyote. The name may be a bit of a mouthful but this is a really comfortable cap and well put together from top notch fabrics. As well as having additional velcro panels for your team badge it also has a neat little feature; a clip and cable which means you can attach it to the collar of your shirt or jacket so it’s not going to blow away. If you’re going to be working with vehicles this is a great feature to have, but if price is an issue there are great tan caps out there for around £10.

January 2015

Kit LOADED OR UNLOADED | TAN MAN

Nylon gear is pretty minimalist with this loadout; in fact everything can be easily stowed away in a medium rucsac. A simple “Blackhawk!” pistol belt serves as the platform for a GK1 holster from IMI Defense for my Glock, dump pouch, VIPER Operator’s Pouch and a replica “HSGI” leg rig; I’m not one who would normally buy “knockoffs” but for a fiver my moral compass did get a bit fuzzy! The low profile chest rig is an old Condor design which can easily be worn over or under a jacket. In total, excluding the Glock holster this whole setup cost me the princely sum of just under £50 and gives me a lot of versatility in what I carry - and how. I mentioned earlier that VIPER have got some awesome, well priced new kit on its way into the stores right now; you’ll see an overview of the brand elsewhere in this issue and there will be detailed reviews of the new range as it’s released. For this loadout I’ve chosen the MIDI Pack; it’s made entirely of 500D Cordura and at 22 litres is the perfect size for a days’ skirmishing. It’s a simple pack with three compartments, well padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap and mesh storage compartments on both sides. VIPER have also released their new “Locks” and the MIDI comes already fitted with two V Locks and one D Lock; these are great for attaching accessories such as gloves, or for retaining hydration tubes and com wiring. The price? Just £39.95! I also added a pair of VIPERs’ Special Ops Gloves which are comfortable and protective, along with a simple tan shemagh to round the whole look off.

hand warmer pockets and shoulder pockets on both right and left arm. The waterproof hood can be removed and stored in a vertical zipped back pocket right near the lumbar or simply rolled up into the collar. Add to this the 5.11 new “Quixip” side access system which allows for concealed and covert carry and this is one heck of a jacket. The SABRE has allegedly been worn operationally by some pretty interesting outfits and I have to say I can totally see why! As this loadout is more designed for an urban environment I’ve once again gone for the VIPER FAST Helmet replica along with a simple tan neck gaiter to offer both additional warmth and protection from BBs to head and neck. This helmet is REALLY growing on me and I feel there may be a Multicam version going onto my Christmas list. Gloves are the “Ironsight” model from Outdoor Research Tactical and eyepro in both loadouts is the excellent “RAID” from 5:11; I’ve been using these for years now and love ‘em.

DIRECT ACTION! For those of you that follow this section of the magazine each month you’ll know that the DA setup is where I let things go a little wild and this month is absolutely no exception! So, let’s start with the infamous £200+ CRYE Precision Combat Pants, knee pads extra! CRYE have a loyal following amongst airsofters and let’s face it, I’m certain that many of you reading this will have a replica pair lurking somewhere in the kit pile! After trying numerous makes of the repros and having had them fail on me in quick-time, I finally bit the bullet and invested in the real thing. Designed as a purely operational fighting trouser, the 50/50 NYCO Ripstop Combat Pants are unmistakable in how they look and the performance is utterly staggering. They are aggressively cut for maximum mobility. These combat-proven pants feature a padded waist band and high-mobility woven, four way stretch panels in the knee and lower back. There are 10 pockets in total, so storing all your necessaries is easy. They’re designed for use with CRYEs’ own patented removable Combat Knee Pads (and yes, these really are sold separately). Over a wicking Under Armour Base Layer, I’ve chosen one of my very favourite soft shell jackets; the SABRE from 5:11. This superb jacket is fully waterproof and completely breathable, using a seam sealed membrane, along with updated mesh and nylon liner. The YKK fully waterproof zippers in a matte finish and with glove friendly pull tabs allow for a sleek and fast look, while large shoulder Velcro patches allow for multiple patches. The jacket has two front vertical chest pockets, is 5:11 “Back Up Belt System” compatible, has

Once again, the nylon gear for the DA loadout I have mentioned earlier in this article but the main platform is an unbranded plate carrier I picked up for just 15 quid! To this over time I’ve added a MOLLE mounted IMI Defense Roto Retention Holster for my SIG 226, five open topped Condor M4 pouches, a 5:11 radio pouch and Medium Dump Pouch and a Large Vertical Utility pouch that a mate chucked my way one day. I’ve had this set up until very recently with a simple hydration cover but another new VIPER piece, the One Day Modular Pack took my fancy. At £24.95 this is just tremendous value for money. The 13.5 Litre capacity gives enough space for those game day essentials that need to be carried with you, including space and access points for a hydration bladder. It’s made of 600D Cordura so it is bomber tough and the great thing is that you can use it either as a standalone pack or attach it direct to MOLLE. Suffice to say it’s found a home on the back of my plate carrier and now serves as a simple Sustainment pack. As with the other packs it comes with two V Locks and one D Lock for attaching accessories. You may have noticed that I’ve not mentioned footwear as yet, as I’ve used the same pair of boots for both loadouts. I was talking a little while back to the guys at Top of the Range who are the UK distributor for many excellent tactical and outdoor brands and my ears pricked up when they let drop in conversation that they would soon be carrying a number of models from the Reebok tactical line, so I pestered them for a pair as soon as they became available and boy, am I glad I did! I have to say that upon receiving a pair of their Rapid Response RB 6 inch tactical boots in Desert Tan I was reminded of the old adage that “good things come to he who waits” as straight out of the box they looked and felt superb. You can certainly see the US heritage to them as generally boots produced for the North American market do seem to be a little bit “chunkier” than

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their Euro equivalents and although I border on the UK9/9.5 boundary, size 9’s were just a bit long even for me, so I’d thoroughly recommend you try them to get the correct size for you. That slight (and I mean VERY slight!) niggle aside, everything else I’m going to tell you about these boots is extremely positive. Other than length the sizing for me is absolutely perfect; I have a very broad forefoot with a narrow heel and these are spot on in that respect. The heel is held snugly in a supportive cup whilst there’s enough room in the toe box, which has a raised protective rand, for the forefoot to spread allowing great levels of comfort straight from new. The front lace eyelets are far enough back that they are not going to crease uncomfortably over the top of the toes and there are enough ventilation panels to keep the foot cool and well aired; the overall construction is of suede leather and ballistic mesh, with a nylon mesh inner meaning they are superbly breathable. The insole is a removable F2A Force Athletic polyurethane cushion insert with a Shock Eliminator heel cushion; once again this is immediately comfortable, and I can feel that it will mould to my foot shape over time to give even further stability. The outsole is Reebok’s own dual density Mountain Trail unit which is of a medium to hard compound; linked to an EVA Cushion midsole I can see that this is going to be very durable whilst maintaining very high levels of shock absorption and offer superb non-slip properties. Overall I believe that Reebok have created a superior product for the tactical market and although due to the lack of membrane lining and the side zip they are never going to be waterproof (a pair of SEALSKINZ waterproof socks will sort this though), they will give great levels of comfort and performance in their intended environment. The Rapid Response RB6 boots cost £109.99 which is, if you’ll pardon the deliberate pun, right on the money for this type of boot! There’s also an 8 inch version at £114.99 if you like a higher cuff.

IT’S WRAP! I have to say that over the years my tan gear has been updated time and again, and I always try to keep it current. I’ve added elements to it, and continue to do so as items like the VIPER packs come available. All of us like to look at the shiny new kit as it comes available, don’t we? Both the RECCE and the DA versions of the loadout are real favourites of mine and in the summer months I simply swap out the soft shells for a plain navy blue 5:11 performance polo shirt; a checked shirt is also good and a cheaper option too. There’s a lot of pictoral evidence of contractors using exactly both of these setups, so it’s an easy seasonal change. By picking up bits and pieces from other players the cost has not become exorbitant and where I have spent money I believe I have done so wisely - and I’d urge you to do the same. Once again I come back to our fellow 86

January 2015

players and those good folk that make the games run each week or month, the site operators and their scenario writers. If they can make all the effort to put on a good game for us the least we can do is get our kit right, isn’t it? To conclude this month I’d like to express my thanks to the great team at WE Airsoft Europe for the loan of the “AK PMC and SU” gas blowback RIF models pictured in this article; these are both fine “in country” firearms and now WE Airsoft Europe have got the models both legally (in relation to CE and RoHS) compliant and firing at UK site compatible power levels they are absolutely brilliant if you want to finish off that “Contractor” look!

GEAR LIST AND WHERE TO GET IT www.viperkit.co.uk

VIPER make some of the most cost effective tactical clothing and equipment available, and their quality just keeps getting better and better. The new range of packs, tactical gear, footwear, and clothing is being released already, and believe me when I say there are some surprises there!

www.511tactical.com

Probably one of the originators when it comes to all things tactical and they’re constantly releasing new garments, footwear, and gear. Keep an eye on their website for updates!

www.top-of-the-range.co.uk

To check out the full range of Reebok Tactical Boots give the TOTR website a visit. They’ve also got some other great tactical brands in their portfolio and you’ll find full details tech specs and stockist details.

www.military1st.co.uk

Need tactical gear? Military1st is pretty much your one stop shop in this respect. All the Condor and the very latest Helikon gear is on their website, along with so much more!

www.imidefense.com

IMI Defense holsters and firearm accessories are thankfully becoming more widely available in the UK, and for good reason; THEY WORK! All the IMI Defense gear is reasonably priced too, so pay their website a visit to see their entire range.

www.cryeprecision.com

For the ultimate fix of “gucciness” visit the CRYE Precision website and be prepared to drool more than a little. None of their first rate gear comes cheap, although stuff does come up for sale regualary online via forums and Facebook groups.

www.military.outdoorresearch.com

I’m still scratching my head as to why none of the UK retailers seem to have picked up on the Outdoor Research tactical line of gloves and accessories. Their products are absolutely top notch, but as of now you’ll still need to order them from overseas!

www.weairsofteurope.com

For more details on their RIFs as well as gas, BBs, batteries, and accessories please pay WE Airsoft Europe a visit! They’ve been busy in recent months with new product releases, and believe me when I say there’s a LOT more to come!

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LIVERPUDLIAN CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE PHIL “YOSSER” HUGHES GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON THIS HUGE CQB SITE IN THE HEART OF LIVERPOOL FOR PLAYERS WHO LIKE TO TRAVEL AND PLAY at sites around the country (and there seem to be increasing numbers of players doing exactly that) S.W.A.T. Fortress in Liverpool must be high on the agenda, especially for fans of airsoft who like their games up close and personal in the form of CQB urban warfare. S.W.A.T. airsoft, based in the North West, have been running airsoft games in and around the Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales area since 2001 and have a wealth of experience in running both woodland and urban CQB sites. This site located near the heart of Liverpool City Centre and is probably the City’s first dedicated airsoft site. It is just a stone’s throw from the famous Anfield and Goodison football grounds, with the usual great transport links via mainline trains or motorway via the East Lancs Road, straight into the heart of the City. When you arrive at the site it’s easy to understand why it has been named “The Fortress”. Surrounded on all sides by high-sided walls it still maintains a security team, which means it hasn’t suffered from some of the urban decay and vandalism that plagues many urban CQB sites. Once through the large imposing gates, players have ample secure parking and a site which is near on 8 acres of 2 storey, indoor and outdoor CQB goodness with what can only be described (when compared with many airsoft venues) as an excellent “Safe Zone”. Players have dedicated benches and rifle stands but competition for these spaces is high on busy game days, so best arrive early. Those arriving later though can still find space in an overflow area near the dedicated chrono room. The site has excellent player facilities, including an onsite airsoft shop providing an excellent range of airsoft guns and repairs via Raptor Airsoft, always handy for upgrade advice and sorting out those pesky problems which seem to afflict us all mid-game. The sign-in desk provides an opportunity to purchase all the usual refreshments as well as BBs, gas and other consumables. Located next to this is an array of battery chargers, including facilities for LiPo battery charging (all with either Deans or Tamiya connector adapters), while more unusually those using HPA (High Pressure Air - as used in Polar Star systems) can also benefit from free canister refills. Tea and coffee are offered for free throughout January 2015

SITE REVIEW S.W.A.T. FORTRESS

the day as well as chilled water via a dispenser. Male and female toilets are standard, although you may find yourself queuing to use these. As an additional bonus the site even houses a dedicated range, can offer Practical Action Shooting, plinking or dedicated target shooting facilities, available most game days and you can come along to the range without having to book on for a day’s skirmishing. Time for a quick site tour before the 10 o’clock game and safety briefing is called. Out of the safe zone and up some stairs which opens up into one of the largest spaces I’ve ever seen in a CQB site. If you’re expecting a Mill, like many airsoft venues think again. Some of your average mills would fit into these spaces a few times over. The floor area is massive; you couldn’t shoot from one end to the other. The site owners have broken up the space and provided cover with a good use of tarpaulins and other barriers to aid game play. The area is very well lit thanks to the skylights which are great for the in game video footage. Into the next area, through some plastic blinds and into a much darker large open space partially occupied by a mezzanine floor with some office areas and stairs located at the far end. The offices provide a great opportunity for some room to room clearance techniques, while the mezzanine floor area is a sniper’s paradise, checking out any targets in range on the ground floor. Down under this floor (assuming players can get to it) is a maze! Torches are definitely needed in this area and time to break out the glow sticks and tracers if you have them. Back to the Safe Zone for the Briefing. The briefing was comprehensive, going into the rules of the site and safety info. One important thing to point out about this site, is that chemical pyro is not allowed due to the “No Flames” policy of the building owners, although S.W.A.T. do allow (and rent out) BFGs/V.T.Gs as well as selling all the blanks and blank adaptors should you need to replenish supplies. These guys will even service a BFG or VTG while you wait. The briefing covers all that’s needed from rules on surrender, safe deployment of grenades, “knife kills” and the importance of eye protection AT ALL TIMES in the game area - along with the all-important encouragement of players to get their pizza orders in ready for lunch time delivery (for which an additional charge applies). Game styles at this site vary greatly and are

tailored to the number of players on the day and can use a variety of in game props or even themed events. This means regular players get a good mix of game formats while new players get a great introduction to airsoft fast and furious. The first game of the day aims to get us all around the site exploring and is a search and destroy mission or, in this case detonate “the bomb”. The white team are assigned the task of guarding the package somewhere on the 8 acre site whilst the reds, starting at the far end of the site, have to locate, activate and then ensure the bomb isn’t deactivated if the whites recapture it. The forces spread out with the whites deciding not to concentrate their forces around the bomb’s location, in order to make finding it more difficult for the red team. The fighting provides a full 360 degree battlefield and for a while it looked like the reds were just about to gain dominance and force the issue by making great use of the available cover, until the whites rallied and pushed them out of the area with a forceful push and determined effort. Although they nearly lost the advantage as they’d used their forces heavily in one direction and were nearly undone by a small force of the valiant reds coming from behind them. This game lasted most of the morning with a lot of action spread out of the majority of the site (which covers 3 main buildings plus out buildings, corridors and 2 floors), it was a large area to try and keep covered. The two main buildings are connected on the 1st floor by various bridged corridors along its length, which makes defence extremely difficult. This all adds up to some exciting game play and reduces the chances of bottleneck situations where you just can’t progress. The whites managed to hold out with the reds not getting to activate the 15 minute countdown timer on the

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“NO MATTER HOW THE MAZE IS RUN, IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO MIX IT UP A LITTLE - THEY ARE STILL TOTALLY INTENSE AFFAIRS AND IT’S REALLY HANDY TO BE USING A PISTOL.”

“bomb”. After a short break to mag-up and replenish supplies it was straight into the second session; a capture the laptop game which sees both teams attacking and defending. The objective was to capture the opposing team’s laptop for intel and get it safely back to your own CP. The main building was in play for this one but again with 2 floors and a great mix of light and dark areas some exciting firefights broke out at various points. The white team’s CP was near the dark maze area, which covers a large almost disorienting area with strobes, UV black lights and other special effects and you have to watch that you don’t get too mesmerised by the tracers, torches and lighting effects. The second game ran up until lunch time with the players all heading back into the Safe Zone for a bit of rest and recuperation and maybe a slice of pizza. Chatting in the safe zone with players, some had travelled up from the Midlands to play and most seemed to be having a good time. Players seemed impressed that the staff had taken the time to balance the teams up, with a mix of new players and seasoned veterans to help games flow and not produce one-sided games which can happen (especially when you have all the site regulars on one team). No one team appeared to be getting the upper hand and observing some of the game play, both sides where pretty evenly matched in skills, players and experience. Back in game for the afternoon and it was started off by what the S.W.A.T. players call a “transport game”. This involved the transport of an object from one part of the site to another, usually within a time limit. Again the “suitcase bomb” was used and after this was completed with one team it was flipped with the other team having to do the same, so everyone gets to defend and attack. Following on from these came a couple of maze games with a defending and attacking team, this 90

January 2015

Contact details: S.W.A.T. Fortress, Boundary Lane, Liverpool, L6 9BY Entrance in Hygeia St – off Severs St (off Boundary Lane) Walk on fee: £30 non-members, £25 members Hire kit with AEG: £20 BFG Hire: £10 with 10 blank rounds The Fortress is available by prior arrangement for private games and parties time the main lights where left on. The defenders had a couple of lives whilst the attackers had to re-spawn a few sections back if hit. No matter how the maze is run, it’s always good to mix it up a little - they are still totally intense affairs and it’s really handy to be using a pistol. No BFG’s in the maze, can’t make it too easy! I think it’s safe to say that players loved the maze game, the buzz from them was palpable. 16:00hrs rolled around far too quickly for ENDEX time to head back to the safe zone, pack up and head home. We didn’t even get to cover an outdoor game or the “street fighting” down one of the 2 available avenues this site has available, or even use the old “Club House” or folly. Next time maybe? One thing that strikes me about S.W.A.T. Fortress is just how committed the owners, staff and marshals are to giving the player a good day’s airsofting. Not just the game play but a real investment in their site and the facilities. Paul Knaggs, S.W.A.T. Owner, Site manager Craig Miller and the marshal team have a great site going here. They go out of their way to make sure the airsoft players are well catered for and looked after and it’s good to see a site that is happy to listen to feedback from players always be looking to develop and improve facilities and game play.

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THE BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE DAN MILLS CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY THROUGH THE BATTLES OF WW1 WITH A BATTLE THAT BROUGHT DOWN A GOVERNMENT THE BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE took place in March 1915 and was the battle that, quite literally brought down the British Liberal government due to a lack of shells, thus causing a countrywide shell crisis. After spending its first Christmas in newly dug trenches on the Western Front, the soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force were resting up and preparing for the spring and battles that would surely follow in an attempt to break the static stalemate. Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s General Joffre had identified a bulge along the line and wanted to remove this salient from the maps of the front lines. Early March 1915 found the BEF with fresh orders to attack towards the Aubers Ridge, at Neuve Chapelle. The attacking forces were made up of the British and Indian armies and were preceded by a short, sharp 35-minute artillery bombardment. During the Great War the Indian Army contributed a large number of divisions and independent brigades to the war effort and India, as part of the commonwealth of troops, fought for the British Empire in all theatres of war in World War I. One million plus Indian troops

January 2015

served overseas, including service in Great Britain and throughout the war at least 74,187 Indian soldiers were killed during the fighting. A first for the British Expeditionary Force during this battle was that the Royal Flying Corps had mapped the whole of the German lines back to a depth of some 1,500 yards, giving detailed mapping to those attacking for the first time and giving planners information to coordinate a step by step plan. Secondly, they attacked the rear areas causing havoc and delayed any Germans reserves moving to the front. Once preparations were completed the bombardment opened on the 10th of March and, after a thirty five minute peppering of the forward enemy trenches along a frontage of two miles, four divisions went into the assault. Initially the attacking forces made rapid gains and within four hours had captured Neuve Chappelle village. However, the advance just as rapidly slowed down due to breakdown of communications and a lack of supply of artillery ammunition with which to carry the attack. German artillery bombardment had broken the telephone wiring and whilst the British floundered with no communications the Germans were then able to bring up enough reinforcements to halt the advance. Confusion reigned on the best place to send available logistics, identification of areas of success proved difficult and time consuming, leading to a defensive mind- set slipping in amongst the attackers, instead of pushing through the attack. After initial gain the British attack had stalled, this had now given Germany time to reinforce and regroup, counter attack and stop our advance. Several small company groups of defenders had managed to hold up the attack for at least six hours using a single machine gun. Along the frontage the wire had been cut by our artillery easing entry into the enemy trenches, the German centre buckled and troops poured through and on to capture the village, to the flanks though some Indian battalions had swerved too far and led attacks into German positions that had not been subjected to

“DURING OUR ATTACK ON THE GERMAN POSITION HE WAS ONE OF A BAYONET PARTY WITH BOMBS WHO ENTERED THEIR MAIN TRENCH AND WAS THE FIRST MAN TO GO ROUND EACH TRAVERSE, DRIVING BACK THE ENEMY UNTIL THEY WERE EVENTUALLY FORCED TO SURRENDER.”

bombardment, here they lost many men stuck against the barbed entanglements and mowed down by machine gun fire. It was at this point on the first day of the battle that the Indians won a Victoria Cross. Twenty One year old Gobar Singh Negi, of the 2/39th Garhwal Rifles, was a rifleman in the thick of the fighting. After entering the German front line trench Gobar, along with a bayonet party, set about clearing the area of the enemy. It was noted that at each bend or traverse in the trench he was the first to go round the corner and engage the enemy. The Germans were forced back by this charge until they had sufficient numbers to overwhelm this gallant attack by a small and dwindling band of men. Unfortunately young Gobar Singh Negi was killed in the engagement. The citation for the award appeared in the London Gazette on April 28th 1915. The citation reads: “His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned man for his conspicuous acts of bravery and devotion to duty whilst serving with the Expeditionary Force: — No. 1685 Rifleman Gobar Sing [sic] Negi, 2nd Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles. For most conspicuous bravery on 10th March, 1915, at Neuve Chapelle.

WW1 NEUVE CHAPELLE

During our attack on the German position he was one of a bayonet party with bombs who entered their main trench and was the first man to go round each traverse, driving back the enemy until they were eventually forced to surrender. He was killed during this engagement.” Gobar Singh Negi is one of over four thousand commemorated on the Indian memorial at Neuve Chappelle. By the end of that day the Germans were digging fresh front lines ahead of the British who were consolidating on the new ground they found themselves on. The following day saw the German counter attack, with twenty Battalions of infantry the grey tide swept forward against the Indian and British infanteers, now finding themselves the defenders. Vital artillery stocks of shells, intended for the next push forward had to be used up in destroying the attack, which they successfully did. General Sir John French asked for more shells to continue the attack but supplies had dwindled or had been sent to the wrong place. So the position was held for the second day of fighting, repelling the counter attack. Though the advance had taken the village of Neuve Chapelle it still fell short of its objectives, with low artillery supplies, the intended next advance schedule for the 13th was delayed then postponed. Ten awards of the Victoria Cross were made for the battle, nine to the British Army and one to the Indian Army. Of the 40,000 allies who took part in the battle the British had 7,000 casualties and the Indians 4,200. The Germans had lost around 10,000 men over the period from 9th to 20th March 1915. After the news reached Britain the Liberal government collapsed; failure in the Dardanelles along with the acute shortage of shells leading to a forestalment of the advance had led to uproar. Changes had to be made to the way the country went about its method of waging war, the whole of the country’s economy had to be turned towards the war effort. Prime Minister Asquith ended his Liberal government replacing it with a coalition to better manage the war effort. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

THE NEW THREAT 2 BILLY CONTINUES TO EXPLORE THE “WHAT IF?” THEME HE STARTED IN THE LAST ISSUE AND COMES TO A FAIRLY SURPRISING CONCLUSION. WELCOME BACK TO THE SECOND PART of our mini-series on the “New Threat”. We’re exploring the scenario of a notional hostile force occupying our beloved Sceptred Isle, taking over the country (after it’s swept up through Europe and is now heading east toward the Russian border), dismantling the Government and generally ruining our lives with their twisted ideology. As I mentioned in the last article it is not meant to be a direct comparison to the obvious threat of IS in the Middle East but those comparisons are very difficult to ignore aren’t they? I read a disturbing sentence in last week’s Economist newspaper which really bought it home. It mentioned the difference between a war involving opposing sides that play by the rules of War and observe the Geneva Convention, or at least elements of it. Compare that with IS, which murders entire communities of young men who don’t conform to their beliefs, round up the women and girls to be imprisoned and sexually assaulted and pursue their victims on foot then stick their heads on stakes, or hang them in shop windows, as a warning to others. No one’s coming to the rescue: To you and your family it’s going to be the most traumatic thing that you can imagine and we’ll all be in denial right from the word go but, be under no illusions, there’s going to be nobody coming to rescue us. We’re far too fond of films where low flying helicopters swoop in and save the day, all the baddies get a bullet and superheroes (who most saddoes project themselves onto, myself included many has been the evening when I have watched Batman or the Matrix with a bottle of wine and thought….. well never mind what I thought) who reign down justice but not on this occasion my friends. We’ve invaded plenty of countries before and are fairly slow to help others when they get invaded (unless there’s a compelling business incentive) so we can’t expect any help, you only have to look at how little we’re doing to help the Iraqis against IS and West African states struggling to deal with Ebola. We’re going to have to learn to get by on a lot less: In our daily lives today we throw the most staggering amount of stuff away;

January 2015

billy basics THE NEW THREAT 2

we have a saying in our house that it’s not “Buy 1 get 1 Free”, it’s “Buy 1 let 1 Rot”. I am guilty of this as much as the next man but we’re going to have to become as self-sufficient as possible if we’re to survive. Food will be in staggeringly short supply for a long time as the “Movement” smashes the place up before it gets around to feeding us - if it does at all. It will be far more motivated to feed its brave soldiers who are doing the really courageous work of lining our innocents, elderly and intellectuals up against the wall and machine gunning them. Now if they were to start with Estate Agents I wouldn’t mi….. No! Did I just say that out loud? Anyway, you get my point. Everything that we used to throw away will become a valuable commodity that will enable us to make our lives a little more comfortable or to extend it by another few months and I can almost guarantee that you’ll find a use for pretty much everything that you can think of…. even Estate Agents. By way of an example let’s consider water. The taps will almost certainly run dry as the morons of the Movement line up all the managers at the Water Companies and gun them down because they don’t like the cut of their jib. Looking up you’ll notice that it still rains (they can’t stop that) and it does so on your roof, so by sticking a couple of water butts or plastic barrels under the gutters that empty it into the drains you can collect it. If you collect all the plastic bottles you can lay your hands on, fill them with your rain water and arrange them on a permanent

platform built for the purpose, which is backed by silver paper, reflective surfaces or mirrors, you can direct the sun’s rays to heat and sterilise the water. There is utility in most things, it’s just that we’ve forgotten what they are, we’ll be forced to relearn them because we’ll bloody well have to. Man/Woman/Child Up!! We’re all going to have to learn very quickly to become extremely cynical and tough too, it’s going to be your street against the world and the old alliances you forged on the icing sugar thin coating of your former life will be a distant memory. Animals that we once loved and gave names too (and treated as four-legged people) are now food, unless they can be put to use as hunters. It will take a little imagination to retrain a domestic dog to hunt for you, but they’re going to be hell of a lot

“YOU’LL NEED TO DEVELOP A KNACK OF SUSSING PEOPLE OUT AND DETECTING DANGER IN EVERYDAY THINGS BECAUSE ONE FALSE MOVE COULD SEE YOU SWINGING FROM A LAMP POST WITH YOUR HOUSE BURNT TO THE GROUND AS A WARNING TO OTHERS” www.airsoft-action.co.uk

billy basics THE NEW THREAT 2

better at it than you are, so it’s worth a go eh? I would imagine that Fido will be fairly hacked off that he’s done all the work hunting that pheasant and you just take it off him, so you’ll have to tread a delicate path and reward him with some of it while keeping a portion for the pot for you and your family. Otherwise Fido is going to be dinner himself eh? Mum’s definitely the word: If you are up to no good then keep it to yourself, there’s a difference between sharing car services and growing vegetables for your own consumption and chatting to people about blowing up railway lines. Loose lips sank ships in WW2 and in your situation it could lead to you getting carted off and never seen again. Putting together a network: I watched a Ewan Macgregor film called Shallow Grave a while ago and one of the quotes that stayed with me was as follows…. “If you take trust for instance, or friendship. These are the important things in life. These are the things that matter, that help you on your way. If you can’t trust your friends, well, what then... What then?” If you are going to fight back and retake your former life you’re going to need allies, supplies, safe houses, networks of informers that you can trust to supply you and conceal you. You’ll need to develop a knack of sussing people out and detecting danger in everyday things because one false move could see you swinging from a lamp post with your house burnt to the ground as a warning to others. One thing that might happen is that we just get used to living like this under the yolk. “Not a chance” you might think, “Not me Billy, no way Jose, speak for yourself!!” But if you cast your mind back a few months you’ll see what I am driving at. Can you remember the horror that most of the western world felt when IS began rampaging across the Middle East? I remember very well driving across the New Forest on the way home and putting my hand to my mouth in shock (which I don’t do very often I must say as little shocks me on the news anymore) at the report about graves full of kids, women and old people butchered by those animals. It was absolutely hellish. I was 99% sure that the Government that I elected to represent me and the valuable structure of NATO that I believed in, was going to do what I thought they would do and drive these creatures back. Well this horror has now largely been replaced by stories about another child abuse story in the North of England, or some hikers killed in Nepal, (or the price of fish) both absolutely terrible occurrences but my point is that we have now got used to it and the press caravan has moved on. My worry is that were we to be invaded and have our liberties stripped from us we’d…… well you know what I reckon? That we’ve become a rather lazy country and I reckon we’d just get on with it and do whatever we had to for an easy life. You might have a rather romanticised mental image of your fellow countrymen but I’m afraid I don’t. When the Afghans are invaded they retreat initially, lull their enemies into a false sense of security and then destroy them with maximum prejudice (and they do that very well indeed). We’re not Afghans, we’re nothing like those tough, brutal mountain warriors who charge around the frozen valleys in flipflops, as tough as shoe leather, bringing down withering fire with old 96

January 2015

muskets on unsuspecting foes. Winston Churchill once made a very brief but rousing speech to a group of guests; he put his cigar down, rose to his feet and said “Never, never, never surrender” and then he sat down - amazing stuff from a man who had saved the country (well, not single-handedly of course but he was a driving force). You can imagine nowadays if he’d said that today, there would have been quite a few paying customers in the audience (we pay and expect to be paid for most things) who would be grizzling that they had expected more for their money. I am a man of contrasts - not in a smug, self-righteous way, it’s just a fact there’s a constant argument going on. Sometimes I can be quite positive, full of drive and optimism and other times I just say “Oh to hell with it”. As I was re-reading what I’d written before I sent it to Ed, feeling a little downcast I have to admit, a voice inside my head sitting in the shadows was puffing on a cigar. Through the smoke he muttered in a compelling, comforting but resolute voice quietly proclaiming that I was talking “absolute poppycock” and that we would “Never, never, never surrender” and I reckon he’s right, we wouldn’t would we? Live well, enjoy it but be ready for anything that life throws at you. Until next time. Billy Out.

“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” — Winston Churchill All Copyright and Intellectual Property remains the property of the respective owner. Some images reproduced under CC-BY-SA license.

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WHITE FEATHER AT HILL 55 SNIPER ONE, DAN MILLS, WRITES ABOUT A LEGENDARY US SNIPER WHO HELD THE RECORD FOR LONGEST KILL SHOT FOR OVER 30 YEARS CARLOS HATHCOCK WAS A LEGEND TO US SERVICEMEN both during and after the war in Vietnam, and even today his legacy lives on. His childhood tale was like so many others who went on to become great shooters and familiar to many who have walked similar paths, hunting and shooting out in the outback to help feed his family and pass the time. Carlos was born and raised in Arkansas during the days of the Second World War in 1942, spending his childhood in the rural areas hunting from an early age, before joining the Marine Corps in 1959 aged just seventeen years old. After initial deployment as a member of the Military Police he soon swapped his warrant badge for a rifle, entering competitions and winning them, including the coveted Wimbledon Cup for long range shooting. It was after the news had spread of his long range shooting victory that he was quickly transferred into the cadre of snipers being established in each battalion by one Captain EJ Land. For the most part Hathcock used the normal issued sniper rifle, the M 70 Winchester 30 calibre rifle fitted with an x8 Unertl scope. On several occasions though he moved up in calibre and used a beast, the M2 Browning .50 machine gun. This he fitted with x10 Unertl scope! Several of his kills were made with this long range weapon, at distances well over 1,000 yards. Carlos also used it for his longest ever recorded shot, this confirmed kill remained the longest ever kill recorded for over thirty years at 2,500 yards. As a side arm – backup piece he carried a Colt M1911A1. Carlos Hathcock went on to kill an estimated 300 plus enemy VC and NVA soldiers, though due to the strict confirmation requirements in place only 93 kills counted! Back then a third party had to be present to witness the kill and confirm its authenticity - pretty ridiculous considering the normal circumstances a sniper would get involved in!

January 2015

What’s more, the supervisor had to be an officer; not one whom could normally acquire sufficient field craft skills to successfully stalk behind a professional sniper and not give the position of either away. This system seems even more stupid when each sniper would have his kill confirmed by his Spotter/No2 as well! That made three people trying to remain hidden to the enemy in order to take the shot. The effectiveness of Carlos Hathcock did not go unnoticed by the enemy who came up against him, they gave him the nick name “Long Tra’ng” (“White Feather”) because he killed many of them whilst wearing one in the band of his hat. One can only assume that he had been observed several times and the feather had been noticed and passed on as an identifying feature. In one instance, a unit of snipers was knowingly sent to hunt down and kill Carlos and, on hearing of this and understanding the huge dent in US morale it would make if it became the reality, all the other US snipers and Marines operating in the same area donned a white feather too, hoping to draw away the attention. Many, many Vietnamese marksman hunted Carlos for the $30,000 bounty that had been placed on his head. He killed all

Sniper SNIPER | CARLOS HATHCOCK

“CARLOS FIRED INSTINCTIVELY, SENDING THE BULLET TOWARDS HIS PREY, THE BULLET HIT THE END OF THE RIFLE AND TRAVELLED DOWN THE INSIDE OF THE COBRA’S SCOPE ENTERING HIS EYE AT THE END OF IT.”

those who came up against him. The most famous of these kills was against an enemy sniper known as the “Cobra”, who had been operating in the area of Hathcock’s base at Hill 55. Cobra had been sent into the jungle especially to stalk and kill the White Feather and whilst he managed to hunt down and kill several Marine snipers, his luck ran out when he met Carlos Hathcock. Whilst out stalking, Carlos noticed the shine from what could only have been a rifle scope. He quickly aimed and fired, killing the Cobra instantly. It was later found that at that precise moment in time both snipers had spotted each other and instantly acted to make the shot. Carlos fired instinctively, sending the bullet towards his prey, the bullet hit the end of the rifle and travelled down the inside of the Cobra’s scope entering his eye at the end of it. A feat which has been copied in film and drama ever since it became known. The White Feather stalked to the body of his prey and retrieved as a trophy the sniper’s rifle, intending to keep it he bagged and tagged it and handed it in securely to the armoury back in base at Hill 55, only to later discover it had been stolen by a fellow marine. Another kill in his tally was a most welcome addition, he killed a female shooter operating in the same jungle as him. This particular individual had a trademark for capturing and torturing marines in the jungle, before leaving them to bleed to death alone. This kill was much celebrated at the time and many cans were popped open at the news of the death of the “Apache”. One of his most famous kills and one of the most arduous, one which he thought he would not return from (he was even told his chances were slim), was to stalk and kill a top NVA General. Over a period of four days, three nights, painstakingly crawling forward inch by inch into enemy territory to a distance of 800 yards. Along the way he was at one point nearly trod on by a patrolling enemy soldier whilst at another he was nearly bitten by a poisonous viper snake. Hathcock located his target, built up his final fire position and in his mind talked himself through the 800 yard shot - after all he had gone

through he wanted a first round kill!. After releasing and following through, he maintained the aim until he saw the General fall to the ground with a hit to the chest which immediately burst with blood. The reaction to the kill was immediate and devastating, effecting Hathcock badly for as a result the enemy caused many US casualties by redoubling their efforts to attack Hill 55. Despite this Carlos lived to fight another day by stalking back out of the area. During this mission he had not stood upright for four days. A year-long tour of deployment ended for Hathcock shortly after that mission and he was posted back to the States. However life after the excitement of the chase soon became tedious and he volunteered to go back out to Vietnam on a second tour of duty, this time as a platoon leader of a sniper platoon. This second tour though was not to be when the war ended abruptly for Carlos one day as he was hitching a ride on an amphibious tractor along Route One. The fully laden vehicle struck an anti- tank mine and Hathcock was thrown to the ground unconscious. On awakening he sprang into action and retrieved seven fellow marines out of the burning vehicle, getting badly burned in the process. For this action Carlos Hathcock was awarded the Silver Star. Remaining in the Marine Corps teaching for several years he was diagnosed with MS and discharged. Carlos Hathcock died on February 23rd 1999. He once said “I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It’s my job. If I don’t get those bastards, then they’re gonna kill a lot of these kids dressed up like Marines. That’s the way I look at it.” Today he is still widely regarded and has had many accolades, including a rifle named after him.

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DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND BY SIMON CHAMBERS

HAVING SEEN THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT, NIGE WAS KEEN TO GET HIS HANDS ON THE BOOK WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED - ESPECIALLY AS IT IS WRITTEN BY AN AIRSOFT ACTION CONTRIBUTOR. “Since staring this project some of my team have been killed in action. They do not appear on a military casualty list. They are not classed as soldiers. They have not made the headlines and many get just a few paragraphs in their local paper. They don’t get medals either, although many have carried out deeds worthy of such recognition. The uninformed call them overpaid mercenaries and say they get what they deserve. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

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Content Simon Chambers is a friend and he was also the first British Soldier to be employed by the infamous American Private Military Company, Blackwater. Having served for 30 plus years in the British Army in both the Regulars and Reserves, he was now out and, having had a good look at what was going on both at home in the UK and elsewhere around the World, decided that this form of “peace” was not something he was particularly interested in - especially when companies were paying silly amounts of money for him to go back to what he’d just spent 30 years learning to do! But how to get into that line of work? Fate, it would seem had already got it sorted, in the form of a phone call from an ex-Para buddy: “Hey mate, guess where I’m phoning from! Bleeding Baghdad! It’s a job creation scheme. You want the work, get your arse in gear and get over here!” From this point the book charts Simon’s course as he applies and gets turned down by a number of companies in favour of younger people until, out of the blue an email arrives inviting out to the USA. It turned out that he would be the first British National to go through the American vetting system and test it out for future Foreign National applicants, a sort of “Crash Test Dummy”! And so it was onto training at Blackwater in Maycock and thereafter deployment to Karbala, in Iraq. Devil’s Playground is not some

whimsical fairy tale and Simon makes no bones about his thoughts and feelings, not only of his fellow Contractors and the companies they worked for but also the conditions under which they lived, worked and died. His descriptions of some of the actions he took part in are almost matter-of-fact… not that he tries to make light of the situations, it is just that is the way it happened, no gloss, no hype, no Hollywood. The book contains a number of photographs of Simon’s friends and colleagues and one of the things that really struck me, were the number of times the words “Wounded” and “Killed” were used in the captions underneath. If you want to really know what life is like as a Private Military Contractor, then I highly recommend you read this book.

INFORMATION DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND IS PUBLISHED BY PERCY PUBLISHING AND IS AVAILABLE IN BOTH PAPERBACK AND KINDLE EDITION ON AMAZON. SIMON IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON HIS NEXT BOOK AND FUTURE ARTICLES FOR AIRSOFT ACTION

BOOK REVIEW ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT BY ERICH MARIA REMARQUE

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY A.W. WHEEN KRIS ROBERTS FINDS HIMSELF DEEPLY AFFECTED BY A BOOK THAT WAS BANNED AND BURNED BY THE NAZIS

‘This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by war.’

Content All Quiet on the Western Front is the fictional tale of Paul Bäumer, a young enthusiastic German who, along with his classmates, is fiercely encouraged to fulfil his patriotic duty and join his countrymen in the trenches of the Great War. But all promises of glory quickly crumble beneath the onslaught of death and destruction on an industrial scale. Schoolboy illusions are quickly replaced by the will to live another day and the instinctive need for comradeship.

Suffering is on a biblical scale and all efforts are made to live for the moment and embrace the small pleasures. Through a series of events Remarque weaves a delicate path through the humanity, the obscenity and the ludicrous. Never shying from the reality and gore, the reader is subjected to long and painful deaths, be they in the torn up mud of the battlefield or the bloodsoaked sheets of a hospital bed. Remarque forces us to witness the madness that descends on the soldiers as they fight to survive, feel guilt to survive and become robbed of their civility and future. The hopelessness and futility of the situation is laid bare and presented without any sentimentality or intention. ‘We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation. It is not against men that we fling our bombs, what do we know of men in this moment when Death is hunting us down – now, for the first time in three days we can see his face, now for the first time in three days we can oppose him; we feel a mad anger. No longer do we lie helpless, waiting on the scaffold, we can destroy and kill, to save ourselves, to save ourselves and to be revenged. All Quiet on the Western Front was banned by the Nazis in the 1930’s and publically burned. Remarque was stripped of his citizenship and eventually fled to the United States. His sister was put on trial in Germany and beheaded in 1943, the bill for the execution was sent to the family.

Impressions I found my copy of this book in a local charity shop for the bargain price of twenty pence but it has sat on my bookcase for a year since. I cannot express deeply enough my regret at having waited so long to read what I must consider to be a masterpiece. I have read countless books on war throughout

my life but Remarque has managed, with a powerful story and skilful clarity, to make me feel innocent and naive once more to the horrors of battle. The fact that this is a work of fiction may cause some readers to dismiss it as irrelevant when seen as a lesson in war but that would be a gross error. This tatty book, printed decades ago and with its yellowing pages, has now become one of my most prized possessions. I feel obliged to share it but I am loathe to pass it on as I know I will read it again and again throughout my life. There are few books that illicit such feelings, in fact I have only experienced it once before and I find that a simple recommendation falls far too short. I urge you to read this book. Whether the copy you find costs twenty pence or twenty pounds, or even ten times that number, you will be all the richer for having read it. ‘And men will not understand us – for the generation that grew up before us, though it has passed these years with us already had a home and a calling; now it will return to its old occupations and the war will be forgotten – and the generation that has grown up after us will be strange to us and push us aside. We will be superfluous even to ourselves, we will grow older, a few will adapt themselves, some others will merely submit and most will be bewildered; the years will pass by and in the end we shall fall into ruin.’

INFORMATION RRP £12.99 PUBLISHER - PEN AND SWORD MILITARY BOOKS.

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ATROOP AIRSOFT

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ABER AIRSOFT – THE BUNKER

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

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Near Trawden, BB8 8SN 07909 683464 www.allarmsairsoft.co.uk

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

APOCALYPSE AIRSOFT

Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7QP 07872 348 576 www.apocalypseairsoft.com

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Sutton, near Ferrybridge 07723 061386 andyace@ntlworld.com

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

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

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

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

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

SITE DIRECTORY

Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data

FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

BATTLETEC AIRSOFT

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

BETTER BATTLES

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

CERBERUS AIRSOFT - RIVOCK EDGE

Keighley, BD20 0LS 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

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

BLACKDAGGER AIRSOFT

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

CHESTERFIELD IMPERIAL AIRSOFT

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

BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT

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

BRAVO 2-2 AIRSOFT

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

BRISTOL AIRSOFT

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

BRIT-TAC AIRSOFT

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

BUNKER 51

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

C3 TACTICAL

CLOSE ACTION AIRSOFT Corby, NN17 3BB 07740 165787 www.close-action.co.uk

COMBAT ACTION GAMES Maryland, Norfolk, NR10 4 07748 023832 www.facebook.com/ combatactiongames

FIREBALL SQUADRON

DOGS OF WAR

FIRST AND ONLY – ANZIO CAMP

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

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

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

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

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

FIRST AND ONLY – BUNKER WOOD

Kidderminster, Worcs, DY11 5SA 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

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

FIRST AND ONLY – KHE SANH WOODS

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

DOG TAG AIRSOFT COMBAT SOUTH URBAN Portsmouth, PO6 3LS 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

COMBAT SOUTH WOODLAND Fareham, PO17 5ND 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL

Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM14 5 01438 368177 www.thefightschool.demon.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT - THE COMPLEX

CORNWALLS ELITE AIRSOFT

Bradford, BD2 1BQ 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

DELTA TEAM 3

Buckingham, MK18 4JT 07976 184897 www.finmereairsoft.com

DRAGON VALLEY AIRSOFT

COOL UNDER FIRE

CERBERUS AIRSOFT - THE SANDPIT

FINMERE AIRSOFT

Hythe, Kent CT21 5SL 07947 558433 www.darkwaterairsoft.co.uk

DRAGON’S LAIR

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

Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4RP 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

DARKWATER AIRSOFT

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

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

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

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

ELITE ACTION GAMES – WORTHING

FIRST AND ONLY – ASYLUM

ELITE BATTLEZONE

FIRST & ONLY: THE HIVE

Worthing, BN13 01784 433023 www.eliteactiongames.com

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

EXPERIENCE AIRSOFT

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

Kidderminster, DY10 3PT 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

Middleton, Manchester, M24 1AZ 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ARMOURY

Wrexham, Denbighshire, LL13 9RG 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ACADEMY FIREFIGHT COMBAT SIMULATIONS Lewisham, SE13 5SU 07973 240177 www.firefight.co.uk

CUMBRIA AIRSOFT

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

FIRST AND ONLY – MANCHESTER WOODLAND

FIFE WARGAMES

Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 6QF 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ASYLUM

Kidderminster, DY10 3PT 0161 727 8863

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

103

LAC SITE 1

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

LAC SITE 2

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

FIRST & ONLY: THE OUTPOST Kidderminster, DY11 5SA 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: SLEEPY HOLLOW

Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 5LS 0161 727 8863

GUN HO AIRSOFT

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

NOMAD AIRSOFT

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

NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ 01845 565465 www.northernallianceairsoft.co.uk

NORTHFLEET CQB LAC SITE 3

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

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – CAMBRIDGE

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

NSC AIRSOFT

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

LAC SITE 5

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – MIDLANDS

LINDSEY AIRSOFT

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

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

FIRST & ONLY: THE DEPOT

Glasgow, G45 9SB 0161 727 8863

GROUND ZERO WOODLAND

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

FREE FIRE ZONE

Farcet, Peterborough, PE7 3DH 01733 247171 www.freefirezone.co.uk

FRV AIRSOFT

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

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

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

GRANGE FARM AIRSOFT

Leicester, LE9 9FP www.gingerliberationfront.com

GREENZONE COMBAT

Co. Armagh, BT60 1NE 07772 919974 www.greenzonecombat.com

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January 2015

RAF Honiley/The Grange Frogmore Grange, Frog Lane, Balsall Common, West Mids CV7 7FP Tel: 01676 532 384 info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk www.shop. suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – NORWICH Norwich, Norfolk, NR10 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

HILTON PARK AIRSOFT

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

HOMELAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT 07971 560249 facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft

HUMBER AIRSOFT

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

ISLAND RECON AIRSOFT COMBAT

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

LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT

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

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

MATLOCK COMBAT GAMES Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FW 07974 507166 www.matlockcombatgames.com

MAW

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 07562 479966 maw.airsoft@hotmail.com

MIA

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

NTAC

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

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

OP-TACTICAL UK – TEAN-OPS Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT 07964 990831 www.op-tac.co.uk

OVER THE TOP AIRSOFT CLUB Anglesey, LL71 www.ottairsoft.co.uk 07731 744471

MILITARY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT MILITARY SIMULATION

MILSIM UK

PHOENIX AIRSOFT

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

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

NCIS AIRSOFT

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

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

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

Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

PLATOON 1HQ

SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY

TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT

UCAP SANDPIT

PLAYERS OF WAR

SKIRMISH EXETER

TECH BRIGADE

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – FAWKHAM

PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES

SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT

TASK FORCE SKIRMISH

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – LIMPSFIELD

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

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

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

RAVEN’S NEST

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

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

RED1AIRSOFT

Chislehurst, Bromley BR7 6SD 07956 522691 www.red1airsoft.co.uk

RIFT AIRSOFT COM’S SITE 3 Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM) Cambridge, CB24 8RL 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

SECTION 8 AIRSOFT

Shotts, N Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB 07974 026517 www.s8airsoft.com

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

Exeter, Devon, EX4 5 01548 580025 www.airsoftexeter.co.uk

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

Cowbridge, S Glamorgan, CF71 02920 593900 www.taskforcepaintball.co.uk

THE BUNKER

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – THE ROCK

THE DESERTERS AIRSOFT

STIRLING AIRSOFT

THE EX SITE

STORMFORCE AIRSOFT

THE WARGAMES CENTRE

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

Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

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

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

SUSSEX AIRSOFT

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

S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT

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

TA EVENTS

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

SG1 COMBAT GAMES

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

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

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – BLOXWORTH

SECTION 8 AIRSOFT

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

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

TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT

Reynoldston, Swansea SA3 1AS 01792 473336 www.tacticalwales.co.uk

Aberystwyth, www.aberairsoft.co.uk 07841 462806

Redford, DD11 07751 878175 www.thedeserters.co.uk

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

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

TROJAN AIRSOFT

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

TROJAN AIRSOFT – OLYMPUS CQB Weir Mill, Viaduct Street, Chestergate, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7JP

Bean, Kent, DA2 8 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY 01268 796130 www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

URBAN6AIRSOFT – ZONE 13 Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0QN 07432 291729 www.urban6airsoft.com

URBAN6AIRSOFT – THE BLOCK Wood Street, Butron-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 £AB www.urban6airsoft.com

URBAN ASSAULT

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1 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

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

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

UCAP AIRSOFT

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

UCAP GREEN OPS

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

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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DEALER LISTINGS

ADVERTISERS INDEX Land Warrior Airsoft RedWolf Airsoft Airsoft Zone JD Airsoft

OD8J 2014

3 + 19 + 67 7 + 46 9 + 35 + 75

Just BB Guns

BadgerTac

Wolf Armouries

Airsoft Armoury

30 + 31

Patrol Store

Gunman Airsoft

Military 1st

British Airsoft Show

Leeds Airsoft

VIPER

106

2 + 71

62 + 63

AA Subscriptions

Airsoft.TV

AA Digital Editions

S.W.A.T. VTG

E-W Trading

ActionSportGames

Sly Photography

Crawley Surplus Store

NoVAT

Dragon Valley

Military Outdoor

Bookshop

Advertisers Index

106

Airsoft World

107

Pro Airsoft Supplies

108