U.S.A.S.O.C. – THE MAGAZINE United States Airsoft Special Operations Command
Contents: Letter from Editor: Pg. # Testimonies: Pg. # News: Pg. # Team Interview: Pg. # Reviews: Pg. # Tactics: Pg. # Laws and Safety: Pg. # Airsofters Beware-Special: Pg. # Tips: Pg. # The Boys up North (Canada): Pg. # Photos: Pg. # Photo of the Issue: Pg. # Upcoming Events: Pg. # Teams: Pg. # Airsoft Websites: Pg. # Op Idea: Pg. # Final Thoughts: Pg. # (Cover Photo Credit: James Hafner)
Letter from Editor: Well the third issue is out now, and U.S.A.S.O.C. keeps growing, thanks to all you fans out there who have been spreading the word. We now have over 20,000 visitors and readers! That’s amazing! Keep up the good work and continue to spread the word about us to people you know. Also, thanks again to all who have supported us since the beginning. It’s because of people like you that helps me keep the emagazine free for all. Now what’s in the third issue? Well for one, if you didn’t come back to see the new layout design for the first and second issues, this is probably the first time you are seeing the new design. We like it, and we hope you do too. If you do, feel free to email us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com telling us what you like about it and the e-magazine as well. In our third issue, we get to preview the new Type 97 from Real Sword, Team Hidden Sword is interviewed; we also have several reviews for this issue; I review the KJW M700 Takedown version (for you gas gun fans); and a bonus review of the MPEG GB MP5-SD6, which was given to us courtesy of AirSplat (www.airsplat.com)! More tactics are discussed as well. Now I know most of you guys out there want a more in-depth tactical section (different ways to clear rooms/etc) so in the next issue, that is what I’ll start to cover. Also, as promised, you’ll learn how to construct your very own ghille suit. Now you veterans of airsoft out there may be thinking, “Oh great…another bogus way to create a ghille suit…” Well, I think you’ll think differently on this. Thanks to David Wilson who has allowed us to use his great article on to creating a ghille suit. I think you all will like as much as I did. We have one new section entitled “Canadian Airsoft.” We hope to keep this up for future issues, but I can’t promise anything. Make sure to check out the website sections. We have many new sites and teams added. Of course, there is news, websites, and more as well. So sit back, grab a cold one, and I hope you have fun and learn some things with our third issue of U.S.A.S.O.C. Nick Petrus-Owner/Main Editor To contact U.S.A.S.O.C., please email any questions or comments you have to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit www.officialusasocmagazine.com.
Testimonies: Here are just some of that great emails and posts that U.S.A.S.O.C. has gotten over the past month or so. A special “thanks” goes out to the writers of these, and all the members of U.S.A.S.O.C. appreciate them a lot! Keep sending them!
“I read it a few days ago, and it’s really worth the time if you want to check it out. Great magazine! Good job guys. I really liked how you incorporated a guide to actual military tactics and showed how they are applied to airsoft. Thanks for a great magazine! Waiting for more to come!” “Good magazine. Keep it up, I liked it a lot!” “I enjoyed the magazine. Thanks for putting in that kind of effort. I know it's not easy or quick. I'll be looking forward to the next issue.”
“Two words: thank you. This is by far the best airsoft publication I have read. I loved every section, from the team interviews, tactics, reviews, it was great. Please, PLEASE keep them coming!” “Hey thanks for doing this for all of us airsofters.” “Very much enjoyed the whole thing. I stayed up till 3:30 A.M. last night reading it. Great Magazine!” “Kudos to all the people behind this free online airsoft magazine. More power to you guys!”
News: Preview of Real Sword’s Type 97
I would like to thank Real Sword for letting us know about their new product line. Thanks to them, we are able to bring you this exclusive preview. “RS type 97, a brand new and ultra realistic AEG from RS Company, is coming out. As an important part of ‘RS 2007, Year of China Airsoft,’ it is the first AEG that can help airsofters know more about the development of modern weapons of China. The release of RS type 97 will surely bring more fun and surprise to airsofters and military affair enthusiasts, and the RS company is proud of it as well. When the China type 97 assault rifle became commercialized, RS started to learn and finished the sampling completely. Same with other upcoming products from RS, all the components of RS type 97,
including their configuration, size and material are true display of the real one. The external parts including the front sight, rear sight, upper and lower hand guard, frame, grip, metal body are identical to the real steel parts. And the disassembly and assembly are the same as well. All these details have shown our R&D principle---faithfulness to the original! Same as real steel, the butt stock, upper and lower handguard of RS type 97 are all made of real steel factory standard high strength polymer --- special nylon 66. This material is wearable, anti-erosion, low water absorption rate, light-weighted and very rigid. The receiver is forged from high strength duralumin, CNC processed. And its surface is treated with hard coat anodizing. Steel outer barrel are processed with super anti-causticity chemistry complex film and black-oxide finish. On external materials and surface process techniques, RS type 97 has reached to the real steel standards. The most enjoyable thing of RS products is you can treat it as real steel for the ultra realistic layout. Only the 6mm BB bullets will remind you that it is in the game. Type 97 has a smart shape. In order to have the full same shape and size with real steel, we successfully developed the brand new type 97 gear box to fit in the internal. The gear box makes perfect integration of external and internal! Finally we have reached to the supper realistic AEG. Type 97 is a typical model which reflects RS’ developing and manufacturing concept and principle. All the efforts we devoted are to supply the wargame lovers and collectors with ultra realistic AEG! •Real steel size steel muzzle device, 14mm anti-clockwise, suitable for all kinds of silencers •Steel front sight, real steel size and same adjustment way. •The gas regulator has 3 positions for imitated selecting. •Real steel size and material of upper and lower handguard, same combination as real gun.
•Steel one piece barrel with same surface process as real steel. The combinations of barrel and other accessories adopt interference fit technique and never loose or waggle. •Pulling steel charging handle backwards allows precise adjustment to the Hop-up •No screws externally, same combination with real steel. Metal body can be disassembled by removing the two lock pins. After partial disassembly, the whole gun has only 8 parts including the lock pins, simple configuration, easy and quick detachability. •The newly developed RS type 97 7mm bearing metal gear box, makes the 100% real steel size frame. It has special high strength gear sets, air seal nozzle and spring release device, convenient for care and maintenance. Gear box tail is designed with quick detachable spring guide base. Just like the RS type 97 for quickly disassembly, you can change the power spring quickly according to different rules on game spot. •Real steel factory standard high strength duralumin forged frame, CNC processed, same size with real steel, hard coat anodizing, same anticorrosion with real steel. •Unique serial number, worthy of collection. •Same survey hole rear sight with real steel, completely imitating adjustment in four positions. •130rds 6mm BB steel magazine enclosed with airsoft gun, same material and surface finish as real steel. Compatible with most brands of M16 series magazine. •Dovetail groove mount base used for connecting with white light, shimmer, night, thermal imaging optical sight etc. It can also cooperate with type 97 picatinny mount base adapter made by RS to connect all brands of optical sights.” (www.realsword.com.hk).
Here are some more detailed photos, courtesy of Real Sword, on the Type 97.
(Above Photo: Buttstock Disassembly; Below Photo: Upper Handguard Disassembly)
Above Photo: Lower Handguard Disassembly; Below Photo: Complete Disassembly)
(Above Photo: Steel Parts with Special Surface Finish; Below Photo: Fixing of Barrel and Other Components)
(Above Photo: RS Type 97 Gear Box; Below Photo: Receiver)
So to sum it all up, let’s briefly review what was said about the Type 97: “Firstly, RS type 97 has truly displayed the material and outer processed technique of real steel. Experienced gun lovers know that type 97 had adopted new polymer material in the gun body. It is unbelievable that the upper handguard cover, lower handguard and butt stock of RS type 97 have applied the same high strength polymer material, which can bear the temperature range from -45℃ to 50 ℃. This might be too much for an airsoft gun, so it without any doubt has exceeded the requirements of airsoft enthusiasts. This will bring our players much better feeling than the former AEG made of ABS as main gun body. Moreover the receiver is forged from high strength duralumin, CNC processed, and surface is processed with hard coat anodizing. That means it is forged from a big piece of duralumin under normal temperature. Let’s forget about the high cost first, the forged receiver will bring us more stable and reliable AEG. Other steel parts, like the outer barrel and magazine, their surface has applied the chemistry complex film and black-oxide finish same as real steel. All these features presented by RS type 97 will bring airsoft fanatics plenty of satisfy and pleasure. Secondly, RS type 97 true displays the outer structure of real steel. Same as real steel, without using any screws in outer construction, RS type 97 can be disassembled by removing two lock pins. After partial disassembly, the whole gun has only 8 parts including the lock pins, simple configuration, easy and quick detachability. Now no more worry about looking around everywhere for some small screws when disassembling or assembling the airsoft guns. On this point of feature, it is enough to allow players to feel the pleasure of disassembling as soldiers disassemble real steel. The fixing way of upper handguand, lower handguard and body is same as real steel. Steel one piece barrel is combined with other components like front sight by interference fit technique, never loose or waggle. From the super players’ point of view, with its outer appearance and above mentioned material and technique, RS type 97 can really meet the standard of an extreme AEG.
Thirdly RS developed a brand new metal gear box with 7mm bearing for type 97. The smart and compact outline makes the internal space of the gun quite limited. Thus the real steel size has to be adjusted to accept the traditional gear box. To make 100% real steel size AEG, RS does not sacrifice the inner size of real steel. And it successfully developed the type 97 AEG shooting mechanism to perfectly fit in the limited internal space. This shows RS’ commitment to the guiding principle of development and manufacturing: faithfulness to the original. RS has used a new developing method of designing the internal structure according to external, while abandoned the way of designing external according to internal. The new gear box has releasable reversal stop latch for easy care and maintenance. At the same time, in conjunction with quick disassembly of airsoft gun, gear box is designed with QD spring guide tail base. Players can change the power spring by hand quickly according to rules on game spot. Some players may think such an AEG will be a luxury to own. But RS replied that, to promote airsoft activities, it will be worth more than money. So let’s wait and see.” (www.realsword.com.hk). I would like to thank Real Sword for letting us know ahead of time about this amazing AEG! You should check them out on the web at: www.realsword.com.hk. On top of coming out with the Type 97, they will be coming out with their Type 56, looks to be based off of the AK47, and the Type 56-1, also based of an AK variant. Note: all photo credits: Real Sword.
Team Interview: Team Hidden Sword
Q. How about a little history about Team Hidden Sword and its members. How did you guys first get organized? When did you start? Who started it? Where in Texas are you located? Etc. A. Hidden Sword, in Austin, Texas, was originally inspired and developed by MeanGreen7 (Jeremy) and Spade (Jim). After a season of skirmishing and honing our skills, we decided that our ability to move undetected and strike without warning were our strongest points. Soon after, the discussion to form an airsoft team due to our passion for airsoft and desire to form a tactical force became imminent. Quickly we formed short-term goals to develop a small fire team that could be utilized by other local airsoft teams. As
we carefully selected each member of the team, we realized that there was a much greater interest in the type of organization that we hoped to build. In acquiring new team members we have found value in adapting each members skill set and ability to further sharpen Team Hidden Sword. I kid around with Spade about deer droppings all the time (Inside Joke). Our name kind of developed from a situation where Spade thought OPFOR was heading right towards him and it ended up being three deer that literally walked right over him. Still do not know how they did not smell him laying there unless he was laying in deer droppings…hahaha. Q. Is Hidden Sword based off any military group? A. Not really. We were the kids back in the day that grew up watching COMANDO, RAMBO, and the A-Team (those guys rocked), but we realize acting or being like that will just get you shot. Q. What do you consider yourselves as a group meaning: a CBQ team, outdoors team, all-around team, etc? A. All-Around team with a strong bend towards outdoors. I think most of us like just about any environment to airsoft in. A dream place to airsoft in would be a real jungle area, not the Texas scrub trees that we are use to. We do well with what we got though. Q. I do but do you guys consider yourselves a professional airsoft team? A. I think to a certain degree we do amongst ourselves, but really in Central Texas there are no real professional airsoft teams. No teams actually being paid to play airsoft. Q. Are you guys sponsored, and if so, who is/are your sponsor(s)? A. The Kapowwe Company www.kapowwe.com, the owner Shannon has an awesome heart to really see the sport grow. Kapowwe is a very large online airsoft company selling everything airsoft that you can imagine. He does gun repairs, upgrades, and always has enough ammo to go around. He takes good care of guys my age down to the young ones. AirsoftGO (www.airsoftgo.com), the owner Saul was a former teammate that recently branched off to start his own team (really awesome guy). AirsoftGO rents guns to local
players and future players to have a real airsoft experience they will never forget. Q. For a bunch of guys who formed a team and want to get sponsored, what tips would you give them? A. Not that we know it all and we can only talk about our experiences. The main thing we found out was that relationship is key. It is not always about what you can do for them and what they can do for you, sometimes just by having a great relationship everyone benefits no matter what. Q. Does the team practice on private land or do you guys go to an airsoft field to practice? A. We do a little of both, we have a couple of private land pieces between us all and we always play and practice weekly at our local skirmish sessions with our community as a whole. Then we have special camping training trips we take every now and then to Tactical Paintball (www.tacticalpaintball.com). The owner Jon and his team Roy, Chris have been nothing but champs with us and always make us feel like family when we go there. Q. How many active members do you have and who are they? A. Right now we have five active members and we have a desire to grow double that size. (Current Members): MeanGeen7…Jeremy (Team Lead). Spade……………Jim (Team Lead). Dirus…………Costas (Sniper). Wedge…………Chris (Rifleman). SealGuy………Aaron (Rifleman). Q. Are you recruiting? A. Yes Q. If so, then what are you requirements? A. Age requirement is 21, and an interview process with the team leads MeanGreen7 and Spade before presenting them for team observation. We just want to build relationship first and get to know the person. That way we do not waste the time of our other teammates observing someone who will not fit. Then once in observation mode they NOOB will have a chance to play a few times
with our other teammates and we will get intel and notes on that NOOB and then come to a decision. Pretty easy process actually, it’s mainly based on how a person relates most of all. Q. Do you have a website or any contact information for airsoft fans out there? A. Sure, anyone can view our Myspace account at www.myspace.com/hiddensword. They can always post a message on our team forums at www.setbb.com/hiddensword. Q. What events have you participated in or plan to? A. The Operations History of Hidden Sword: 20 Aug 05 Operation Devil's Number-Austin Tx. 25 Feb 06 Operation Crescent Fallout-Austin Tx. 15 Apr 06 Operation Cat's Eye-Huntsville Tx...Winning Team. 20 May 06 Operation Hard 6-Austin Tx. 10 June 06 Operation Devil's Confine-Austin Tx. 21 Oct 06 Operation Desert Vanguard-Harwood Tx...Winning Team. 30 Dec 06 Operation Fallen Fortress-Harwood Tx...Winning Team. We are hosting an OP in cooperation with Tactical Paintball and The Kapowwe Company (Date to be re-announced; OP has been rescheduled due to Statewide OP schedule):
“The Battle for Khe Sahn OP: Pegasus.” Q. Any on the national level? A. Hopefully this year. We have been having a lot of fun with the statewide Ops and have met a lot of awesome people and have formed great friendships. Q. What are some Team Hidden Sword's accomplishments over the year(s)? A. Well surviving as a team almost a year and a half and being the winning command team for OP: Desert Vanguard.
Q. Have you guys ever had any trouble with the law regarding airsoft in Texas? A. No. We follow the rules pretty closely on that aspect. The more that we practice safety and responsibility with our guns and equipment the better. Like keeping guns in cases and carrying your other equipment in duffle or military bags and only take them out in the privacy of your home or only out on the field in controlled environment. Q. What would you suggest to a bunch of guys who want to make a new airsoft team? A. Get ready to work and remember what your core values and why you started the team to begin with. You can not please everyone…period. Most of all have fun. Do things together outside of airsoft, build relationship. Help each other out when needed, it builds trust and comrade. Q. What guns and gear do you guys have? A. (Listed Below is the Gear that Hidden Sword Have): Dirus – KSC Glock 18C. Airsoft Elite MP5-SD5 (Slightly Upgraded, 120m/s). G&G GR-25 (Heavily Upgraded, 150m/s). MeanGreen7 – ICS MP5A5 upgraded to use and fit large type battery and Delta Force Silencer, NC Star Red Dot Scope. Tokyo Marui M3 Bernelli Super Pro90 Shotgun. Classic Army M15A4 CQB with tight bore barrel, extended outer barrel with Quad M4 Silencer, upgraded internals, NC Star Aimpoint Replica Red Dot Scope, and Three Point Sling. Tokyo Marui 5.1 HiCappa. KSC Glock 19. TacForce Cross Draw Vest, Drop Leg Holster. Motorola Boom Mic. Seal Guy – Classic Army M15 C.Q.B Compact Seal. KWC Glock 18c. TacVest.
Drop Leg Holster. Missions Throat Mic from Clear Communications. Spade – Primary: Tokyo Marui M4A1, Internals Upgraded. Secondary: Custom MP5-SD6, Internals Upgraded. Sidearm: KSC Mac 11 w/ Magnesium Bolt. BlackHawk TacVest. Drop Leg Holster. Fire Foxx Throat Mic. Wedge – Tokyo Marui AK47. Tacforce Vest. Fire Foxx Throat Mic. Q. Are any of your members in, or have been in, the military or law enforcement fields? A. We have former members that have been in the military, but not any current active members. Q. How often do you guys meet together and train or sit down and prepare for an Op? A. Well we talk and communicate weekly (sometimes daily) normally, but during OP times the communication level rises to prepare and get organized and prepped. We try to hit on team training on tactics and strategies at least monthly and we skirmish and practice a lot at our weekly skirmish games. Q. Any tips you can give us on how you train? A. Fire Control is your best friend to not blowing your ammo like crazy. Only shoot when you know for a fact that you can hit the target. Q. Any final tips you can give the readers? A. It’s Milsim…yes, but remember to have fun. I think sometimes people forget to have fun and they get to serious. If you drop the kind
of cash that most players do on airsoft guns and equipment you should have fun with it. Q. On behalf of all the members of U.S.A.S.O.C., I would like to thank you for taking the time out to allow us to interview you and Team Hidden Sword. A. Thank you U.S.A.S.O.C. for having us. Everyone is welcome to OP: Pegasus (Date to be announced). You can get the information to the OP by going to www.myspace.com/hiddensword and view the blog area. There you have it. I would like to extend a warm “Thank You” to all the members of Team Hidden Sword for allowing me to conduct this interview. They are a high class bunch of guys that I respect tremendously. They fight and train hard and are very good at what they do. I suggest you check out their website: www.myspace.com/hiddensword, and for all you guys around the Texas area, I would suggest going to their upcoming op: OP: Pegasus (Date to be announced) at Tactical Paintball and The Kapowwe Company. It should be a blast! I’ll leave you with some photos of Team Hidden Sword on the following pages. (Photos Courtesy of Team Hidden Sword; Photographer: James Hafner)
Reviews: KJ Works (KJW) M700 Takedown Model
Alright, some of you gas gun fans have been asking, “Hey, when are you going to do something for us?” How about now? So, how about a sniper rifle that operates on gas, can shoot 400-650 FPS, and is only around $200.00? Oh yea, and did we mention that when used correctly, it has amazing accuracy too?! Enough said, let’s go into the review of KJ Works’ (KJW) M700 Takedown Model. For guys who have never heard of the M700, here’s a little crash history course on it. “Basically, Remington model 700 Police is simply re-stocked Remington model 700 VS (Varmint Synthetic). Remington manufactured its famous model 700 since 1962. This rifle is perhaps one most widely used across the USA as a bolt-action tactical rifle. This rifle traces its ancestry back to the British P14/US model 1917 Enfield. Starting with model 700BDL action, Remington adds a stainless-steel barrel and a carbon-fiber stock, and then tunes the rifle for one-minute-of-angle accuracy using match grade ammo. This rifle design was (and is) a basis for many custom build tactical sniper rifles. The USMC (Marine Corps) was among the first to make model 700 action the basis for a precision sniper rifle. The original USMC M40 bolt-action sniper rifle used in Vietnam and into the late 1970s was built on a Remington Model 700BDL action. In fact, today's M40A1s are still being rebuilt on these same actions. Later, when the US Army decided to switch from a semi-automatic to a bolt-action
rifle, the Remington Model 700 action was chosen for the M24. Technically, all model 700 rifles have carbon or stainless steel tubular receivers of greater strength. The rotating bolt locks with two lugs that located at the front of the bolt, into recesses made in the receiver walls. The trigger is crisp. Remington not only manufactured the rifles - it also sells the actions (with or without barrels) to many manufacturers of the custom rifles. So, it is common to see Remington 700 action in HS Precision, McMillan or Choate stock with custom target barrel and other options. For another example, famous UK based company, Accuracy International, manufactured its own tactical chassis for Remington 700 - AICS stage I or II.” (Source: www.airsplat.com)
First Impressions: When I first saw the M700 online awhile back, I had to ask around and see if anyone I knew had one. An internet friend of mine had one, and he let me in on it. The box was very solid and had the “norm” (name, picture, etc of the gun); consequentially, the M700 was very secure in the box. It was tightly secured by three Styrofoam pieces when it arrived and wrapped in a plastic bag for added protection. Although the insides of the box were pretty plain, it got the job done, and really…who has been known to care more about the box then the actual gun inside, right? Inside the box was the following: the gun itself, with a ten round magazine; a BB loading tube; a box of 100 BBs; a hex driver; the user manual; and some target paper. The M700 is fairly heavy. A good seven to eight pounds! That’s a substantial amount of weight for an airsoft gun. I’ve heard stories about guys, who didn’t have a sling for it, didn’t mind the weight until they actually came back from an all day op. As expected with a sniper
rifle, it’s fairly long. And lastly, but not least, everything except the stock and a few internals are metal, a big plus.
Looks: Since the KJW M700 was suppose to be a clone to Tanaka’s M700, I was curious to see how close they actually resemble. When I saw the KJW version, I was impressed. They definitely modeled almost exactly, down to the smallest details, as the Tanaka’s version. The finish on the metal is close to a mat-black, a little shiny for my taste but not bad at all. The stock, well, the color is great; however, the feeling of it…a little off. Don’t get me wrong, it’s alright, but it does feel like, as others have said, drywall. This wasn’t a big deal to me because I’m not a sniper, but I can see how it might irritate some people who partake of that role. Takedown System: Probably one of the major reasons for buying this gun is the ability to break down your LONG sniper rifle into two parts for better concealment and traveling. There is a correct way to “takedown” this gun. In order to remove the front from the rear, do the following: one, unlock the takedown mechanism by pulling up the lever (see manual); and two, while pulling the level, rotate the front of the gun by ninety degrees. That should do it. Once learning how to correctly “takedown” the M700, it should be a snap and very easy for future dissembling.
Hop-Up: On the M700, the hop-up adjustment is not on the top of the rail like many guns Instead, you can adjust the hop-up by a small screw in the connection point between the front and rear parts of the gun. This means that you have to takedown the rifle to adjust it and then put it back together again to see if the hop-up adjustment was correct. Magazine: The magazine that KJW supplies with the gun is the short M700 version magazine. It holds eleven rounds. The reason for this that we’ve heard is that KJW wanted more room for the gas rather then BBs. One of my personal favorite features was the locking mechanism of the magazine. To release the magazine when in the gun, you have to press the release button and have the bolt pulled backwards. Yes, it takes a little more time to load, but you’ll be happy to be walking home with the magazine at the end of the day instead of trying to find it in the dark or the next day. As stated before, the gas chamber is in the magazine as well. The fill valve is one top of the magazine. Now I’ve heard reports that the gun chamber gets blocked with BBs every now and then with this gun. My friend said that it has never happened to him, but he also heard reports about it too, just something for new owners of the gun to remember. Also, what I thought was interesting was that on an airsoft information website, a member said that he was able to fit Tanaka long style magazine into his M700 although many others said it couldn’t fit the KJW version. He had a photo of it though, and it did look like a cousin to the M14. Interesting… Bolt: I really liked the bolt action of the M700. It was very smooth, unlike spring sniper rifles where it feels like you are almost killing yourself or the gun trying to cock it back. This is mainly due to the gun being a gas gun. I thought this was a very nice feature.
Stock: The stock oddly reminded us of the Classic Army M24 one, which was a pleasant surprise.
Performance: Wow! This has to be one of the most powerful rifles that I’ve seen at stock power. Now shooting right out of the box, it fires somewhere between 400-550 FPS. I would’ve thought that was great for the gun but listen to this. When you remove the magazine and look up at the bolt through the magazine, you’ll see an orange object inside gas entering hole. That orange thing is the gas regulator that KJW purposely inserted to decrease the air flow. As you guys know, less airflow equals less fire power. So what if you want more fire power? Simply just remove that gas regulator, and that’ll get you to around 580-650 FPS stock! Note: everyone at U.S.A.S.O.C. only suggests removing the gas regulator when you are test firing at targets other then people, animals, vehicles, etc. If anyone or thing gets hurt or broken because you hit them with a BB, whether with the gas regulator in or out, you understand by reading this that you will not hold U.S.A.S.O.C. or any of its members responsible for your actions. Be smart and safe out there. It is quite an amazing gun to say the least, especially at its price. Pros: There are many pros about the M700 so I’ll just start listing them. They follow as: the takedown system, a smart innovation by KJW to save space; the lock mechanism of the gun’s magazine; the look of the gun, - i.e., very authentic and just about an carbon copy of Tanaka’s M700; its top rail ready for attachment to your favorite
scope; the quality of the gun - it’s rock solid as long as you treat it right; the price of the gun (at approximately $200.00, it’s almost a steal!); its easy ability to increase fire power( just remove the gas regulator); and finally, it’s accuracy when in good weather conditions. Cons: As with the pros, I’ll just start listing them. They follow as: the hop-up can only be adjusted when you “takedown” the gun from what we’ve seen; for some, when the scope is attached, it is uncomfortable when cocking the gun (my suggestion is to get a higher scope mount); you have to allow the gun to cool down a good deal after firing or your FPS will drop to 100 or below; and finally, probably the biggest complaint I’ve heard is about the accuracy of it. While some may know the solution to that, here’s one for those who aren’t aware how to fix that challenge: get heavier BBs. Any good brand above .30 should increase the accuracy a great deal. The best range is anywhere for a .30 to .42 BB. Now if you have heavy BBs, and the accuracy is still off, either the barrel is bent or it’s a product of poor weather conditions. Those things aside, the accuracy should be very positive. Notes: KJW's M700 series is actually a clone on Tanaka's products and marketed with a much lower price. KJW's M700 series adopted the last generation of Tanaka's products, which are those without the PCS (pressure control system). Build materials and design are more or less the same. Make sure to not use red gas all the time. It will really shorten the life span of the gun because of how hard it works to make it go 620+ FPS on the red gas. Make sure to use heavier BBs and those of a better brand or the gun does become quite inaccurate. One suggestion for even better accuracy: get a tightbore barrel. 6.04 or 6.03 tightbore barrels should work fine.
So there you have it. I hope you gas gun fans are a little happier now. If you have a review of your gun or gear and want to see it in U.S.A.S.O.C., email it to us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit our website: www.officialusasocmagazine.com. I’ll leave you with some specifications of the gun: • FPS Ratings: 400-500 on propane (134a). 550-600 on green gas. 620+ on red gas. • Gas Powered Airsoft Takedown Sniper Rifle. • Weight: 7.5 Lbs. • Velocity: 400-650 FPS. • Adjustable Hop Up. • Real Bolt Action. • Quickly Disassemble with Single Action Lever. • Capacity: 11 rounds. • Tanaka M700 Clone. • Made in Taiwan.
Reviews: MPEG Golden Bow’s (JG) MP5-SD6
Alright, a lot of you guys out there have been asking for a middlelevel AEG review, and at first that wasn’t going to be possible because I don’t own any, have access to one, nor want one, but AirSplat (www.airsplat.com) came to the rescue. First off, I would like to thank AirSplat for supplying us this MPEG for FREE! They really are a great company. They are very knowledgeable, personal, and possess great guns and gear. I would suggest checking them out if you haven’t already. Alright, so on with the review.
While waiting for the MPEG to arrive, I checked into the gun. I had my doubts from what I heard from different people, but they were blown away when I received it. When UPS arrived at my front door, I was excited to see what AirSplat sent me. The packaging inside the box was great, and nothing was damaged at all. My first impression of the MP5-SD6’s (Yes, I know it says “M5-S6” on the box, but it’s really modeled after the MP5-SD) box was, “Wow!” For $79.99, I was impressed. The box was very durable and was not falling apart – a good sign that nothing will be broken before you even use the gun. Now as you can see in the picture above and below, the box doesn’t have any fancy designs on or in it, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is what is actually inside and how well it is packaged.
So I opened up the box and was again impressed. Everything was tightly packed and secured – a good sign. I then began looking at everything that was included. There was the actual MP5-SD6 itself, a battery and charger (nice for newer players), the magazine, the BB loader, and the cleaning rod along with the manual and small bag of
.2 BBs. Again, for $79.99, (Although free for us thanks to AirSplat), you get the complete package. There is no need to worry about buying a charger and battery, which I think is great for newcomers of the sport. Look and Feel: The overall look of the MP5-SD6 is very good. It has a nice black finish to it. The silencer is painted orange at the end, of course due to federal laws. The magazine is metal (a plus!) with a good part of the gun being metal as well. Most of the external body is plastic which may cause some of you to wince at, but it is a MPEG. The handgrip is excellent; it has a nice feel to it, and the design is great as well. The silencer can be unscrewed to reveal the barrel - again metal. The retractable stock is plastic, but has a comfortable feel to it. It has two modes: all the way inward and all the way extended. Most people prefer the extended, which is also my preference. There are two fire modes: single and full auto. There, of course, is a safe mode as well. The rear sight is adjustable, as with the hop-up in this gun. Some have said that they have had trouble with the hop-up, but so far we haven’t nor plan to. For a MPEG, the MP5-SD6 is relatively heavy. I thought that because it is a mid-range AEG, it would be made all of plastic and thus, be very light, but not so at all.
Battery: One of the features that I thought was great was that a battery and charger are supplied with the gun. For people new to the sport or people who can’t spend $200.00+ on a Classic Army, Tokyo Marui, etc, this is a wonderful feature! Even to an experience airsofter like myself, I thought it was excellent benefit. Now the charger isn’t a high-speed, high-tech charger, but it does get the job done very efficiently. The only trouble I had with the MP5-SD6 was putting the battery in the gun. To me, it seems that all airsoft companies that make AEGs should come up with a better way to place the battery in the gun, but since I don’t make the guns, I shouldn’t be complaining. The proper way to place the battery in the gun is as follows: one, remove the two little pin-like items on each side of the handgrip (Photo of Battery #1), and two, simply pull the handgrip forward and off the gun (Photo of Battery #2). It’s as simple as that! Some of you may be wondering why I had such a hard time figuring that out. Well, whoever packed the box at the manufacture’s warehouse in China made a mistake putting the wrong manual in the box. I received the manual for the MP5-J model, not the MP5-SD6 model. However, the guns are very similar so it didn’t take much to figure out all the features. The wiring for the battery is great. Most of you may not agree, but I dare to say that the wiring for this gun’s battery is more organized and secure then Classic Army’s and other brands, but that’s just me.
Performance: For $79.99, the accuracy and FPS on this AEG are great! The FPS is around 290-330 FPS. It has a range of around 200-250 feet. I was a little worried that the accuracy would be off, but it really hasn’t been. There were a few rounds that went way left, but the wind was blowing at the time. Also, the gearbox is a version two and is metal - a great plus. Pros: The following are the pros about the gun: the look, the quality for its price, the battery and charger included, a good part of the gun being metal, the price, the accuracy, and that it’s a great player package for newer-middle class players. Cons: There are very few things that I found wrong with the gun, but there were still a few. One was that the switch for the fire mode is a little flimsy, but not bad overall compared to what I’ve seen out there. Two, I had, and still have, a little trouble with the magazine. It seems that when it locks into place, the gun has trouble firing them, yet while I apply upward pressure to the magazine, every BB fired. So it seems
to me that it doesn’t fully lock into place, thus requiring you to slightly push up on the magazine. Again, not a big thing, but it can get annoying after awhile. Yet I haven’t heard about people having trouble with the magazine so it could just be me. Third, if I was to be picky, I would have to say that the stock only has two modes: fully inward and fully extended. And fourth, is that the gun is noncompatible with other magazines, that we know of. The best thing to do is to email wherever you are buying the gun from and ask; they should know.
Overall, I really couldn’t be happier with this gun for its price. I’m extremely impressed with its look, price, accuracy, etc! For $79.99, it’s a great deal for newer to middle class players! Even for an old vet’ like myself, I found it very enjoyable to play with. I would recommend all of you newer to middle class CQB and MP5 fans to go and purchase this gun from AirSplat (www.airsplat.com). One of the best things about them is that they ship fast and via UPS, which I’ve never have had trouble with. They also send you a tracking number as well. I am very satisfied from the business and airsoft aspect with them
and the gun too. I’ll leave you once again with the following specifications of the gun: -
Automatic Airsoft AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) Rifle 290-330 fps (0.2 g BB) / 200 - 250 Feet Range Adjustable Hop Up Included Flash-hider, 3 Lug Threaded Muzzle Standard Capacity Magazine 50 Rounds Battery and Charger Included Exact Copy of Tokyo Marui with Metal Version 2 Gear Box Made in China
If you have a review of your gun or gear and want to see it in U.S.A.S.O.C., email it to us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit our website: www.officialusasocmagazine.com.
Tactics: Planning-Extraction
(Photo Credit: Elmer Cato / Filforce) Alright, so in the first issue I went over basic tactics and tactical ideas. In this part of the series, I want to discuss more on the planningextraction part of Ops. I will detail out some features of each “phase,” and some ideas that you can apply to your team or just when you head to an Op solo. The main purpose of this article is to emphasize the fundamentals and techniques used by the U.S. Army Rangers for completing successful Ops. The main thing that you should take away from this article is to adjust the information I provide to suit your needs or your team’s needs. Also the symbol “*” will indicate information on certain mission ideas that came to me while writing this article. Now I know a lot of you want specific tactical articles such as sniper tactics, room clearing tactics, etc so that is what I will be
starting in the next issue. Alright, so on with “Part Three of the Tactical Series” As everyone knows, one of the most important parts of an Op is the insertion, and that is where I’ll start. First off, a straight definition of the word insertion is: the entrance of a force into an area to execute a particular mission. It is the first critical phase of any operation. Now if you team is a Mil-Sim (Military Simulation) team, then you know that you just don’t jump right into an mission…or at least I hope not. There are critical things that need to be taken care of before you even get your load-out for your op. The basis for every real-life mission is Intel. Never forget to respect those real-life Intel guys and gals out there. Without accurate Intel, you may charge over a hill into a real-life mission and get killed. So if you know a person who works in military Intel or had worked in military Intel, don’t forget to give them proper respect as you should to any and all U.S. military personal. Anyways, let’s continue on to the insertion/planning phase. Remember, make your missions interesting. They just don’t have to be a fast “search-and-destroy” mission. Make your Ops like real-life by having a planning/briefing time before you head out on the mission. If you do decide to have a planning/briefing time before your mission, you should go along the following guidelines. One, your team’s mission should be based on accurate Intel. That meaning if you are doing an Op where you are using Intel during your briefing, make it as accurate as you can pertaining your circumstances (team’s size, the area you play in, etc). Not quite sure where to start if you never have done a planning/briefing before an Op? No problem, I’ve detailed out some things that you can do. Most of you “old vets” of airsoft already know all of these if not more. The type of Intel you should use varies on what specific mission you are planning to do, but normally, every mission’s planning/briefing should include the following: one, detailed map(s) of AO (Area of Operation). The CO (Commanding Officer), or team leader, should make a map of the AO. You can do it on anything…paper, sand, dirt, etc. Even if it is very basic, at least you and your team have an idea on what the AO might look like. Two, data on the population (if where you play has bystanders), terrain (rough, rocky, hilly, etc), and weather (rain for the day, etc). Three, the purpose of the mission;
enemy troop locations (if known); and enemy capabilities (how many enemy troops are expected, what they are armed with, what they might be capable of, etc). Four, details on the target area and infiltration/extraction routes (what the target AO looks like/etc and routes to get in/out). And five, your preparation should include detailed contingency planning for use of firepower, shock effect, speed to break contact (if detected), control measures, and standard operating procedures (SOP). Those are some things that you can consider when planning a mission. Remember, the best mission is the one with the most accurate Intel. With no Intel, it’s like going in blind. Some other things to consider while planning an Op are: one, select concealed (if available) routes to and from the target’s AO for surprise and protection. Always make sure to have a way out on the routes you are taking. The last thing you want is be trapped in the enemy’s backyard without knowing how to get out. Two, try to avoid obstacles, populated areas, silhouetting (when forced to cross obstacles or ridge lines), enemy positions, main avenues of approach, and movement along often used routes and trails. I understand that most of these many may not be able to do because of where the Op is being held, but if you can apply them, do so. Three, use speed and stealth. Your team should know routes, linkup points, alternate linkup points, time schedules, danger areas, and actions on enemy contact and at linkup points VERY well. Again, for the best chance for mission success is to have a plan for everything you can, but to also be flexible for when things don’t go as planned. And finally, four, once you have your basic plan rehearse actions that are at the objective, actions when you encounter enemy contact, and your team’s movement techniques. This will be discussed next.
*Remember to make your missions fun, exciting, and creative. You can have one mission’s purpose be to go and retrieve Intel on the enemy’s AO, and then have another mission attacking the AO after doing the recon mission… just an idea to make it fun. A similar idea would be to conduct Ops where the enemy is allowed to conduct recon missions while your team is conducting a briefing. So basically when you go out on your mission, you might be ambushed because
of the Intel the other force retrieved. Again, just some ideas to make your missions more fun and interesting. When you have your basic plan laid out for the mission, the next step should be rehearsals of your plan. There is not much to say on this, but make sure to execute your rehearsals as close to the actual mission as possible. The closer your rehearsals are to the actual mission the better.
*Again, make your Ops interesting. You can have one side go out on a recon mission and gather Intel about the enemy and then conduct an ambush while enemy is rehearsing. Now I’ll get into the actual mission itself. After planning and rehearsing, the actual Op would come next. There are many techniques you can use while inserting into the AO. One is deception a.k.a. - planting false Intel for the opposing team. These could include any of the following: feints (A feigned attack is designed to draw defensive action away from an intended target), false insertions, and other deception operations. Such would include: selection of unexpected means, time, place, and routes of insertion, and the use of speed and mobility. These all grant less reaction time for the enemy. Some other common ones that you could use, depending on your AO would be: one, the dispersion of insertion craft (land or water) both in time and locations; two, the landing of a secondary team in an area closer to other potential targets than to the actual target’s location; three, leaking false information and false messages to the enemy; and four, false insertions to disguise actual insertions. The next thing that is important while inserting into an AO and throughout the whole mission, is speed of action. Speed of action must be emphasized when the enemy can react quickly to your team’s presence or when there are limited means of extraction from AO. The operation must be conducted swiftly allowing your force to extract before the enemy can react. Speed can depend on certain circumstances: the time frame of the mission, where the target’s location is, etc. But one of the most important circumstances that can hinder your team’s speed is their load-out. There are three different kinds of load-outs depending on
your team’s mission or event. Now this only applies to teams that have different load-outs. If you or your team just has standard gear, then this really doesn’t apply to you. The first load-out is the “fighting load.” The fighting load consists of items such as weapons, ammo, and any light gear you have. Basically, this is the basic load-out that most everyone has. The second load-out is the “mission-load.” The mission load consists of the basic load-out plus any other gear you may need. Examples would be if you had an all day-event planned and no breaks, your load-out should include some food, water, and anything else you want to bring for energy. Also, the mission load would include more ammo then the basic load-out because of how long you might be out on the mission. The third and final load-out is the “existence-load.” The existence load consists of any items designed to provide protection from the elements: sleeping gear, changes of clothes, spare rations, and/or tent(s). This load may or may not be brought into the AO, depending on your mission. If it is brought, it is normally dropped upon enemy contact or left in the assembly area where you started the day and can be retrieved later when you need it. Normally airsofters hardly ever use this load-out, but I’ve heard of some multi-day Ops before. And finally, one of the best ways to achieve a successful mission is to maintain stealth for as long as possible. Everyone probably already knows this, but it can’t be emphasized enough. Another key idea during a mission is your movement. Depending on your movement techniques is the stealth factor. There are three main kinds of movement that can apply to airsoft. One is movement in a small group along one axis. In this type of movement, your team is together in a curved-line kind of technique. Smaller groups are harder to detect and are easier to control than larger ones. The second type of movement is movement in a small group along several routes at the same time. This technique avoids putting the entire team in danger, and your team is less likely to be seen. It also forces the enemy to react in many locations and makes it harder for the enemy to determine the size of your team (unless you all know each other and know who is on whose side) or your mission. This technique aids in being harder for the enemy to find where you are. The down-side is that if you do get ambushed, your squad is spread out so it’s harder to counter-act the ambush and safely retreat. The third is if you have
multiple teams. Each team could move into the AO via different locations and then link up at an assembly point or linkup point. An assembly point or linkup point is pretty self-explanatory, but for those that don’t know, it is that after following movements into the general AO, infiltrating units converge on the assembly area or linkup point. There are certain circumstances that you should consider while planning an assembly or linkup point. Such things include: is it free of enemy troops? Does it offer cover and concealment from enemy? Does it accommodate the unit? Is it easily identified? And does it offer escape routes to alternate linkup points? Also, when approaching an assembly or linkup point, make sure to do a version of the following: halt short of the point; establish local security of the area; conduct a reconnaissance of the assembly or linkup point; begin to occupy the assembly or linkup point; once occupied, secure the assembly or linkup point; link up with other teams; conduct final preparations; and then continue on with the mission. After you conduct your mission’s objectives, then you should extract. Contingency plans should be made to extract a force under enemy fire, as well as one that is not in contact with the enemy. Have primary and alternate extraction points. These are the primary functions for a successful extraction. Two important factors that can affect your team’s extraction from the AO would be the terrain and the enemy. The terrain is important in choosing the point of extraction. For example: determine whether or not the extraction site offers good cover from the enemy and positions from which your team can be attacked by enemy easily. Extraction is best conducted without enemy contact. However, contact can develop during the operation. Detailed plans should be made for emergency or contingency extractions that are forced by the enemy as well as covert extractions not under enemy contact. If enemy contact is made during an extraction, the CO, or team leader, must decide whether to reinsert units in the enemy AO or to break contact and move to another extraction point. The last part of “Part Three of the Tactical Series” is escape and evasion. This technique is hard to put into airsoft sceneries, but try to.
They are a lot of fun and bring an interesting twist to the same ol’ missions you do already. A vital part of planning is the development of en-route and post mission E&E plans. Such plans enhance “survival” of your teammates if you have discussed beforehand that people are allowed to be captured.
*Make your Ops fun by doing a regular Op and somehow someone gets captured. Next, recon, brief on, and assault the place where the captive is being held and rescue him or her. So there you have it. I hope “Part Three of the Tactical Series” has helped some of you in planning and conducting the beginning phases of an Op. Always remember to have fun and make your Ops interesting. Just because you did a certain type of mission doesn’t mean you can’t do it again but as a modified version of the original. If you have anything on tactics or things relating to tactics and want to see them in U.S.A.S.O.C., email them to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit: www.officialusasocmagazine.com. Also, if you have anything that you would like to see in the “Tactics” section, please email or visit the website too.
Laws and Safety: AN AIRSOFT RESPONSE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT By Itsahak Wil Dorsett, Team BRASS, Virginia Disclaimer: Use information at your own risk. You reading this understand this and will not hold U.S.A.S.O.C. and/or any of its members responsible for any injuries and/or arrest(s) that you and/or others receive. The question is asked over and over again by airsofters world wide. “What should we do if the Cops come around during a game?” Should we run, stand around and look at them, assume they're a neighboring team coming late to the game, point our replica's at them, do what they say, or just simply ignore them in the hopes that they'll go away? It is an issue that has been debated at length over the internet, at game fields, in coffee shops and eating shops after games, over the phone and face to face many times. And it is, and should be considered, a valid concern! Let me take the time now to throw this in. You should never, ever, and I mean never, play airsoft in an area that is not a sanctioned field, a sanctioned Operation, or a private field that is either owned by one of the players or you have express written permission to play on. If you play in an area, such as private land, where you do not have permission (a school area, land that “no one” owns, or in areas and games that are not sanctioned), you will probably face a local Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff or SWAT team. And justly so, for those actions are not only illegal but also ultimately just not smart – for will lead to the end and outlawing of our chosen past time. Also, notifying the local authorities is a good idea, as it may help to diffuse these types of situations before they start. You should be able to find a contact person within your local Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) area to whom you can explain what you're doing, where you're doing it, and
approximate date/times you're doing it. Enough of the soap box, lets get on with it! So you're in-game, and for some reason the local Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) shows up. There are two responses you will most likely face. The first one is the Uniformed LEO response. The second is the full out, SWAT dispatch where you suddenly find yourself surrounded by men in black uniforms in real turn-out gear pointing real weapons at you! That one really raises your hackles!! In the first response, you'll see several LEO patrol vehicles suddenly come flying into your staging area. They exit their vehicles with firearms bristling from their persons! You will see duty pistols, shotguns, patrol rifles, and possibly, a submachine gun or two. Next, you find yourself staring down the barrels of the firearms and having commands shouted at you. As a responsible airsofter, your response here is critical. You're confused, scared, a little upset that they think you're a bad guy and, in some cases, downright indignant…What do you do now? First off, do what the LEO says to do. Nothing makes a LEO more nervous than giving a lawful order and having it either ignored or scoffed at. And in our position as airsoft players, it is vital to our personal safety and the continuity of our sport. When you're told to put your AEG down, do so. If it is hanging by a sling, lift it off by the sling, if at all possible. You'll be ordered to the ground, and most likely placed in handcuffs. They’ll start asking questions. These questions may vary, but in essence they are looking to ensure that the area is safe for them (as safe as an area can get for a LEO that is). Their questions will also be of the type to get the answers to WWWWWH. That means Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Who you are; what you are doing; when you do it; where you've been, either there or anywhere else; why you’re at that area; and how often you've done it. Answer all questions by the LEOs with honesty, respect, and without being irritated, arrogant, or seeming like their presence is a nuisance. This is the time you will get to explain what you’re doing, how many of you are playing and approximate boundaries. If you have a team game interrupt code, and if you're by yourself or a significant portion of players have not yet been accounted for, this is the time to politely inform the LEO of such and ask if you can implement the code either audibly or over your com's system. You may notice that the LEO are
possibly a bit gruff, and may not appear too pleasant. Look at it from their point of view. They are surrounded by several people wearing military gear, and sporting some of those dreaded “assault rifles.” In today's world of heightened terrorist awareness, that’s enough to make anyone in that field a little nervous. If you're legally occupying the playing field, the most you should get is a stern warning to be more careful and possibly a lecture on safety. If you're not there legally, expect to have your replica's confiscated and/or be arrested for trespassing. In the second response, you're usually unaware that anything is going on until you're looking down the barrel of a real rifle, pistol, or various other firearms. The big issue here is if it occurs in game, you may not be aware of the SWAT response and may treat it as another player. The obvious danger here is that you can inadvertently point your replica at a SWAT member who firmly believes he's being threatened with a real firearm. Any LEO faced with what he believes is a firearm, by anyone of any gender, age, race, dress, or creed should and WILL respond with deadly force. Every year there are reports from the LEO community of kids/teenagers/college students being shot and killed because of this type of misunderstanding. And again, this is the kind of thing that will get our sport banned. So what do you do? The first thing you will encounter is someone who is shouting their identification (i.e. – Police, Sheriff's Office, etc, etc). This will quickly be followed by a command to freeze, don't move, stop, desist…you get the idea. Your next move is critical!! Not only to our sport, but to your very vitality and safety!! DO NOT MOVE!!! Stop all movement, and freeze in that spot. For the next 30 to 60 seconds, only about a 6 to 8 pound trigger pull separates you from this life and discovering if your beliefs on the afterlife are right! The next command series will instruct you to lay down your weapons. Again, if your replica is on a sling, use the sling to remove it from your person. Other wise, set one end on the ground and let if drop. Yes, let it drop! I know you spent $300 plus on your favorite AEG but honestly, is it worth your life?! Keep your hands in plain sight and away from your gear and your body. Make no sudden moves. Do not attempt to explain your situation to the SWAT team. At this point their entire mindset is on controlling everyone there, controlling the scene, and their own safety. Your explaining will only add to the confusion and heighten the SWAT team’s intensity and anxiety. You will most
likely be commanded to prone out, or lie face down. Do so without complaining or hesitation. Remember to keep your hands in sight and away from your body and gear. You will most likely be handcuffed and your replicas taken. And so, it may not be done very gently. SWAT depends on speed, surprise, overwhelming tactics, and violence of action to pull off their missions. Don't hold it against them, they are doing their job. You will probably be separated from the rest of your playing group, just as they are separated from everyone else. Then you can expect the same type of questions as in Response One. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Again, answer with honesty, with respect, and without being irritated, arrogant, or seeming like their presence is a nuisance. If you're there legally you should soon be released. You will however probably be advised to head home. This process may take some time, especially if the land owner is not playing with you. Even if you have it in writing (which is a smart thing to do) the SWAT team will want to verify that it is valid before releasing you. If your replicas are confiscated, do not complain. Go home and call an attorney. Does it suck? Sure it does, but you’re not helping your case by complaining, shouting, hollering, or downing the SWAT team. Now lets briefly discus a third encounter type. This one is usually what happens when you're in your car traveling somewhere and you're going just a little bit over the speed limit. Now keep in mind, I personally believe you should transport your replica(s) in a case and out of sight in the trunk. And again, I personally don't let anyone search my vehicle with out stated probable cause or a search warrant. But if it’s in the passenger compartment of your car, and especially if it’s in plain view, it becomes fair game to search the car. Anyway, the next thing you know, you're seeing flashing lights in your rear view mirror. Pull over as soon as safely possible. Keep both hands on the steering wheel. Don't grab for your wallet or try to cover your replicas now (and why are you transporting them out of a case and uncovered and not in the trunk anyway!!). Do not get out of your car. Once the LEO is at your window, he will tell you to put down your window, get your operator’s license, whatever. If the window is up, do what he says and put it down. Once the window is down, inform the LEO that you have a replica firearm in the passenger compartment. Stress that it is a replica and not real (especially if you’re underage)! Do what he says from there on in. Whether it’s to exit the vehicle, sit
in his vehicle (Virginia Troopers will have you sit in the front seat while they write your summons as part of their SOP's, so it’s not too unusual.) Be sure to answer his questions respectfully and politely. Having an attitude is a great way to ensure that you’re written a summons! Once the LEO is finished either giving you a summons or a warning, go on about your business and enjoy your day! It is possible that a lone LEO may pull up to your game and begin asking questions. Just ensure that you keep your hands in plain sight and away from your replica(s) and gear. Answer all questions with respect, politeness, and honesty. This response is not likely to happen. Usually it will be one of the first two responses discussed above. The key to coming out of an unpleasant meeting with LEO/SWAT is to keep your head!! Obey the commands given to you in a timely manner without back talking, cussing, or giving them an unnecessary hard time. Remember, they are only doing their job, and in more than one instance, your life may be on the line! For questions, comments, or more info contact Itsahak at itsahak@brassairsoft.com Thanks to Wil for this writing article. He had some really good, sound advice on what to do and what not to do. I abide by these rules, and I recommend you do also. Thanks again Wil! If you have an article you would like to submit, please email it to use either via usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or via our website: www.officialusasocmagazine.com .
Laws and Safety: Many people are concerned that the realism of airsoft guns makes them dangerous. Parents need to be aware that giving an airsoft gun to irresponsible children can put their child in danger. In certain countries where real firearms are illegal the police, and others, may understand that children are playing with fake guns. In the United States, however, airsoft guns are regularly mistaken for real guns. Just as you would not brandish a real firearm in public, the same is true with airsoft guns. Airsoft guns are not cap guns or squirt guns. Be aware that if your child brings an airsoft gun to school, or any other public place, they may be arrested or, at worst, shot by a police officer. If you are a parent and are reading this, thank you for taking responsibility and being pro-active in learning about airsoft guns. To learn more about airsoft gun safety please read on. Not only do airsoft guns appear to be real, they also shoot plastic pellets. Many of the more expensive models such as AEGs are fully automatic. The speed at which airsoft bb's come out of airsoft guns is much slower than the speed that bb's are shot out of a traditional bb gun. Generally speaking, this speed allows people to shoot at each other with airsoft guns safely, under certain conditions. The first condition is eyewear. Never, ever, shoot at someone who is not wearing proper eye protection. Proper eye protection means eye goggles rated at least ANSI Z87.1 or paintball goggles. Proper eye protection is not military sun/dust/wind goggles, ski goggles, or shop goggles. Do not risk your own eyes or take on liability for your friend's eyes. Always wear proper eye protection when shooting airsoft guns! Read more about eye protection. Also, please be aware of the speeds at which all airsoft guns used in an airsoft game are shooting. Typical out-of-the-box airsoft guns shoot at ranges anywhere from 250 feet per second to 350 feet per second. Airsoft guns can be modified to shoot faster. Speeds between 375 feet per second and 400 feet per second are usually the maximum speeds US airsoft teams will allow. Make sure that anyone firing an airsoft gun over 400 feet per second is experienced, can accurately judge distance, and does not engage targets at close
range. Never mix real bb guns into an airsoft gun game. If you are unsure of an airsoft gun's firing speed, either buy a chronograph to measure the speed or simply do not allow it at a game. The simplest rule to remember with airsoft guns is to treat them as real guns. An accidental discharge at close range can have any number of damaging results including, but not limited too, broken teeth and damaged eyes. When transporting your gun to and from a game, carry it in a gun case. Not only is a gun case the safest means of transportation, it also naturally protects your gun (airsoft guns can be quite fragile) and makes a great place to store airsoft pistols and spare magazines. For many areas, a gun case is the only way to legally transport your airsoft gun. Remember, it is very difficult to visibly distinguish an airsoft gun from a real gun. Many people are concerned about the use of airsoft guns in crimes. A criminal is a criminal and will use whatever means they can to break the law. I would prefer a less dangerous criminal with an airsoft gun to a criminal armed with a real gun and the capability to kill innocent people. Don't let any of these safety issues scare you away. Airsoft is not a dangerous sport as long as everyone playing understands safety. If you can not follow these rules, please try another outdoor sport. When everyone follows the rules, airsoft is just as safe as paintball. In 3 years of playing, I never saw any serious accident. On a few occasions a BB at close range has drawn blood, but that is rare. I have played in games with 50+ people without incident. Last, but not least, before you play an airsoft game make sure that the airsoft teams you are playing with have strict rules concerning safety and feet per second limits for guns involved. Good Luck! (Source: www.AirsoftgunHelp.com)
Laws and Safety: • Under Federal Law, o Airsoft guns are not classified as firearms subject to the Gun Control Act. (However, in almost every major city and population center the definition of a firearm within their respected ordinances includes propulsion by spring or compressed air, thus subject to applicable laws.) o A 6 mm minimum orange tip must be present on the barrel end of the airsoft gun to identify it as such for any commercial sales or transport. Once you own the airsoft gun, you may remove the orange tip in most areas, but local and state laws do vary. o Airsoft guns' trademarks must be removed where the manufacturer does not have an existing license agreement with the "Real Steel" gun's manufacturer in the U. S. (Example: Classic Army has a licensing agreement with Arsenal Arms, so the trademarks can stay on imported replicas of Arsenal's SLR 105 A1. In practice enforcement is hit or miss. You might get an "unlicensed" gun through customs with Trademarks intact, while a Licensed gun might be held in Customs by an "under informed" customs agent.) o In addition, the similarity between genuine firearms and airsoft replicas is close enough to provoke interaction with local law enforcement personnel if an airsoft gun is carried openly in public. o If someone were to, for example, attempt a robbery with an airsoft gun, they would be charged as if the airsoft gun were a real firearm.
Airsofters Beware: Bill HR 428 Thanks goes to Wil Dorsett from ASA, (www.airsoftsafetyassoication.com), for providing us this heads-up on what could happen. Read through it, and I suggest you do what he says. A bill was introduced into the House. Contact your Congressman and let them know that you do not support this! To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban toys which in size, shape, or overall appearance resemble real handguns. (Introduced in House) HR 428 IH 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 428 To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban toys which in size, shape, or overall appearance resemble real handguns. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 11, 2007 Mr. TOWNS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban toys which in size, shape, or overall appearance resemble real handguns. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. BAN ON REALISTIC-LOOKING TOY HANDGUNS. The Consumer Product Safety Commission shall promulgate a rule in accordance with section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058) to declare as a banned hazardous product under section 8 any toy which in size, shape, or overall appearance resembles a real handgun. Everyone should keep an eye out on this for the future. Make sure to write your Congressman. Here’s an example of what Mr. Dorsett wrote to his Congressman: “Mr. Goodlatte, Recently I was informed of a bill introduced in the House concerning ‘realistic toy handguns.’ This bill, introduced by Mr. Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c1103P8ij3) calls for the industry to ban ‘realistic looking toy replicas.’ This concerns me not only as a voter, but as a 14 year law enforcement veteran and an avid airsoft player. Airsoft is a military simulation (milsim) game sort of like paintball, except our replica's look real. This bill would put a serious hamper on a past time that is based on and stress honor, strict codes of conduct, and patriotism for ones country. As admin for the Airsoft Safety Association (www.airsoftsafetyassociation.com), I and thousands of airsofters across the country stress safety and ‘real steel’ rules and procedures when dealing with ‘look alike’ replicas. It is our opinion that our country does not need more laws, but a return to stressing good parenting and home skills. I would like to thank you for your time and again, on behalf of myself and the ASA, we would like to voice our opposition to H.R. 428 and urge you to vote it down should you have that opportunity.” If you have any information in the future about this issue, please let us know by emailing us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com.
Tips: How to Create a Custom Ghille Suit
By David Wilson The ghillie (suit) was the last project I undertook before going to my first real sniper type competition. It was a lot of fun to construct, but I was rushed due to poor time management on my part. As a result, I went to the match with a functional suit but not as finished as I would have preferred. I'll go over those items later. Basic Ingredients: (Photo 1) • • • • • • •
One set of used over-sized BDU's. Canvas material. Fish netting, 3/4" square. Burlap. Shoe Goo: flame retardant. Needles and nylon thread. One bundle of jute.
I got the burlap from Home Depot, back in the garden section. The BDU's were purchased from a local surplus dealer and the rest of the items I picked-up from Tactical Concealment.
Design: I wanted a suit that I could use in a variety of areas, so I opted to go with mostly natural colored burlap and use a minimum amount of paint and dye. The thought is to color the suit as required once in the area where I would be using it. I also wanted to go by the 60/40 rule 60% natural vegetation and 40% burlap too. Other details of the design will be covered as I describe the construction process. The first step I undertook was to lay out the burlap on the ground and spray paint it with some Aervoe camo paint from Brownells that I originally got to paint my rifle. After the paint dried I cut the burlap into sections of various sizes ranging from 12" x 24" to 30" x 24" (Photo 2).
Next came stripping the burlap strands from the cloth. I used a 1x2 furring strip to clamp a section of the burlap to my work bench while I pulled the strands out. This setup worked really well and was fast (Photo 3).
As I pulled out 6 - 12 strands, I would tie one end with a loose overhand knot (Photo 4).
Then I would hang the strands on a coat hanger. See how I cut the coat hanger? This really helped later when it came time to attach the burlap to the netting. It made randomly picking the strands an easy and quick task (Photo 5).
Here is what all the strands of burlap looked like after pulling, knotting, and hanging. Note the various lengths and shades of colors. I should probably go ahead and mention that my strands were too long. They should be about 1/2 to 1/4 these lengths (Photo 6).
Jacket Canvas: Here I am marking the canvas to cut out a piece to attach to the chest area (Photo 7).
With an outline of the jacket marked onto the canvas, the canvas is folded in half in order to cut a symmetrical piece (Photo 8).
Then I laid the canvas out onto the jacket and trimmed it up. Note, I choose to use a single piece of canvas on the jacket versus a two piece construction. This turns the ghillie jacket into a pullover. The advantage is a smoother surface for crawling with no buttons required to hold the jacket together (Photo 9).
I removed all the buttons including the pocket buttons, except for the very top button at the neck. Then slits were cut and the pocket flaps were pulled out. I plan to add velcro for the pocket flaps later (Photo 10).
Gluing the Jacket: Glue was liberally applied under the jacket canvas and around the perimeter and the pocket flaps. This stuff starts to set quickly so you have to work fast to get it spread out (Photo 11).
Notice how I removed the collar and how the canvas is cut around the neck. A double stitch was made at the V-Neck to make sure it would separate. On the inside I sewed the jacket together down the button line (Photo 12).
Back Vent: A rectangle was cut out of the middle of the jacket to provide a vent for cooling (Photo 13).
With the cut made, the jacket is turned inside out, and mosquito netting is cut and placed over the back vent. Then it is glued into place. I plan to add vest under the arms too. I could really feel the benefit of the vent while wearing the jacket on a stalk (Photo 14).
Elbow Pads: One edge of the elbow seam was ripped open to insert an old mouse pad. These make great padding, not too thick so they’re flexible, but thick enough to protect the elbows when crawling (Photo 15).
Canvas was cut and glued to provide an extra layer of protection over the elbows. This same process was undertaken on the knees too (Photo 16).
Netting: The 3/4" fish net was laid out for a rough cut to the jacket dimensions. Notice the use of the clamps to hold it in place while cutting (Photo 17).
Sewing the netting was the most time consuming operation and the most boring. I sewed every square to the jacket along the perimeter and every 3rd square on the interior (Photo 18).
Finally the sewing is completed (Photo 19).
Here is what a knot looks like on the mosquito netting (Photo 20).
Attaching Garnish: Here is a work in-process of the burlap being attached. Note: the strands are way too long at this point. I went back over it and shortened everything by half (Photo 21).
Another work in-process (photo). Notice: I have the boonie hat on top of the jacket. Also, you'll see some light streaks of garnish in there. That's where I was experimenting with some grass rope. I took it out later (Photo 22).
Pants: Because I was running out of time, I opted to glue only the netting to the pants. I plan to go back later and add reinforcement stitching. Having said that, the netting held up very well on the stalk (Photo 23).
Here is what a glue spot looks like on the pants. These have help-up much better than I ever expected (Photo 24).
Finished Product:
Future plans. One thing I have learned about ghillie suit construction is - it never ends. Some add-ons I have planned are; • • • • •
Loops on the arm and leg cuffs to keep the shirt and pant legs downs Suspenders to help hold the oversized pants up Additional canvas on the pants Additional stitching on the pants netting and jacket canvas Add some cordage to the netting to aid in attaching vegetation
Next project: I am going to build an ultra-lightweight suit. Maybe just a hat and cape type of setup. One lesson I learned on my first stalk is it’s less about blending in well with the ghillie and more about cover
and concealment and route selection and knowing exactly where the spotters are located, than it is about anything else. I would just like to thank David Wilson for allowing U.S.A.S.O.C. to use his great article on making a custom ghille suit. All credit goes to him for this article. I would suggest checking out his website: http://home.comcast.net/~davidawilson/index.htm for more great advice. If you have a DIY (Do It Yourself) article or anything on modifications to your airsoft guns/gear and want to see it in U.S.A.S.O.C., please go email it to us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit us online at: www.officialusasocmagazine.com.
The Boys up North (Canada): Team SIR Interview
(Photo Credit: Dave B. and Tristan from Team S.I.R.) Q. How about a little history about S.I.R. and its members. How did you guys first start? When did you start? Who started it? Where in Canada are you located? Etc. A. The SIR first started in Victoria, BC around 1999-2000 as a rag-tag group of airsofters just looking to get out and safely use their airsoft guns. We had a wide range of ages, levels of interest and armament, and used a simple MSN forum to get ourselves organized. We tossed around the idea of getting more members and creating a more formal team structure. We decided up the name South Island Rangers (SIR) since Victoria is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. After about a year of kind of floundering around, one of our members
ventured over to Vancouver on the mainland and tried out a game with the BCAC airsoft club (British Columbia Airsoft Club). Now these guys were switched on and basically opened up a whole new world of airsofting for us. The BCAC were welcoming and fantastic hosts, and we quickly formed a strong bond and friendship with them. It was playing with the BCAC that introduced use to the MILSIM style of gaming. MILSIM (Military Simulation) skirmishing, which is basically objective based gaming with usually longer skirmish lengths and a more realistic load-out quickly captured our interest and we moved to change the SIR's focus to MILSIM gaming. Dave B. and Matt M. were the two main catalysts for adopting and implementing this new club direction and structure and took over running the newly focused SIR airsoft club. The SIR spent the next two years making the five hour round trip over to the mainland to play with the BCAC club for several reasons. - We lost our small playing field here in Victoria. - We only had a handful of players, but combined with the BCAC club, we would have games consisting of over forty players which made playing once a month very well worth it, in our opinion. As time went on, the constant travel time started to take its toll, and both Matt and Dave started to take a less active role in the club as interest started to change, as well as free time started to become more and more difficult to find. Several of our other members also took up interests elsewhere. So SIR became depleted and pretty much non existent for a while. We both tried to keep our hands in it helping where we could. Matt was still a moderator with ASC and Dave continued to answer emails from curious and interested airsofters. Enter Tristan B. in 2006, the face and leader of the new SIR. Tristan was the right person at the right time to revive what was a dying airsoft club. Tristan expressed interest in picking up SIR where Matt and Dave had left off. So during the later half of 2006, Tristan got to work on restructuring the club and taking the reigns now passed onto him form Matt and Dave. Within six months, not only had Tristan revived the club and found a new player base, he also landed a huge private land deal with a local gun club, the Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association.
So the future is looking bright for SIR as we begin another chapter in the club’s evolution. Q. What does S.I.R. stand for? A. South Island Rangers. Q. Is S.I.R. based off any military or law enforcement group whether national or international? A. Nothing in particular, although we do favour our Canadian Special Forces, JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2). Q. What do you consider yourselves as a team meaning: a CQB team, outdoors team, all-around team, etc? A. When SIR first started out, we were just another "run and gun" type game play (a la paintball). Soon after hooking up with the BCAC airsoft club over in Vancouver, we changed our team focus to MILSIM style of gaming. This did not appeal to all, but we pushed forward with it none the less. We felt that the added realism of MILSIM and objective based skirmishing better suited how we wanted to play and where we wanted the clubs direction to go. Q. I consider you all as a professional airsoft team, from what I've heard and read, but would you call yourselves a professional team or just one that gets together when you can? A. I would say we were professional in the way we play and act when in a skirmish. We pride ourselves on good communication, radio discipline, and proper fire and movement tactics. We are able to adapt and take and give orders when required. That being said, we did not go to the extremes other teams do of looking for team sponsorships, nor did we have a formal "command structure" (Captain, Sergeant, Privates, etc.). We are all adults, and all competent in our skill sets and know how to work with each other no matter who is "giving the orders". We feel we get the best of both worlds with this particular structure. There is a fine balance between being focused and professional but still having fun! Q. S.I.R. looks almost like a successful business in the sense that you've grown a good deal and are very well established and respected among hundreds, if not thousands, of people. I'm sure it took a lot of hard work, but what are some of the things that S.I.R. has done to become so successful over the past few years? A. Thank you. We are glad that our reputation precedes us! First and foremost, we only enlisted mature, switched on, like minded
individuals. Nothing can screw up a team’s reputation more than having a few clown shoes on your team that “just don’t get it.” It’s kind of funny how the SIR has this reputation to begin with, considering we were always a small club. A big part of it would be in no small thanks to our brothers (and sisters) in the BCAC. These guys are top notch and playing regularly with them would raise any clubs’ reputation! Being part of the BCAC helped make us “appear” larger than we really were. Dave B. also helped with the club’s reputable appearance by creating such things as the SIR team badges and the SIR web site. Having a good website with lots of information helps in a “sport” that can often be daunting and initially hard to get into. It just gives the club and sport in general a more “professional touch.” Dave also started custom painting and airbrushing AEGs for himself and other players. You can check out some of “Boneman’s” custom paint jobs here: http://www.sirairsoft.com/paintworks.htm. Dave’s paint jobs were also profiled on Arnie’s Airsoft web site. Q. How many active members do you have and who are they? A. In SIR’s hay-day, we were only about eight dedicated, full time members strong. I’ll be honest, we turned away quite a few players as we were looking for quality, not quantity. After re-starting SIR, we have increased our numbers to approximately twelve. Now with SIR's permanent base at the VFGPA, interest is building, almost on a daily basis. Q. Are you recruiting? A. Yes. Q. If so, then what are your requirements? A. You must be at least 18+ years old, have the ability to finance and obtain necessary weapons, and kit in relation to the team’s requirements. We all know airsoft is not a cheap hobby, and we insist that you have the means to adequately finance yourself to the level we expect. We do have a probation period for those persons looking to join us. By belonging to the VFGPA, we also have standards of conduct that must be adhered to. Those that don’t possess the necessary maturity we require, are not invited to join. Q. Do you have a website or any contact information for U.S. and Canadian airsoft fans out there? A. www.sirairsoft.com.
Q. What events have you participated in or plan to if any? A. In the past we have participated in many MILSIMs with the BCAC, including eight, twelve, and twenty-four hour long ops. Now with having a new permanent home field at the VFGPA property, we can plan long term for events such as Milsims etc, as well as hosting those types of events on a regular basis. Matt is already drawing up plans for SIR’s first major MILSIM at their new field, slated for spring/summer 2007! Q. If yes, any on the national or international level? A. None as of yet. Crossing the border with airsoft guns is not an easy thing to do for us Canucks. We may be able to leave with them, but getting home with them is quite another story! Most of us are not very fond of Canadian Customs Officers wearing latex gloves if you get my drift! Q. It says on your website that you have your own field to play on, thanks to the help of VFGPA, Victoria Fish and Game Protection Association. How and what did you guys do to get the VFGPA to allow you to use their land? A. After discussions between ourselves (Dave and Tristan) and the President of VFGPA, Mr. Chris Bos, a presentation was made to the VFGPA Executive Committee by Tristan. This presentation comprised of a briefing of the history of airsoft, the different levels or game types involved, as well as a demonstration to the Executive of the equipment and weapons we use in conducting our sport. From that meeting, a motion was put forward to allow us to associate with the VFGPA and grant us full access to a suitably deemed portion of the property for the use of airsoft activities. The motion was passed unanimously by all those committee chairpersons in attendance. At the November General meeting of the VFGPA, it was made official that the South Island Rangers Airsoft Club will now based at the VFGPA Malahat property. Tristan is now the Chairman of the Airsoft Committee on the VFGPA Executive Board. A very special “Thank You” goes to Mr Chris Bos, President of the VFGPA. Without his research, willingness to try something new for the membership and enthusiasm for airsoft, none of this would have been possible. Everyone affiliated with SIR is extremely excited at this new location and the world of opportunities and possibilities that will stem from this new field.
Q. Do you host your own events and tournaments? A. We will be very shortly now that we have a fantastic venue at the VFGPA! Stay tuned. Q. Have you guys ever had any trouble with the law regarding airsoft in Canada? A. Luckily, none as of yet. We try to go about things related to airsoft in a very open, upfront, and honest way. We have tried several times to meet with various local police departments, but unfortunately they don't seem to want to take much interest in what we are doing UNTIL there is a problem! Very unfortunate…In 2005, there was an article written in one of our local papers about some kids who got caught with airsoft guns in public (M16A2), and there was a picture of a police Sergeant holding up the M16A2 on the front page with a caption to the effect of “Why would anyone possibly want/need to own one of these.” Dave called and spoke with this Sergeant, personally, about what airsoft is and how responsible airsofters dislike these same immature individuals as much as the police do. The Sergeant was completely unaware of what airsoft was all about. Dave also successfully defended responsible airsofters and clubs in a letter to the editor that got published the same paper the following week. Also, now with being based at a facility where local, and national law enforcement, military, and civilian teams and individuals participate, we are endeavouring to educate and inform on what airsoft is, and exactly how safe it is when conducted properly. Especially within the borders of the VFGPA. Knowledge is the key here. People automatically fear what they don’t know about and tend to jump to conclusions. Since a lot of the local police and ERT teams shoot at the VFGPA, we are hoping that we can show them what airsoft is all about and perhaps show them possible advantages of using airsoft as a training aid. Q. It says on your website that S.I.R. conducts a "Boot Camp." What is that exactly, and who is it open to? A. Boot Camps are a training event we use to get "new recruits" up to speed on the basics that we expect a player to know in order to participate at SIR or BCAC sanctioned events. Usually they take a whole day, sometimes two, and will include training exercises in fire control and movement, moving to contact, hand and verbal communications, personal equipment and kit needs, weapons use
and care, etc, etc. Once the recruit has been given these basics tools and has returned to his own club, he or she will continue to hone their skills within their own club and fire teams. Mostly they are open to anyone to attend, however at times they are by invitation only, depending on the skill level being taught. These boot camps were started by the BCAC club and continue to be a fantastic and successful endeavour for anyone who has participated in one. Q. What would you suggest to a bunch of guys and/or gals who want to make a new airsoft team? A. Have a set style in which to focus the team on and stick to it. Have rules within your team that everyone must adhere. Most of all have fun playing airsoft but please, always safety first. Never let safety become second. Be professional and mature in your actions, but at the same time remember that at the end of the day, we are all just guys running around the woods shooting plastic BBs at each other. Have fun, be focused but keep perspective. Q. What are some of the guns and gear you guys have? A. We have had a wide variety of AEGs over the years. Styer Augs, H&K MP5SD5 and G3 to G36, a few M60's, an M24 at one point, but mostly we all settled on Armalite variants (M4's). We found M4's to be a good fit for several reasons: - Availability of parts and after market accessories. - We all used the same magazines so we could swap and/or borrow magazines if we had to. - Reliability of the M4. As for gear, you name it, we've probably had it or used it! We preferred to use genuine high-speed kit when we could. We stuck with brands like Tactical Tailor, Paraclete, Blackhawk, and HSGI to name a few. Martin and Colin over at Dave's Army Surplus and Tactical over in Vancouver could usually hook us up with good gear at great prices! We spent WAY too much money in that store. Too bad our kids won’t be going to college now! Q. Are any of your members in law enforcement or the military? A. We have one who is a current member of the Canadian Navy, and two members in the Canadian Army Reserves. Q. How often do you guys meet together and train or sit down and prepare for an Op?
A. We now hold game days every weekend. Our current schedule is the 1st and 3rd Saturdays and 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. As we are currently re-building the numbers of SIR, most of our game days are spent doing smaller skirmishing type games, to build our own skill levels and to showcase the sport to the new up and comers. Some more lengthy objective based games are supported also. Q. Any tips you can give us on how you train? A. Train how you fight, and fight how you train. Keeping an open mind is also important in learning and improving your skill sets. Even if you already know something, you can always get better at it. We have had members go from participating in boot camps to helping to teach those same boot camps. I think the biggest piece of advice we would give is close your mouth, leave any attitude at home, and open your eyes and ears. You can learn a lot from just watching and listening to experienced and veteran players. Q. Any final tips you can give the readers? A. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. You will only take away from airsoft exactly what you put in!! Q. On behave of all the members of U.S.A.S.O.C., I would like to thank all the members of S.I.R. who participated in this interview for taking the time out to allow us to interview you all. A. It was our pleasure! We appreciate our friends down south of the border thinking of us! Again, a big “Thanks” goes to all the members of S.I.R. who were interviewed. When I say, “These guys are top-notch,” they really are. I haven’t met group of guys like these who take the sport seriously and are as highly successful while still being safe. I would suggest checking out their website: www.sirairsoft.com for more information about them as well. I hope you Canadian fans are now a little more satisfied with the emagazine now. I also want to thank everyone up in Canada who has supported this e-magazine with their kind comments and articles. Keep up the good work! If you would like your team to be interviewed by U.S.A.S.O.C., national or international, just email us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com or visit: www.officialusasocmagazine.com.
I’ll leave you with some photos of S.I.R. (Photos Credits: Dave B. and Tristan from Team S.I.R.)
Photos: Thanks again to all who contributed to us this month. If you have a photo(s) that you would like to see in U.S.A.S.O.C., please send them to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com to see them in future issues. All of the photos of people without safety goggles or glasses in this e-magazine were staged. This meaning, the players were not playing airsoft at the time so that is why they don’t have on safety goggles or glasses. Please note that.
(Above Photo and First Photo on Next Page Credits: Elmer Cato / Filforce) (Second Photo on Next Page Credits: Dave B. and Tristan from Team S.I.R.)
Photo of the Issue: Thanks goes to Elmer Cato from Team Filforce for allowing us to use this great photo for this issue’s “Photo of the Issue.” If you have a photo that you think should be the next “Photo of the Issue”, send it our way to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com.
Upcoming Events: March-April
Game Details Free BBQ on Friday night for those brave enough to come out early and camp with us in the cold! Game play happens on Saturday, but join us Friday night for camping and fun.
OP: SOLOMON'S PASS March 9-10, 2007: Game happens SATURDAY, with camping the night before (gates open at 5pm Friday) Story and Admin by: Angelo Jordan Field Fee: $35 each (paid at the field, in cash) Start Time: 9am REG, 11am DEPLOY Age Restrictions: 14+ Rules: Standard AP Safety Rules apply. All players must turn in signed copy of the AP waiver and a signed copy of the Splat Action waiver. You can skip the AP Waiver if you already have one on file, but you MUST have a Splat Action waiver for EVERY GAME. Back-story / Mission Details: March 2007, Southwest region Afghanistan, Village of Solomon... All paths led to SOLOMON. In an effort to reduce illegal drug trafficking out of Afghanistan, DEA officials in cooperation with the US, British, Canadian and Afghan Army, privately conducted several sweeps of suspected warehouses storing Opium Poppies. They managed to destroy eighteen Poppies caches and arrested over two hundred suspects. Amongst those arrested were two high level Taliban Officers. The information gleaned from them led to the assault on the production and storage facility in the Village of SOLOMON. However, the DEA and Military force of over one hundred, were slaughtered in the mountainous “Solomon’s Pass” on their way into the Village. It has been determined that the intelligence from the Taliban leaders was misinformation and a setup for the eventual ambush. Subsequently the Taliban officials have been liquidated. At this time we have reason to believe that the Taliban have captured sensitive communications equipment as well as several members of the Allied forces. Thus, we are unable to launch air strikes on the
target at this time. A helicopter insert is the only means by which to launch an additional assault as the terrain is extremely mountainous in this area. The assault will be lead by the U.S. with supporting elements from Britain, Canada, and Afghanistan. Mission priorities will be as follows: Recover the communications transponder flux emitter, and the GPMLR-22 sat-nav comm. System. The flux emitter is a new global communications device able to send and receive signals from any other communications device even while underground, or water. There are only three in existence and one was being trial run by the DEA for this Operation. Fortunately it has a built in emergency locator beacon that automatically turns itself on if a security code is not entered every 24 hours. We have acquired its signal and have confirmed its location. (It is mobile at this time) Secondary objectives will be to retrieve captured members of the initial assault team, and to destroy the Poppy Production facility once and for all. Team Choices -Taliban Forces: Woodland -International Security Assistance Force (ISAF): Anything other than Woodland. U.S.M.C.: (Marpat) U.S.Army/SOF: (ACU's & Multicam) Britain: (DPM) Canada: (CADPAT) Germany: (Flektarn)
Black Aurora was a secret US government project to build an undetectable, hypersonic military aircraft. That project remained secret for years until the fateful day of April 29th, 2010. On that day an Aurora spy plane crashed into the Kaliningrad Oblast countryside sparking a wave of chaos and fighting. A major US force was immediately dispatched to retrieve the pilot and salvage any intel and parts from the crash site. A long skirmish ensued between the US and Russian Mercenaries, Spetznas troops and eventually the townspeople of Kaliningrad after the brutal slaying of their beloved mayor by the US. Weeks have passed since that day and Kaliningrads collective mourning has begun to turn to hope, hope for a better life, hope for a new leader to carry the promise of prosperity into the farthest reaches of their proud country... Kali forces have withdrawn from the coastline using chemical weapons to cover their retreat. U.S. forces have secured the coastline, and are now conducting operations to restore the city with relief efforts. Kaliningrad has used the black market sales of their recovered aircraft parts to hire mercenaries to replenish its losses. They have
also employed more advisors and have stepped up insurgent attacks. The Gibbious Moon has also backed the Kalis in their efforts by using terrorist attacks and weapons trade. A new U.S. task force is en route to link up with M.E.U. reinforcements already in the A.O. The new Task Force Raptor is mobilized from Ft. Bragg. They will be conducting an airborne assault into the area to engage the Kalis in the heart of Kaliningrad. Event Location: 4624 Dayton Springfield RD, Springfield, OH 45502. Entry Fee: $25/$15.
Teams: Listed here are teams that we have found. If you would like to submit your team to be listed, just include: your team’s name and any contact info (website, location, email, etc). Please send it to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com. AMSOG: Location: Tucson, Arizona. Website: www.amsog.com Airsoft Team Rhino: Location: Las Vegas, Nevada. Website: www.airsoftteamrhino.com BRASS: Location: Lynchburg, Virginia. Website: www.brassairsoft.com Contact Info (other than website): itsahak@brassairsoft.com Centurion Aisoft Club: Location: Northern California. Website: www.airsoftcenturions.com Cimmerians: Location: San Francisco, California. Website: www.cimmerians.org Cobra Company: Location: Walworth County, Wisconsin bordering Illinois. Website: www.cobracompanywi.com Fargo Moorhead Airsoft: Location: Fargo, North Dakota / Moorhead, Minnesota. Website: www.fmairsoft.com
Echo Squadron: Location: Southeastern Wisconsin. Website: www.echosquadron.com Fox Team Airsoft: Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin. Website: www.foxteamairsoft.cjb.net Ghost Strike: Location: Dayton, Ohio. Website: www.ghoststrike.cjb.net Iron Cross Elite: Location: Wisconsin area. Website: www.ironcrosselite.com Mobile Militia Force-Alpha: Location: California. Website: www.teammmf-a.com Morgantown Airsoft: Location: Morgantown, West Virginia. Website: www.morgantownairsoft.com North Alabama Tactical Airsoft Command: Location: Huntsville, Alabama. Website: www.natac-airsoft.tk Rangers of NC: Location: Wilmington, North Carolina. Website: www.home.ec.rr.com/hybridiscool/ai/ River Rats: Location: Elgin City, Chicago. Website: www.riverratsairsoft.com South East Airsoft Legion: Location: Dade/Broward/West Palm Beach, Florida. Website: www.southeastairsoftlegion.net
Strikers: Location: Ohio. Website: www.teamstrikers.com Task Force Delta: Location: Northeast Wisconsin. Website: www.taskforcedelta.com Tactical Airsoft of Cleveland: Location: Cleveland, Ohio. Website: www.airsoftcleveland.com Team Hidden Sword: Location: Texas. Website: www.myspace.com/hiddensword The Empire Corporation: Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia. Website: www.theempirecorporation.us Contact Info (other than website): theempirecorporation@gmail.com Toledo Airsoft: Location: Toledo, Ohio. Website: www.toledoairsoft.com
*New Team* 1st Recon Airsoft Battalion: Location: Mansfield, Connecticut. Website: www.freewebs.com/1streconbn *New Team* Task Force Iron Hammer: Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin. Website: www.tfironhammer.com
*New Team* A.C.E.S. (Advanced Combat Engagement Squad): Jacksonville, FL. www.acesairsoft.web1000.com
*New Team* SGAT (South Georgia Airsoft Team): Douglas, GA. www.southgeorgiaairsoft.com
*New Team* S.I.R. (South Island Rangers): Victoria, BC Canada. www.sirairsoft.com
Airsoft Related Websites: Here’s a compacted list of airsoft related links. If you have one that you don’t see, please submit it to: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com. Airsoft Alaska: www.airsoftalaska.com Airsoft Arizona: www.airsoftarizona.com Airsoft Cincinnati: www.airsoftcincinnati.com Airsoft Colorado: www.airsoftcolo.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi Airsoft Hawaii: www.airsofthawaii.com Airsoft Iowa: www.airsoftiowa.com Airsoft Kentucky: www.airsoftkentucky.com Airsoft Louisville: www.airsoftlouisville.org
*New Site* Airsoft New York: http://asny.forumup.org/index.php Airsoft Ohio: www.airsoftohio.com Airsoft Pacific: www.airsoftpacific.com Airsoft Teams.net: www.airsoft-teams.net Alabama Airsoft Forums: www.bbgunmilitia.proboards77.com Colorado Airsoft: www.coloradoairsoft.org Fubar Airsoft: www.fubarairsoft.com/forums
Florida Airsoft: www.floridaairsoft.com Illinois Airsoft: www.illinoisairsoft.com Las Vegas Airsoft: www.lvairsoft.org Lonestar Airsoft: www.austinairsoft.com Minnesota Airsoft Association: www.mnairsoft.org North Eastern Airsoft Group: www.neasg.org Oklahoma Airsoft: www.okairsoft.com Seattle Aisoft: www.seattleairsoft.com South Carolina Airsoft Association: www.scairsoft.net Tennessee Airsoft: www.tnairsoft.com Texas Airsoft Organization (TASO): www.texasairsoft.org United States Federation of Airsoft Standards/FAST: www.fast-us.org Wisconsin Airsoft: www.wiairsoft.com Connecticut Airsoft Forums: www.airsoftct.com
*New Site* Jefferson City Airsoft (Missouri): www.JeffCityAirsoft.tk
*New Site* Airsoft Insider: http://airsoftinsider.informe.com Airsoft Safety Association: www.airsoftsafetyassociation.com Airsoft Forum: www.airsoftforum.com Chat Airsoft: www.chatairsoft.com
Airsoft Canada: www.airsoftcanada.com Arnies’ Airsoft: www.arniesairsoft.co.uk
Op Idea: Operation “Janus” *SQUAD MISSION BRIEFING* – THE MAJOR: “Several days ago we lost contact with the entire elite Spec-Ops squad, known only as “Squad 6” until sometime ago when Captain Glenn “Ironside” Roy contacted us via radio. According to him the situation is bad, and it looks as if it will continue up s***’s creek until we step in. Here is the gist of the situation.” “We have just learned that excluding Captain Roy and a one Lt. Kimbal, the entire “Squad 6” has been killed. What is strange is that this “Squad 6” is about as tough as they come, but for some reason, there seems to have been an unforeseen ambush. This recording is that last transmission we have heard from Captain Roy. ‘Oh, God...ere...dead...the...re...all...f...in...ead.. .Sir!...ir!...Somet..ing...appened out...ere that shou...n’t have!’ “With that knowledge, you should all be aware by now that this is no ordinary Op, gentlemen. Other than that I’m afraid this is all we know.” “We have reason to believe, with 90% certainty, that both Lt. Kimbal and Captain Roy are both being held captive in this facility here [Display Map] in the woods. You will be split into three teams: ALPHA, BRAVO, and CHARLIE. We need you to insert your team into this (these) area(s) here. Your objectives are as followed: - Enter the Facility. - Capture or Neutralize all resistance as you go (There is a Minimum Prisoner Count or MPC – the amount will be factored on the number of players and/or the Game Operator’s preference) - Once all hostiles within the complex have been Captured or Neutralized, set up team CHARLIE to watch the perimeter for any future resistance.
- Find and Secure the Packages codenamed Big Brother (Captain Roy), and Little Brother (Lt. Kimbal). - Make you way out of the facility, escorting both packages, as well as any captive terrorists to EVAC. “We will also be feeding you Intel and any additional objectives via the radio.” “One other thing, gentlemen, is we have good reason to believe that these terrorists are a part of the same cell that call themselves the ‘Canadian Imperial Legion,’ the very same group that captured and beheaded the Canadian Prime Minister a few months back. These terrorists want nothing more to make Canada into a new fascist state and will do whatever necessary. They are structured, cruel, and 100% serious in their ideology; it seems as if they will do anything to anyone to prove that. "For instance, I’m sure you all have heard about the midnight raid on the U.S. embassy in Canada last week, but for those who are too lazy and don’t read the news, here’s what happened. These psychos hacked into the security systems to fool security into believing nothing was ever wrong with the cameras. They then made their way inside and butchered everyone they could find. And if that wasn’t enough, they set fire to the building so that survivors couldn’t escape. This should be a reminder of the seriousness of the situation. This group has the resources to cut power to both security devices and other major systems, which means you should be prepared for a sudden blackout, gentlemen. Keep that in mind and stay sharp! “That is all for now, we need this mission commenced ASAP. A chopper is outside as we speak to take your team to where you need to be in order to make this happen. I apologize for the lack of preptime, but this is serious, and until just an hour ago, we have lost all contact with both Lt. Kimbal and Captain Roy. We fear for the worst. “[Salutes] Good luck men.” Thanks goes to I. St. Pierre (Pain is Red) for writing this op idea. If you have one and want to see it in U.S.A.S.O.C., please send it to usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com.
Final Thoughts: There you have it, our third issue. I hope you enjoyed it, as always, as much as I did making it. I also hope you like the new design of the e-magazine. We finally are getting into how we want the e-magazine to be, but we plan to always make it better. If you want to write for us or want to contribute and be part of the e-magazine, please email us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com. We don’t pay for articles right now because of how new we are, but you will be given full credit for what you write and/or contribute. It’s a great thing to put on your resume for after college or for getting into college as well. If you would like to see something new or some changes in U.S.A.S.O.C., please email us at: usasoc_themagazine@hotmail.com. We can’t promise that we will do what you want, but we’ll do our best! Thanks again to all who have spread the word about U.S.A.S.O.C. too! We ask that you continue to do so! With a certain amount of the money that we’ve made, we have made our first donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (www.specialops.org). I suggest you check out their website and, if you can, donate to them. They also have a great book for you future Special Forces’ candidates on how to get selected written by Major Joe Martin along with Master Sergeant Rex Dodson; also, 100% of the proceeds go to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation which is great. Have fun, stay warm in the last few of winter’s weeks, and be safe! The next issue will be released on May 1st, 2007. God Bless, Nick Petrus-Owner/Main Editor Liz Petrus-Assistant Editor