irish airsoft magazine
Close Quarter Combat Gunny’s assAult course
irish airsoft news
THE RIONEGRO MANDATE debrief
www.sitrepmagazine.com
Editor’s
Welcome back to SitRep Magazine Welcome to issue 3 of SitRep! We have to say a bit thank you to everyone who has supported the magazine so far. We have been getting way more readers than we ever thought possible and we’re still getting loads of messages of support from readers all the time. In order to keep on giving you what you want from an Irish Airsoft magazine, we need to hear your feedback and input on the types of things you want to read. So, keep on writing to us at info@ sitrepmagazine.com or visit or contact us through Facebook (look for SitRep Airsoft Magazine) or via Twitter @SitRepMagazine. In this issue we bring you some news about a new Irish Airsoft forum which just started during the summer and looks like it could turn in to a really great resource for Irish Airsoft. We have an interview with the creator of the forum about his reasons for starting it and his hopes for its future. We also bring you the results of a little survey we undertook over the last couple of months in Player Profiles. We sent out questionnaires to a load of players on various topics from their preferred style of play to their favourite sites, and we’ve put together a cross section of the answers to give you a bit of an idea of the types of people who play Airosft in Ireland. We’re a pretty varied bunch by the looks of it! Elsewhere in the issue we take a look at Fingal Airsoft, we look in to CQB Airsofting and we have our usual techie breakdown with Gunny too as well as the usual mix of news and reviews. We hope you enjoy issue 3 and hopefully we’ll have issue 4 out to you very soon. Cheers
Fabio, Keith & Damian The SitRep Team info@sitrepmagazine.com
P.S. You may have noticed that this issue arrives to you a little late. We’re very sorry about that but due to unforeseen circumstances which we were mostly helpless to resist, things got very delayed at SitRep. As I’m sure many of you know, SitRep is a labour of love for us rather than a business, so when real life starts to get in the way it usually has to take priority. When problems with the magazine come along at the same time, well that just makes things all the worse. Anyway, we hope that you haven’t gotten too annoyed waiting for your next SitRep fix. We promise to have the next issue out much quicker than this one.
s Letter
CONTENTS EDITOR:
Fabio Venturini Fabio@sitrepmagazine.com
Airsoft News Dog Tagged Airsofter.ie a new forum for Irish Airsoft Close Quarter Combat Player Profiles Gunny’s AEG Assault Course A Beginner’s Guide (zeroing your scope) The MP5 a CQC Classic The Rionegro Mandate Site Review “Fingal Airsoft” SWAT Digital Urban Version 3 Camo BDU Review SOCOM Gear Gemtech Oasis
ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER:
Keith Richardson Keith@sitrepmagaizne.com COMMERCIAL & ACCOUNTS MANAGER:
Damian Dobbyn Damian@sitrepmagazine.com
Copyright here and abroad of all material (except where otherwise stated) is held by the publishers and the original copyright holders. No reproduction is permitted without prior consent. IMPORTANT: Airsoft is a combat simulation sport and as such involves risk of injury to oneself and others. Great care must be taken carrying out any such activities. Airsoft activities should only ever be carried out under proper supervision on a properly sanctioned Airsoft site with medically trained marshals on hand. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any injury, death, loss or damage which may result from undertaking Airsoft activities described in this publication. DISCLAIMER: The publishers make no representations, endorsements, guarantees or warranties concerning the products and/or services featured within this magazine. We expressly disclaim any and all liability relating to or arising from the sale, manufacture, distribution, use or misuse of such. Photographers Cover Design K. Richardson Michael AKA Sexyyoda Sharpshooter Photography Keith Richardson
For advertising enquiries or to submit photographs or articles for publication please email us at info@sitrepmagazine.com
We Want
you
well, we want your opinions, Photographs and news that is. Join our Facebook page or e-mail us at info@sitrepmagazine.com
AIRSOFT NEWS ASG Releases New SVD
Springer ASG has just announced release of the Concern Izhmash Dragunov SVD-S. Licensed by Concern Izhmash, Russia, the real manufacturer of the legendary original SVD-S, we are guessing we’ll be seeing a very accurate replica. The SVD-S has a foldable stock for easier transportation and the cheek rest can be adjusted. All internals, body, barrel and stock are made of metal. The front guard, grip and butt stock are made of ABS plastic. The SVD-S shoot 312fps out of the box, but a spring for 394fps is included in the box and can easy be installed if you are playing abroad in a country with a higher fps limit.
Daniel Defence
New Daniel Defence Rail Sy stem on the Way
Mad Bull will soon be bringing us a new Daniel Defence license d rail system which looks pretty sweet. If you’re in the process of building yourse lf an SR25 – as I have noticed a lot of people are – thi s could be very interesting. According to Mad Bull, “The inn ovative Daniel Defense AR15 Lit e Rail 12.0 system gives an uninterrupted upper rai l platform and also allows the Arm orer to install the rail system with simplified alignm ent to the upper receiver. Not on ly does this battle proven system provide features that no other rail system posse sses, but it is also the lightest rail system availab le.”
i u r a M Tokyo e Recc e l f i r l i o Rec
ull have B d a M d n a i nce to e f e D Tokyo Mar u l e i n a d with D e t a r o b a l l o e Recoil c c c e R 4 M new release the in eight system w t il u b in n . a a as Rifle time you fire piece of kit h
oking so every e This lovely lo to the piston d e h c a e hear that th tt w a e is il h h ic W h . il w o k still ome rec the stoc e feeling of s low back, it’s b th s t l’ e g to l ’l is u p o B y shot be a bit to a GB comparable this is sure to ly d n e o lv is o v il in o c rket s re 4s on the ma ith the brand w M d B n B a E a r e e p id a e che a nice ore for an some of th ying a bit m a th p le e b b a li to re g re nd in mo e you’re go olidly built a s rs u ry o e c v f ’s O it . t w a s are th right no but the report it k f o e c ie m TM. p this ld expect fro u o w u o y s a reliable –
Visits Salute 2011
even if you look rough
Dog Tagged a place where you can share your best airsoft Photographs with the rest of the Irish Airsoft Community. If it’s you or your team in action, posing, funny or even chillin in the safezone send them in to us and get yourself tagged.
even if you look rough
Airsofter.ie a new forum for Irish Airsoft
Airsofter.ie was launched recently to give Irish Airsofters a new place to discuss their sport. Completely independent of any outside interests, Airsofter.ie is a forum run by Airsofters for Airsofters. Set up and managed by former IAA committee member, Dave O’Connor, who has been a well respected member of the Irish Airsoft community for some years now, Airsofter.ie has already succeeded in coaxing back some of those respected voices who had pretty much given up on discussing Irish Airsoft online. SitRep Magazine recently ran a few questions by Dave to find out what he hopes to achieve with Airsofter.ie SitRep: What was the reason for various reasons. I was the to discuss Airsoft and have behind starting Airsofter.ie main instigator, but great folks a place to go with minimal like Steve Fay and Richard drama that is consistent in and who was involved? Dave: The main reason was Smith, who any airsofter in Ire- how things are applied, and to provide a dedicated air- land should know, gave great where the community drives how things happen. soft forum, where the rules feedback and advice. are designed around the SitRep: What are you hoping SitRep: Do you have plans to develop Airsofter.ie beyond airsofting community, and to achieve with the new just a forum to include other which is run specifically for forum? airsofters. A lot of the most Dave: In a way, Im hoping the features? prominent contributors to forum defines itself over time. Dave: Not at present. At some the airsoft scene in Ireland What I wanted to do was provide point in the future, the front had gone offline or other- a ‘bare bones’. I’m not trying to page may turn into somewise weren’t comfortable replace boards, or any other thing like the front page of with either the moderation or forum -- I wanted to make it so ASI, with news and reviews the users elsewhere. I spe- there’s a loose set of rules, ac- and tech articles, if people cifically wanted to do it, and countability for moderators as are interested. However, ‘if if I weren’t on the IAA com- well as users, and transparency people are interested’ is the mittee in 2009 it might have in how things are run. Person- main thing -- I’m not going happened then. It’s been on ally, I hope it becomes a good to autocratically drive a projthe back-burner since then, place to go for serious players ect to put content on there if and I only got around to it recently, after taking a lot of advice from other airsofters and people who had gone off boards or other forums
there’s no demand or supply. There are also currently no plans to charge for any aspect of the site, or to run any ads. The forum is funded entirely by me personally, and I’m not planning to change that. SitRep: In terms of forum moderation, what do you feel has been lacking elsewhere and what special considerations (if any) do you think need to be made when moderating a forum for Irish Airsofters? Dave: This has been discussed to death, and if you distil things down to their smallest part, it’s down to accountability and consistency. Accountability means that the moderators are accountable to the users -- there are no disappearing posts, no hiding behind dogmatic policy or the ‘moderating is hard, so stop complaining’ argument. Consistency in this context means that all users
are treated equally, there are no favourites or sides, and the rules are applied evenly. SitRep: Broadly speaking, how are you handling forum rules differently than they have been handled elsewhere? Will retailers be given more freedom to interact with their customers outside of their dedicated area of the forum? Dave: The main differences as I see them are all in the forum rules, which are sticked in every forum, but what it comes down to is: - Posts don’t get acted on unless they’re reported. Moderators don’t get to choose which posts get acted on. - Moderators must tell people what they’re doing. Posts don’t disappear mysteriously, or get edited. The users decide when threads have run their course or are no longer useful. - Retailers can have forum access for free. In return for
this, I do ask that they have a specific account to represent the retailer. There’s also no ‘thread’ for each retailer - they can start as many threads as they like in the commercial section, so the practice of ‘bumping’ a commercial user’s thread goes away. I’d like to keep commercial interaction in that part of the forum, since it’s not what interests a lot of users. - Private sales involve a ‘vouching’ system, so people buying or selling must have been vouched for by another user. Boards’ adverts section is by far the busiest section of the site, and I’m under no illusions that this will replace that. However, I do want to provide a niche a place where you can deal with known people. Visit www.airsofer.ie to take part in the new forum.
Close Quarter Combat
By Dave Dagger Airsofter and Manager of the Arena Airsoft Club
CQB - a battle in which small units engage enemies with personal weapons at very close range.
It is the most feared situation for all military or Special Forces units; the reason being there are campers, snipers and many other hazards that are waiting for them in an enclosed facility. Some of the best CQB units are the likes of LAPD SWAT, Delta, SEAL Team Six and of course the SAS. For those who are playing their Airsoft in a predominantly woodland environment I would recommend them trying out CQB, as it will assist you in your woodland games especially when it comes to faster target acquisition, it is also simply another great way to play Airsoft. Now CQB may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is well worth trying. You will not really need to change your loadout at first but if you wish to play CQB on a regular basis it is possible that some changes may be needed depending on the loadout you are already playing with.
Gun choice: First of all look at the
length of your gun, the shorter the barrel the quicker you will be at acquiring your target and slicing the pie.
Gun attachments: The most
common attachments we see being used at The Arena are lasers, tactical torches and Dot sights. If you are using a dot sight make sure you use it properly with two eyes open as in CQB you need all the peripheral vision you can get. In relation to guns themselves we would see a lot of the following, MP5 MP7, P90, M4 CQB and M4 PDW and more and more of these are arriving in the GBB version.
Camo and loadout:
Anything really goes but woodland and multicam both stick out a mile. The likes of black, navy, grey, or a mix would better suit the environment. If you want to go down the road of full combat clothing the likes of ACU and ATACS are very good. My personal favourite is Digital Urban Tiger Stripe. I got a set from The Camo Shop along with my UTP (Urban Tactical Pants) and I’m really loving them. Tac-vests or blast belts are equally good more and more players are opting for blast belts in The Arena. Whichever you use, ensure you have it set up right with ease of motion to change mags and guns from your primary to secondary or pistol as
every second counts. Other items to look at in your loadout is the likes of knee and elbow pads and of course helmets facemasks and eye protection. Gaming and movement: Team work is key for a good CQB Airsoft team. Things you need to understand before and during gaming are: 1) Basic Reconnaissance 2) Communication – Radio and Hand Signals 3) Snap Shooting – Quick and Accurate 4) Cover and Concealment – Using your cover properly and not leaning into it 5) Movement and room clearing - and this one is the most important. You must ensure your movements are swift and silent. Stay low and present the smallest target possible. When entering rooms stick to your job and your assigned clearance area, don’t be tempted to shoot a tango out of your zone as this generally leads to friendly fire and never cross another man’s muzzle as you will put you self at risk and also him as you will cut down his response time. Next is team communication; keep it simple and clear and do not forget to call out when a room is clear and only if you are 100% sure it is really clear. Look for the camper. Some problems that I often notice when Airsofters first try CQB are: • Guns down – when game starts your gun should be up at all times ready to fire as this give you some vital seconds on your opponent.
• Runners – and I don’t mean lads wearing runners - which a lot seem to do when it is indoor (we only like to see boots as they will protect your ankles), I mean the Airsofter who runs ahead of his team. Remember there is no “I” in team, and CQB is where team work is essential. • Heavy loadouts – make sure you are only carrying what you need and no more. Remember you need to move and present a small target. In my opinion both woodland games and CQB are great. Of course I would say that as I am always happy when I am playing Airsoft. But CQB just gives me that much more of an adrenaline buzz. I think I started to like CQB from my first trip to Sennybridge - our first mission was to defend some building at one end of the village. In a building on my own all my fellow combatants were hit and I could see my fellow Irish men, The Tigers (the attacking team), stacking up outside the building to breach. It was such an incredible buzz. So no matter if you are in a building or attacking a building the feeling you get is just as good. If you haven’t tried it yet, CQB is something that you really need to give a go. At worst you will decide it’s not for you but at best, you will discover a whole new area of Airsoft and the game will just keep on getting bigger and better for you.
Keep it Stowed
g are travelin u o y n e h - w MUST keep u o y r, a e g ft o n ith your Airs ur AEG in a o y g in p e anywhere w e k s t. That mean gear packed l a c ti c ta r u it out of sigh o dy ag or case an iew of the v in r a e g ft appropriate b irso yourself ying your A r rr a fo C . o le b to u p o u tr asking for ommunity. C is ft o c s li ir b A u p rest of the e th r fo d an
Remember
P P
r e y a l P s e l i f o r P
our t u abo of e r t mo t types i b w a w wha . o n to k to kno reland d e ant o, get oft in I w we e s t n s i a r g i z h s t earing aga in doin ying A e s M n la ep d spo ed in h the e r SitR ders an le are p to the terest p n i f o t o e rea o us p p me e’re in you g o o r s w st d ou .W o y u s j h n g t rin uestio u and bout i b e w yo sa rq Here d to ou eans to elling u t ive t m ancy t mail a e.com e f c o e s r an e agazin t Air if you f a h w pm so e , r t t r i @s spo o f n i
Name : Ian Burnell a.k.a. Bernie Mac Age : 22 yr old male Which Airsoft site do you play at most often? I mainly play at Rathbeggan Airsoft but try hit up as many other sites whenever I get the chance. How often do you skirmish? I skirmish most weeks I have off work which works out to be every second week or so. How did you first get in to Airsoft? I started playing around 3 or 4 years ago. I stumbled across a video of a SCAR AEG while looking up videos for the real steal version. I then started looking into the sport and found out about HRTA by asking around in college. I started playing there every now and then depending on lifts and money. I was hooked the first time I played. I haven’t stopped since I started and have no intention to either. What is the most important part of Airsoft for you? Getting out, socialising and having a bit of craic. I don’t really care if we win or lose a game so long as I had a good time giving it socks. Which AEGs and other Airsoft guns do you own and which ones do you use the most? At the moment I am using a King Arms M4 with two different styles of upper assemblies. The first is a 20inch free floating heavy barrel assembly and the second is a 14.5 inch MRFCX assembly. It hasn’t given me any trouble yet, however I have been through my fair share of AEG’s. Do you use high cap mags or mid caps? Mid-caps Are you most interested in normal skirmish games or do you prefer MilSim type games?
I mostly prefer MilSim but that doesn’t stop me skirmishing. I just love playing the game and having fun while I do it. So long as I am out ducking and diving from cover to cover I don’t really mind but as I said prefer MilSim. What is the furthest you have travelled to play Airsoft? Not really outside of Leinster. Haven’t been able to venture too far but have big plans to whenever I get the chance to. Where do you buy your gear? Including camo, tac vests etc. ... I don’t really have the one shop I go to for everything. I tend to use a different retailer for different things. I have used thecamoshop.ie, ehobbyasia.com, MIA, Eirosft, Airsofteire.com, flecktarn.co.uk, the list goes on. Is there a particular real world military impression that you try to achieve with your kit? There isn’t really. I tried the entire “Geardo” thing and got bored of everything that came with it. The main thing was looking at people carrying unnecessary kit and realised I did it too. Since then I have been, for the past year or two, running gear that is comfortable and practical. Airsoft for me isn’t a fancy dress competition. Have you ever bought a second hand AEG? Out of all the AEGs I have owned I think I have only ever bought myself two new from a shop. Every other AEG I have bought/traded has been second hand. Do you upgrade your AEGs? As I mentioned above I tend to purchase second hand AEGs, tune them up and sell them on or trade for something else. Again it is a hobby not a sport in my eyes and so outside of the skirmish field I keep the hobby going by fixing up my AEGs and GBBs. Are you a member of an Airsoft team? I am a member of Apex Airsoft. We have been around since I started playing as it was my friends and me who started it. At one stage we joined the RATS for a month or two but decided to do our own thing so we left and myself and my brother, Niall restarted the team. We usually play at our home site in Rathbeggan but we do travel to other sites whenever we
get the chance. The team is small at only around five or six members but we like it small as we work well and get along great with each other as we have the same attitude towards the game. What has been your favourite Airsoft moment since you started playing? There has been so many great moments on and off of the skirmish field it’s hard to pick one. One thing I remember was during Operation Blackgold; myself and the other members of Apex were part of Task Force Zulu’s Quick Response Team. We were just behind the front line of the main engagement happening in the middle of the site. Our job was to support the assault if needed and to secure any secondary objectives and be on call to help when we were called. While on the opposite side of the site we get a call that an Opfor squad had separated from the main assault and was trying to assault and secure our HQ. We got the call to engage them and straight away the five of us legged it as fast as we could back to HQ to engage roughly 10 Opfor. We reach the defensive positions just before they do and they are left with nothing but open ground. So after a bit of slagging went on we decided to fall back a small bit to give them some cover so we could have a bit of an engagement. They had Systema’s, we were low on ammo. After the engagement we hung around and had a bit of a laugh and shared stories from your point of view before we had to walk all the way to our FOB to the nearest friendly deadzone. Even though we got our asses handed to us it was so much craic just having the buzz with the Opfor both during and after the engagement.
Name: Stephen Kiely Age : 28 yr old male Which Airsoft site do you play at most often? I suppose my home site since I started playing 2 years ago would be ‘Rebel Airsoft Bandon’ (RAB) in cork. It’s a fantastic 110 acre site located out in the woods just outside Bandon town. The site has everything from single hold out points to full on bases dotted about a huge area. The marshals there know their stuff and keep things fresh with new games and rules all year round. Best thing about it is the fact there are rarely any issues with people not taking hits and if there are it is quickly sorted before things get ugly. How often do you skirmish? At the moment I get out about twice a month if I can, which is enough for me. This gets me my fix and ensures that my better half doesn’t accuse me of ignoring the family! How did you first get in to Airsoft? It all began one day at work when our system to help out our customers decided to roll over and die. I was on YouTube flicking through a few videos and something caught my eye. The description listed a whole host of guns and the still for the video was a guy holding up an M14. Curiosity got the better of me and I hit play thinking ‘this must be a new fancy paintball game’. For the next seven minutes I watched a group of guys letting rip with everything from M4s to AK 47s to M249s in a heavy wooded area. I sat there thinking to myself “This is awesome!” and looked into the description a bit more wanting to know what I was watching. It stated this was Airsoft and these things they had were RIFs / AEGs. From here I was hooked. Straight away I started to
Google everything related to Airsoft and where I could get it. Few weeks later I had my first game... I had now caught the Airsoft bug. What is the most important part of Airsoft for you? Without a doubt the most important part is honesty. The whole game is based on an honour system and if this was not upheld I doubt we would be playing this sport today. I, like most people, will have total respect for a guy who will take a single round from a sniper hiding in a bush or has no shame in being first out in a single life game. These are the people who carry the honour of the game and make a day much more fun. But these men of steel, un-killable types who can take a 10 round burst to the chest then simply drop behind cover just to fire back and give out if they see someone who may do the same can be a killer. Luckily RAB doesn’t suffer from this a lot but if needed a quiet word usually sorts things out. Which AEGs and other Airsoft guns do you own? Which ones do you use the most? At the moment I am down to only one AEG (shock horror I know). I used to own a Well L96, a WE 5.1 hicapa Dragon and a JG HK 416. Due to needing cash at the time I sold the pistol and the sniper off and stuck with the HK 416 for my games. At the moment I am still using this for any skirmish I head out too. But a VFC Scar L has been ordered to replace this now. Do you use high cap mags or mid caps? Sad to say... I’m a high cap player, but during a recent game while trying to sneak about with five of the things in my rig and one in the AEG, I noticed how much noise they make... as did the Opfor in the woods. So coming soon will be a nice bunch of M4 mid caps. Are you most interested in normal skirmish games or do you prefer MilSim type games? If I was pushed to pick between the two, Milsim would be my choice. There is something about having set goals and a constant evolving playing field etc. that really gets me itching to play. Nothing better than knowing
you achieved a hard fought goal and you can’t relax as there is something else to get done. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good skirmish as well where I can just switch off and waste a couple of hundred BBs to capture a flag. What is the furthest you have travelled to play Airsoft? Not very far really for me I’m sorry to say. Me and few guys from RAB took a road trip to Waterford to play against the lads from Whiskey Delta. But plans are being made to make trips to England for a few events and if possible I would love to experience Berget next year. Where do you buy your gear? Including camo, tac vests etc. ... I have bought my AEGs from Munster Airsoft and now I’ve ordered the VFC Scar from the lads at Quality Airsoft. I really can’t really fault either of them for anything. As for my gear, my Multicam plate carrier was put together from eHobby Asia and my BDUs were just picked up from thecamoshop.ie. The plate carrier is cheap enough really but it does the job and the stuff from the thecamoshop.ie is fantastic and very hard wearing. Is there a particular real world military impression that you try to achieve with your kit? When putting together my loadout I didn’t really want to copy any unit as such but the Multicam look just clicked with me. And it works like a charm when I need to disappear for a bit. Have you ever bought a second hand AEG? At this time no I haven’t bought a second hand AEG but I wouldn’t be against it. Boards.ie seems to have a nice flow of them for sale and if I was to get the itch for a new AEG I would stop by there to take a look. Do you upgrade your AEGs? I have done a little bit of upgrades on the AEGs I’ve had. Mainly tightbore barrels, hopups... the simpler things you can do at home. Now I have gone for a high end AEG though I might be tempted to pimp this one a bit more than I have done so before. Are you a member of an Airsoft team? We don’t really have a team as such at the moment but we hope to sometime soon.
When we travel to RAB there is usually a group of three or four of us from work who head out to have a laugh during the day. But if there is something on the separate groups who play there will band together to make up a team for the games. What has been your favourite Airsoft moment since you started playing? This has to be the 24 Milsim game we had in RAB recently. The day brought us a couple of tit for tat battles as we tested each other’s bases and scouted around the area of the game’s playing field. When night fell though things got a little bit mental! Come about midnight we could not see 10 feet beyond our own base it was that dark. We had a couple of torches to shine out but other than this we were blind. Now on the other team we knew they had three people with night vision goggles. So as you can guess us being the blind team we were totally on edge. From out in the woods we eventually could here muffled speech and the snapping of twigs which told us things were about to get hot. Then from out of the darkness came the biggest shower of glowing green BBs I have ever seen from the many tracer units of the enemy. In response we opened up with our own and the air was stitched with tracer fire. The sight was unreal to watch and scary as hell to be stuck in the middle of. That five minute battle will always be in my mind as the best bit of Airsoft to date.
Name: Alan Lawless Age : 37 yr old male
Which Airsoft site do you play at most often? I’ve only been out three times on three different sites, but Red Barn seems the sort of site I would prefer.
How often do you skirmish? I try to go at least once a month How did you first get in to Airsoft? A friend was involved and was always asking me to come out with him, I never did, but then I saw some photos of him in his loadout and thought it might interest me so I looked into it and decided to give it a go. I was hooked after about an hour’s game play. What is the most important part of Airsoft for you? Fun - a good day out with folks that are there for one reason only: To have a blast. Which AEGs and other Airsoft guns do you own? Which ones do you use the most? I only have one, a G&G GR15 Raider Do you use high cap mags or mid caps? High caps for now. Are you most interested in normal skirmish games or do you prefer MilSim type games? Normal skirmish for now though I would try a MilSim in the future. What is the furthest you have travelled to play Airsoft? The other side of Dublin, but I will try some of the other sites around the country as time goes by. Where do you buy your gear? Including camo, tac vests etc.... I bought my AEG in SG Airsoft and my Eye/ face Protection in AiresoftEire. Is there a particular real world military impression that you try to achieve with your kit? At the minute no, but I do plan on getting myself some ABUs and go for USAF load out Have you ever bought a second hand AEG? No, but I would if I saw one I liked. Do you upgrade your AEGs? Not yet, it’s only 3 weeks old. Are you a member of an Airsoft team? No. What has been your favourite Airsoft moment since you started playing? Getting “killed” by a grenade booby trap that I spent 30 seconds looking at and wondering what it was and why it looked out of place in the bush.
Name: Ross Mulligan Age : 18 yr old male
Which Airsoft site do you play at most often? I balance it out between Red Barn and HRTA. How often do you skirmish? Three times a month, maybe more. How did you first get in to Airsoft? I tried it for my 15th birthday and have loved it ever since. What is the most important part of Airsoft for you? The honour is the most important part of the game for me. Which AEGs and other Airsoft guns do you own? Which ones do you use the most? I own two AK 47s one a tactical and the other fake wood (abs plastic) and a Styer SSG sniper rifle. Do you use high cap mags or mid caps? Both, but mostly high caps. Are you most interested in normal skirmish games or do you prefer MilSim type games? Not fussy. I would play any game really, I like both types. What is the furthest you have travelled to play Airsoft? I went up to the North to Predator Airsoft Games in Newry. Is there a particular real world military impression that you try to achieve with your kit? I try not to base myself on one military impression as I do wear a lot of different mix and match clothing depending on the terrain of the site. Have you ever bought a second hand AEG? Yes, just a while ago I got the AK47 tactical second hand.
Do you upgrade your AEGs? No, I don’t see the point in it. Are you a member of an Airsoft team? Yes, the gremlins. What has been your favourite Airsoft moment since you started playing? My very first knife-kill. While hiding in a bush with my G36C out of ammo, I had one life left so tried hiding. Soon enough the enemy walks by so I ran for him before he could turn and got him in the back. It felt amazing.
Name: Ronan Keane Age : 14 yr old male
Which Airsoft site do you play at most often? I play at Red Barn. How often do you skirmish? I try to skirmish every month. How did you first get in to Airsoft? I don’t know to be honest. I just started collecting guns and continued from there. What is the most important part of Airsoft for you? Meeting new people and having the craic. Which AEGs and other Airsoft guns do you own? Which ones do you use the most? I own a CYMA AK-74U and a SRC M4 which I use the most. Do you use high cap mags or mid caps? I have 2 high caps and 6 mid caps. Are you most interested in normal skirmish games or do you prefer MilSim type games? I’ve always played normal skirmishes but have a keen interest in MilSim type games. What is the furthest you have travelled to play Airsoft? Every skirmish I go from Galway to RedBarn.
Where do you buy your gear? Including camo, tac vests etc. ... I buy my gear all my gear from various Irish retailers and Boards.ie. Is there a particular real world military impression that you try to achieve with your kit? I have a special forces loadout right now and I want to make a USMC loadout next. Have you ever bought a second hand AEG? Yes. Do you upgrade your AEGs? Yes, but not the gearbox. Are you a member of an Airsoft team? Yes I’m the captain of The Red Devils in Galway What has been your favourite Airsoft moment since you started playing? That’s a tough one. They have all been great.
Don’t forget if you fancy telling us about your airsoft experiences just drop us an email at info@sitrepmagazine.com
What rain ?
Live life on the trigger play Airsoft
WARNING Restricted Area Authorised personnel ONLY
Please be aware no liability will be accepted for any damage done to AEG’s or injury caused to life or limb. The information that follows is offered as a guide to maintain your AEG. Remember, if in doubt always seek out some help! Don’t be afraid to ask, if there’s one thing about the airsoft community (family), airsofters will always recommend someone they trust to help with your beloved AEG. Now, that said,
FOLLOW ME!
G E A s ’ y n n u G o t e m o c l e W e s r u o c t l u a s as Where we will teach you skills and knowledge to help you overcome the assault course “that is AEG repairs”.
Cyber Gun M14 (Part 1) On this month’s assault course we have a Cyber Gun M14 - cyma m14- note these models are not the same as the Classic Army or G&G M14. We will assault those variants another day. As always safety comes first so take your AEG to a safe place with the magazine removed and fire two or three shots on single fire to clear the barrel. This also puts the piston in the most forward position making it easier to take down the mech box. Okay guys, this is a serious take down and is not for the faint hearted so study these images well before you decide whether to attempt this assault course. Good luck. Part 2 of this assault course will appear in issue 4 of SitRep Magazine.
Take a firm grip of the rifle butt and pull down on the trigger guard. The trigger guard will now slot out, pulling it in a down direction away from the rifle.
Take a firm grip of the rifle butt and push forward the metal upper receiver. You will see the metal grip plate will clear the end of the wooden stock.
Open the battery compartment, making sure your battery leads are not fouled up. Now lift the metal barrel upwards away from the wooden stock at the front end – DO THIS VERY CAREFULLY- at the same time moving it forward while gently lifting it at an angle. As the mech box clears the wooden stock, be careful of the motor and the motor loom and the plastic selector switch mechanism as it can get caught and easily broken.
Disconnect the mech box from the loom and leave the lower loom in the stock.
With a flat screwdriver remove this horseshoe clip by gently prising it outwards and upwards.
Unscrew the hop up dial.
Remove the dial spring and locking pin.
Now remove the barrel cover.
Now remove the six screws holding on the outer barrel located on the underside front of the mech box.
Watch out for the two hidden screws left and right of the hop-up dial.
Take a firm grip of the spring and spring guide and move it in a forward direction away from the mech box.
With the spring guide removed, the outer barrel cover will now pop off with a forward motion. Make a map with parts and screws to help you remember their correct placement.
With a careful forward and down motion remove the barrel.
Then remove the spring and spring guide. The outer barrel can now be removed. Locate and remove this screw.
Remove this cover plate and screws.
Locate and remove this screw from mechbox cover.
Locate and remove next screw.
With a small screwdriver remove this pin by tapping and pulling clear of the mech box.
Watch out for the small spring on the inside of the cover plate.
Remove the screw located under the cover plate.
Tap out this body pin.
Now, the upper receiver and magazine well will separate.
Remove these two screws paying attention to which goes where as they are different.
The trigger cover plate can now be removed.
Now disconnect the trigger spring. Locate and remove the slide lock on the top of the mech box to the rear. You may need to gently tap this off with a small screwdriver and hammer.
Be sure to check out Part 2 of this assault course which will appear in issue 4 of SitRep Magazine.
so n rd R ic ha K ei th y B A good adjustable scope and set of mounting rings are a fantastic addition to your AEG regardless of your style of play. When combined, they can vastly improve your shooting accuracy and hence increase your gaming effectiveness in the field. That is of course, when they are properly zeroed in. This complete process should only take about 10 minutes of your time. First and foremost let’s look at what you’ll need before we begin. Safety is always paramount when shooting in a confined space so always wear your eye protection when carrying out this procedure. It’s a must due to possible fragmentation of the BBs. Secondly we will require a BB trap. This can be fabricated from a cardboard box, some old fabric material and lastly a target that will fit over the opening of the box. Place
the fabric inside the box and then tape the target tightly over the opening. One of the most important aspects of sighting your rifle is to have it in a good fixed position; many things can be used for this, for example a fixed timber clamp or fill a pair of old socks with sand - anything that will enable you to keep the rifle from moving before you begin. So step one is to set out your target around 10 yards
from where your rifle is rested - preferably in a safe, sheltered windless area. Many Airsoft sniper scopes come with what is called AO which basically means it has an adjustable objective which allows the scope to be focused to a specific distance. This is usually the largest dial found at the end of the
scope. Focus this dial to approximately 10 yards so we can have an accurate view of the target. If the scope has adjustable magnification this will need to be set to maximum. Then lastly focus the scope’s eye piece so that you are left with the sharpest view of the target you can possibly achieve at this distance. Now we need to remove the covers on the windage and elevation turrets if there are any. Load a magazine and in the case of an AEG select semi auto or if you have a sniper rifle draw back the bolt and engage the first round. Place the centre of the scope’s crosshair on the centre of the target and fire a shot. Note from here on in it is imperative that that rifle does not move in any way. Observe where your first round hits the target, it’s almost guaranteed not to be in the centre of the target where you aimed. The next step is to take a good strong grasp of the rifle and look down your scope without moving the rifle and once again centre the crosshair on the centre
of the target where you have just aimed. While doing this adjust both the elevation and windage dials until the crosshair is now centred on the hole left by your first shot. Sometimes on certain scopes this will require you to turn the dials quite a bit. The most difficult part of this is making sure your rifle does not move when making these adjustments. When you have this done your next step is to carefully move your scope crosshair back to the centre of the target and then fire your second round when safe. If you’re close but not dead centre with your second shot just repeat the process. Most people find the whole process quite satisfying and because of the necessity of transporting your AEG to and from your local site and the inevitable knocks it gets during gaming you’ll find you’ll need to check your scope every so often using this guide.
Now you’re well on your way to shooting a bit more accurately and you’re safe in the knowledge that you can’t put the blame on your “tools” if you miss.
The MP5 The Real Steel Heckler und Koch submachine gun, MP-5, is one of the most famous and widely recognised firearms of its class. Although most people would consider it a modern SMG, It was first developed back in the Second World War believe it or not under the company designation HK MP-54, or simply HK 54.
The MP-5 basically, is no more than a scaled-down version of the HecklerKoch G3 battle rifle which by rights boasts a fantastic lineage - what a big brother to have !!!. They both share the same basic design. In 1966,
A CQC C las s i c
By Keith Richardson German police and Border Guard adopted the HK 54 as the MP-5, and it was originally available in two forms - MP-5 with fixed buttstock and MP5A1 with retractable buttstock. Some years later HK slightly upgraded the design of MP-5, replacing the sights and the muzzle. They replaced the two-slot muzzle compensator to the tree-lugs QD silencer mount without compensator. The other most recognisable improvements made over time were the magazines, early type magazines were a straight box type but they changed to the latter curved box type for improved reliability. Over the years the MP-5 variations were adopted by the huge numbers of police, security and military forces around the world, including the
German police and border guard, British police but possibly the most famous of these would be the elite Army SAS units. The success of the MP-5 is outstanding, this is due in part on the high quality and reliability of the gun and great singleshot accuracy, it also has the added advantage of great flexibility. It seems that no other modern SMG at this time can rival the MP-5.
Well that’s the history lesson done now let’s get down to the AEG equivalent. The MP5 is one of the few SMG’s that practically every Airsoft manufacturer has developed and they are also priced to suite most pockets ranging from high end TM and ICS versions to the lower budget clone equivalents. The standard MP5-A4 is a very versatile modular skirmishing platform and it can be adapted easily to a variety of different roles but it has to be said it’s
most natural stomping ground is close quarter combat scenarios. Weighting in at a phantom weight of 2000g (without a battery) and having an overall length of 680mm combines to make this SMG a very compact package. Most Airsoft manufacturer’s models have all of the trades as set out by the real-steel. As for performance ‘Out of the box’, most MP5A4’s will give you around the 312fps -> 315fps mark consistently. The range from the TM ver-
sion is outstanding and the accuracy is surprisingly good given the merger 230mm length of the barrel. I was presently surprised when it was out ranging some of its longer barrelled counterparts at the chrono station at my local site. Rate of fire is also very good some models beating many other AEGs out of the box at approx 9 - 11 rounds per second and this is achievable with no upgrades or tweaking at all. As for upgrades, accessories and boltons the MP5 is famous for two things when we talk about accessorising. 1. If there’s a tactical need for it, there is an accessory built for it, to fit the MP5. 2. Sometimes the more you stick on the mp5, the better it looks. With this in mind, there are loads of accessories and bolt-ons that will improve the look, feel and tactical effectiveness of your MP5. These range from foregrips with lights/lasers built in to scope rails, alternate stocks,
main grips, silencers and RIS/RAS rail systems. Best of all, most bolt-ons are easily available from most good Irish Airsoft retailers. The internals too are compatible with other AEGs. You can use standard AEG pistons, gears, batteries, cylinders, etc..., to full effect, without the need for modification. The build quality, of most MP5 Airsoft SMG’s is solid, due to their size, and as far as looks they are hard to distinguish from their real steel counterparts. In the fast paced indoor gaming environment the MP5 is so quick to shoulder, devastatingly accurate in confined spaces and the type of rifle you can run around with all day and not feel a bit of stain regardless of your fitness level, it’s also a great backup when equipped into for example an Airsoft sniper load out in the form of the MP5-K which can be holstered like a pistol but unlike a pistol will
fire like an assault rifle. Therefore in conclusion the MP5 has to be in my opinion the daddy of any Airsoft CQC/PDW environment and a great addition to anyone’s Airsoft collection making it an instant classic.
The Rionegro
Mandate The SitRep team, along with a whole load of other players, was at Bellurgan Park in June for The Rionegro Mandate. This was an event on a massive scale for Irish Airsoft with multiple sides and types of play being employed. Bellurgan Park is a huge site with a lot of different types of terrain. Along with some ver y detailed planning in terms of both rules and stor y, this made for a truly epic game which I’m sure ever yone who played will be waiting to see repeated. SitRep Magazine is happy to report that there is indeed a follow up to this game in the works; in fact there are two follow up games planned for next year – the first in May and a second later on in the Summer. What follows is a report which was passed to SitRep by an anonymous source detailing just what went on in part one of The Rionegro Mandate...
REF: SAN SOLES 35 1. (SBU) Summary: A considerable engagement between by President Munoz’s ‘Republicano’ forces and renegade General Veron’s ‘Patriotas’ occurred around the village of Cacoma on June 18th and 19th. During the battle there was a surprise launch of an advanced surface to surface missile by Republicano forces. This was a significant escalation of the conflict, and worryingly we remain unaware of who supplied this weapon system to Munoz. In this report we examine the available intelligence in the hope that it will shed light on the situation, and the future direction of the conflict in Rionegro. End Summary. --------------Order of Battle --------------2. Republicano forces in the area were believed to consist of elements of the Presidential 25th Light Infantry, the Regimento 43 de Ingenieros de la Republica (the ‘Engineers’) and the Brigada de Penitente made up of volunteers taken from the country’s prisons. These were opposed by Veron’s El Rocha Imutável known as ‘Los Rochas’ or ‘The Heavies’. Also present were PMCs employed by Washington based Executive Security Solutions defending surveying assets of Houston based oil services company Gollybruton. The area has also been known as a base of operations for indigenous insurgent groups such as the Trompeta Guerrilla movement.
---------------------Nature of the fighting ---------------------3. There was no fixed front line for the battle and the fighting mostly took the form of isolated skirmishes and engagements. The Patriota Heavies were the largest force present and operating from a secure base were quite active through the area and patrolled aggressively. They destroyed a communications facility erected by the Republicano Engineers and carried out several attacks on Republicano convoys. They were however unable to push back or dislodge the Republicano forces from around Cacoma. This was all the more surprising considering the poor quality of some of their opposition. Munoz had controversially offered amnesties to criminals willing to serve in penitent brigades. Predictably these proved hard to control and rampaged through Cacoma terrorising the villagers and even shooting the local
priest. There was a report that the Penitents fragged their commander, although whether this was a cause or result of indiscipline is anyone’s guess. We know that self styled Subcommandante Marko and his guerillas were active in the area. Rather surprisingly a unit of the Royal Domiguan Army Special Commando Corps was also operating in the Cacoma AO. This has been confirmed from our contacts in the ESS. We believe the RDASCC were present to gather intelligence on Republicano forces. We suspect but cannot confirm they made contact with the guerrillas and Patriota Heavies. It is not clear at this time whether this means that Domigua and its self-styled King is getting involved and backing a side in the conflict.
-------------Battle outcome -------------4. Interviews with our local assets confirm that the Republicano forces were primarily in the Cacoma area to support the missile launch by the Regimento 43 de Ingenieros. While a number of supply convoys were run to the civilians in Cacoma these were largely to provide cover for the primary operation of assembling and fueling the missile. The pressure the Heavies put on Republicano forces meant they needed additional support. For this reason Munoz appears to have come to a secret agreement on mining rights with Gollybruton, who then ordered their local PMCs (ESS) to provide direct support to Munoz’s troops. ESS and 25th Light Infantry units carried out a number of joint attacks to tie down the Heavies and give cover to the missile launch operation. At some stage during the fighting Subcommandante Marko is believed to have been killed by an unknown group. His body has not been recovered but personal effects and photos of his corpse were were anonymously released days later. These seem to indicate that he may have had some quite lucrative personal arrangements with one or more factions contrary to his ‘man of the people’ image.
-----------------------------Wider consequences for the war -----------------------------5. Just before 15:00 on Sunday the 19th an unidentified SSM was launched from just south of Trompeta hill. A short while later it struck the regional Patriota field HQ about 16km away. This caused panic and disruption far beyond the actual military value of the attack. Our source TROMBONE within the Republicanos has indicated that the original target was to have been Veron himself, but it had not been possible to confirm his location prior to the missile launch. The attack has led to international condemnation of Munoz and his Republicanos for blatantly violating the arms embargo, and escalating the conflict. Together with the stories of the out of control behavior of his troops towards the civilians of Cacoma his reputation has taken a considerable hit. One immediate consequence has been Gollybruton ending their unofficial support for his regime, and returning to their position ‘on the fence’. Regardless of the short term impact, the battle and missile launch will probably not have a significant influence on the course of the war in the medium term. Rionegro’s day of reckoning has yet to come.
Photos: Rosie McDonnell
---------Postscript ---------6. One curious outcome of the battle is that the civilians of Cacoma appear to have come into a large quantity of cash. It is not clear whether this was ‘goodwill’ funds disbursed by Gollybruton, if local rumours are true and this was stolen from Republicano soldiers, or if there is some link to narcotics gangs. At least some of the locals have already used their windfall to relocate themselves and their families out of the region to unknown locations.
Site Fingal Airsoft
Fingal Airsoft “The Orchard”
is located in Stamullen on the Fingal/Meath border, it was opened to the Airsoft community in April 2008 making it the longest running commercial site in the country. It consists of 12 Acres including a 2000 sq ft recently built CQB area, foxholes, trenches, sniper towers, killhouse’s and numerous man made buildings to keep any Airsofter busy. Fingal also
has a purpose built 80sq meter Safe Zone to reload and rest between games. Recently 2 Acres were added to the site and this has given the site and games a new dimension, allowing players to cross the river over 3 new bridges. Fingal is open 7 days a week with Monday to Friday being by appointment only. The opening hours on Saturday and Sunday are 9:30 to 17:30 at a cost of €25 for a full day and €15 for a half day. AEG’s
are available to rent on site for €20 for a half day or full days gaming, Fingal is a very busy site and it is advisable to phone ahead to book rentals (currently over 40 rentals available). All AEG’s are chronoed before gaming starts by one of the many marshals on site. A set menu of hot and cold food is also available for lunchtimes, located in the middle of a village everything you need is only seconds away from the
main gate. There are no toilet facilities on site and the nearest is across the road in the local pub, remember to leave all AEG’s in the safe zone. Night games take place once a month including the longest running horror survival game in the country called Dark Mist(C). The next installment will be at the end of November and it books out very fast. Recently Fingal hosted the first ever Tracer only night game in the country, where tracer units must be used and these could be rented on site. Fingal also run several events for players between the ages of 11 and 18 called Young Gun Days including night games. Game types vary in style in Fingal including Pistol/Shotgun, Take the Bunker, Downed Pilot, Attack the Hill also some Fingal Airsoft originals including A fist full of BB’s, True CTF, Army of Two, Meat Flag and The Chairman. The latest additions on site is a world’s first on any Airsoft site and that is a unique Base Capture System(C), where a team must disable or enable an electronic device to capture bases (doing away with flags), as well as fully working digital bombs that can be defused using codes or USB keys; plenty of variety for any Airsofter. You will be guaranteed a nice friendly welcome at “The Orchard” from both staff and players. Marshalling for the site is spot on and people are well warned not to shout each other out and to take any issues to the marshals direct. Good advice no matter where you skirmish.
All information can be obtained from www.fingalairsoft.com
SWAT Digital Urban BDU Review By Danny Dee
Price: â‚Ź54 Includes: Light jacket and trousers Colour: Digital Urban Camo Sizes: S/M/L/XL Fabric: 50% cotton & 50% polyester
Main Features: Shirt: 2 slanted upper arm double pockets with velcro. 2 slanted velcro flip chest pockets. Pen pocket next to the left chest pocket. Mandarin collar with velcro closure. Rank insignia and branch tape holder. Reinforced elbow. Hook and loop velcro cuffs. Button front with flap closure. Trousers: 2 front and rear pockets. 2 cargo pockets with velcro flap. 2 little pockets on the front. 2 lower pockets with velcro and elastic band. Ankle drawstrings. Reinforced knee compatible with light weight molded kneepad. Reinforced seat. Button fly.
Urban Version 3 Camo Review: When I first saw these I thought they looked quite cool, and presented an alternative to the all black set up us CQB nuts wear. I was a bit concerned at first about them being just another ACU varient that wouldn’t work anywhere at Northern Ireland sites, but I was wrong. Although this shares it’s design with the famous ACU Digital Camo, it is much darker. It’s actually a lot darker than it looks in the pictures too. There’s no ‘green’ in the pattern, even though it looks that way in the picture of me. It’s made up of three different shades of dark grey plus black, and is nowhere as light as the ACU Camo. After trying it out, I found that whilst hiding in the shadows and darkened areas of indoor arenas, the dark pattern worked really well. Black is always going to be the daddy of all set ups when indoors, but this Digital Urban gear does a damn fine job. Plus I think it looks cool! There have been some instances where black actually was a hinderance instead of an advantage, in brightly lit rooms for example. The Digital Urban however, provided the perfect blend of darkened down clothing, but with a hint of a lighter side that confused the eye for a split second. Just enough to get a shot off. Well, at least that’s what some of my victims told me post game. As for quality, it’s not bad for the price. You’re not going to find ‘Stalker’ brand quality here of course, but if you take care of these they should last you a long time. The velcro patch sections are well placed, and the buttons (as oposed to plastic zips that can break when shot) make a good addition to the whole set up. If you’re a CQB player, and usually wear black all the time, this could be a good tactical alternative to the norm!
SOCOM Gear Gemtech Oasis Probably one of the best looking pistols to be released this year (along with TM’s PX4), is the Gemtech Oasis. Jeremey Hendricks (AKA Booligan) at Airsoft Retreat (www.airsoftretreat.com) was kind enough to review it for us...
I was sent this pistol directly by SOCOM Gear, which is a subsidiary of Madbull Airsoft, distributed in the US through Jag Precision. It is available at most major online airsoft retailers priced at $80. Spare magazines are available for about $28, and it uses the same magazines as the KJW Ruger, so mag availability is no problem at all.
Remember – if you do not buy this pistol from an Irish retailer you will need to get it downgraded to meet Irish law.
As mentioned before, the SOCOM Gear Gemtech Oasis is a non blowback airsoft pistol with an integrated Oasis front end, and licensed Gemtech trademarks. The NBB firing mechanism is very robust and relatively maintenance free, making this a very reliable airsoft replica. It comes complete with fully adjustable iron sights and a tool free disassembly for easy cleaning and maintenance. Along with the gun itself, SOCOM Gear includes one magazine, a manual, and a sticker. It’s a very basic package, but it’s pretty much everything you need to run the gun, aside from gas and BBs. The manual is quite thorough, showing the functions of the gun as well as including an exploded parts diagram.
The Gemtech Oasis is a replacement integrally suppressed top end for Ruger MK2/3 .22lr handguns, and SOCOM Gear has used their licensing rights with Gemtech to manufacture an airsoft NBB replica. This is a gorgeous pistol with a unique upper designed like the real Gemtech Oasis, complete with licensed trademarks. I will discuss all of the various aspects of this unique pistol in this review, so keep reading for more information!
Gun Specifications: Weight: 1.6 lbs Length: 11.2” Width: 1.25” Height: 5.5” Sight Radius: 9.75” Externals: The SOCOM Gear Gemtech Oasis is a hybrid metal/polymer replica, with polymer lower frame and upper receiver, and a metal barrel extension. The whole thing is finished in a matte black color for a shine free tactical appearance. It is a relatively compact pistol, and it fits well in your hand regardless of hand size. The grip is a single unit with the lower frame which houses all of the fire controls. This is a basic pistol, only equipped with a safety lever/button and a simple trigger. Due to the NBB mechanism, the trigger pull is long and heavy, but it is very predictable. The take up is the longest and hardest part of the trigger pull, but it is very easy to determine where it will break and fire. I prefer to get a general sight picture and pull the trigger to the breaking point, and then hold it. I can then make my minute aiming adjustments and complete the trigger pull, to avoid any missed shots due to the heavy trigger pull. The trigger guard is quite small, so users wearing gloves may have problems using this pistol. The upper receiver, like the lower frame, is made of plastic, however it is a high strengh plastic and strength is not an issue. The upper receiver serves as a housing for the barrel unit and a place for the rear iron sight to mount to. The hop-up adjustment screw is accessible through a hole at the front of the upper frame. The mock bolt and charging handle cannot be pulled back while the gun is fully assembled. The licensed Gemtech Oasis barrel extension is the big selling point of this replica, and it looks fantastic on the gun. For the US models, the barrel extension is a simple tube without any baffles or foam, keeping it free from any BATFE problems. The orange tip is a metal screw-in muzzle that I’ve painted black for the review photos. The barrel extension can be removed by unscrewing the bottom mounted grub screw and sliding the extension off the gun. Aiming this pistol is accomplished using the fully adjustable iron sights. The rear is mounted onto the upper receiver and is fully adjustable for windage and elevation. The front sight is mounted onto the barrel exten-
sion and is not adjustable, however it can be removed by tapping out the pin securing it to the barrel. The sight picture is a little bit tricky to quickly acquire, due to the shallow rear notch, but it’s still able to be aimed well for precision shots. One of the perks of this gun are the fully licensed trademarks. The integrated can on the front end has some laser engraved markings complete with a unique serial number for each gun. The right grip panel also has Gemtech’s logo molded in, completing the look. The included magazine holds 17 rounds and houses pretty much the whole firing mechanism. The gun has a direct flow valve system that is self contained in the magazine itself. When the hammer strikes the valve at the rear of the magazine, gas is expelled through the front of the magazine, shooting the BB out of the barrel. It’s an interesting system, and the self contained design reduces inconsistency through the elimination of multiple seal and failure points. Internals: Disassembly is a piece of cake and is totally tool-free. To take the gun apart, you must flip the little lever at the rear of the grip, freeing the locking rod to be pulled out from the upper receiver. Once you’ve
removed the locking rod, you can pull the upper receiver off of the lower frame to access the inner barrel unit as well as the hammer/trigger assembly. Inside the lower frame you’ll find the hammer and trigger assemblies. The hammer is fairly simple with a long, high strength valve knocker. I highly doubt you will have any issues with this robust hammer system. The trigger pull does several things, including pulling the barrel assembly back to seal up with the magazine as well as cocking back the hammer. This is why the trigger pull is so heavy and long. The hop-up and barrel assembly are held within the barrel extension by a small metal lever. By pulling that lever down and sliding the barrel out, you can access the inner barrel and hop-up. I REALLY have a soft spot for .22 lr replicas equipped with cans, and the SOCOM Gear Gemtech Oasis fits that need perfectly. It looks just plain mean, and the licensed trademarks are the icing on the cake. It looks similar to the AWC TM-Amphibian S model used by the Navy SEALs, so with the right coat of paint, it can be a realistic gun for a SEAL loadout. Otherwise, it makes you feel like an assassin on the field, and the performance can back it up. Overall, I really like what SOCOM Gear did with this pistol, and I look forward to seeing what else they whip up!