Airsoft Action - January 2021
There is only one way to close out such a "challenging" year - and that's to end it on a high and look forwards to 2021! Here at Airsoft Action we have been working hard to continually bring you the best airsoft magazine on the planet, bar none and this issue is no exception! We've got an armoury full of guns, a locker full of kit and gear, plus event reports, features and all our regular columns for you to kick back and enjoy. So, all that remains is wish our tens of thousands of readers, wherever you are in the world, a happy, healthy and safe Xmas and New Year. See you on the other side! The Airsoft Action Team.
There is only one way to close out such a "challenging" year - and that's to end it on a high and look forwards to 2021!
Here at Airsoft Action we have been working hard to continually bring you the best airsoft magazine on the planet, bar none and this issue is no exception!
We've got an armoury full of guns, a locker full of kit and gear, plus event reports, features and all our regular columns for you to kick back and enjoy.
So, all that remains is wish our tens of thousands of readers, wherever you are in the world, a happy, healthy and safe Xmas and New Year.
See you on the other side!
The Airsoft Action Team.
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ISSUE 121 - JANUARY 2021 - FREE
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CONTENTS
08
14
ISSUE 121 - JANUARY 2021 - FREE
ARMOURY:
VFC MK18 MOD1
ARMOURY:
BOLT PDW
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24
30
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KIT & GEAR:
WINTER
WARMERS
34
FEATURE:
DSI MCX BUILD
64
SHOW REPORT:
MOA 2020
TECH REPORT:
VFC MEETS
LEVIATHAN
60
72
LETTER, IDEA OR
QUESTION?
Got something to say? A question for our
experts? An article or article idea?
Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the
Editor: nige@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at
the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to
us on Twitter or Facebook.
FEATURE:
THE FUTURE OF
AIRSOFT SITES
THE CAGE:
ALL I WANT FOR...
Contents
JANUARY 2021
JANUARY 2021
8 ARMOURY: VFC MK18 MOD1 GBBR
Bill is a lover of shorter AR carbines and a fan
of gas blowback models, so he was keen to
check out the latest MK18 MOD1 GBBR from
VegaForceCompany (VFC). Thanks to Redwolf UK,
he was finally able to get “hands on”!
14 ARMOURY: BOLT AIRSOFT B4 PDW
B.R.S.S.
As Red Cell are setting up to look at a whole
bunch of “PDW-style” AEGs next month, Bill has
been out on the range preparing things and has
been somewhat taken with the latest model to
come from BOLT Airsoft in Taiwan!
20 ARMOURY: UMAREX KWA HK45 GBB
Having first seen this pistol in Spain, it wasn’t until
AA Legionnaire, Stewbacca, arrived in Taiwan that
he eventually added one to his armoury.
24 KIT & GEAR: LOFTED GARMENTS
Every winter we like to have a look at what’s new
from our old friends at Snugpak by including
an article on why you should look to invest in
some serious “lofted”, or insulated protection.
Continuing his look at “good gear to go”, our
in-house technical clothing “guru”, Bill, takes a
look at both new gear and that which has been
thoroughly tried and tested!
30 SHOW REPORT: MOA 2020
Airsoft Action’s Legionnaire in Taiwan, Stewbacca,
heads to the annual Military, Outdoor and Airsoft
exhibition, where he checked out the new releases
from Vega Force Company, among others.
34 FEATURE: DSI MCX BUILD
We’re very proud that amongst the team at
Airsoft Action ALL of our contributors are actively
engaged in the world of airsoft, either as a player
or within the industry proper! John “Boycie”
Turrell brings us a report of an extremely detailed
custom build he was involved in to create a very
special - and very specific - AEG!
38 SURVIVAL: IFAK
Real life military personnel carry individual first aid
kits and, as more airsofters are doing the same,
survival expert, Paul Yelland, looks at what items
should be included for airsoft.
42 RED CELL: OTHER GBB PISTOLS
Although many of the Red cell members live quite
close to one another, the recent full lockdown in
the UK meant that they were unable to meet in
person, so Bill looked to “adapt and overcome” in
order to create this month’s test report in order to
bring you the results of the test on “other GBBS”!
50 KIT & GEAR: PTS UNITY
When it comes down to licensed airsoft products
from the firearms and parts industry, PTS Syndicate
is always a company worth looking out for! Chris
from the Airsoft & Milsim New Blog brings us
news of the very latest additions to the expansive
PTS Syndicate range.
52 ACTION AIR: TAIWAN
After a short break our Legionnaire in Taiwan,
“Stewbacca”, once again pits his talents against
other local shooters - and this time he didn’t have
to travel far!
56 RELOADED: SIG AIR M17
This month in RELOADED Boycie sets his sights
on a GBB pistol model that continues to take on
greater significanace in its “real world” form, the
M17!
58 KIT & GEAR: 5.11 ALL MISSIONS PC
Airsoft Action Legionnaire and “Man Down
Under”, Ioan “Iggy” Roberts, reports from
Australia where he turns his attention to his latest
plate carrier acquisition.
60 TECH REPORT: VFC MEETS JEFFTRON
It’s all very well reporting on new technologies as
they appear but, of course, as airsofters we want
to know how these can be applied to enhance
the performance of our AEGs and GBBs to give
us the edge “in game”, don’t we? This month, in
his first report for Airsoft Action, Red Cell shooter
Jimmy Davison tells all about using the JEFFTRON
LEVIATHAN in a recent build!
64 FEATURE: THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT
The Global Pandemic has made many of us stop
and think about what we really love when it
comes to our personal “airsoft experience”. Here
in the UK, Bill got together with a local “Site Op”
to give a vision of one possible future…
68 ARMOURY: CYMA NAM AR SERIES
As a keen collector of Vietnam War era gear and
living history enthusiast, as well as airsoft, player
Bill is constantly looking out for new period AEGs
and GBBs that are ideal for that conflict and he’s
been waiting to get hands-on the new models
from CYMA that fit right in!
72 THE CAGE: ALL I WANT FOR…
2020 has been a year that most of us would
like to forget for many reasons, but the fact is
that even during the most challenging of times
airsofters around the globe have adapted to
overcome, getting their game on whenever, and
wherever, it was safe to do so! Bill reflects on the
past year, and checks in with the AA team to find
out what they’d really, REALLY like for Christmas!
78 FEATURE: THE MP7A1
As promised at the end of Frenchie’s piece on the
Glock 18c AEP last month, this month he’s turning
his attention to the Marui MP7A1.
82 RETAIL ROUNDUP
Christmas is on the horizon, and we don’t know
about you but we are very much looking forward
to it this year! Of course it’s that time when your
nearest and dearest that wish to humour your
airsoft addiction will be asking you for little gift
ideas, so this time we’ve kept things sensible(ish!)
for all those little stocking fillers!
86 LAST POST: THAT WAS THEN…
Frenchie says: “If I have understood the vagaries
of editorial timing, Christmas should be upon us
and this should be an appropriate point to wish all
of you a Happy New Year! If I’m a month late…
Oops, belated Happy New Year!”
ULTIMA
JACKET
BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN
/ SRP: £89.95
armoury
VFC MK18 MOD1 GBBR
OPR8R COOL!
LAST MONTH BILL TOOK A LOOK AT AN ALL-NEW “MK18”
AEG AND AS A LOVER OF SHORTER AR CARBINES,
FOUND IT VERY MUCH TO HIS LIKING! AS HE’S ALSO A
FAN OF GAS BLOWBACK MODELS HE WAS KEEN TO GET
HIS HANDS ON THE LATEST MK18 MOD1 GBBR FROM
VEGAFORCECOMPANY (VFC) AND, THANKS TO REDWOLF
UK, HE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET “HANDS ON”!
8
JANUARY 2021
armoury
VFC MK18 MOD1 GBBR
Okay, this may surprise some of you that
know me personally and know of my love
for the OPFOR role when it comes to airsoft
games but, like many of you, there is a small part
of me that still revels in the “OPR8R” cool side of
things! Although now I’m a bit older I find that the
OPFOR role suits me better, there’s still a big old pile
of Multicam and AOR1 gear in my personal locker
for those moments that I feel the need to be all
righteous!
I also have a quiet love for Short Barrelled Rifles,
or SBRs and although I own a number of full-length
ARs, for skirmish days a CQB-length AR, most usually
my L119A1 or HK416 D10RS, is still a solid option to
run out with when I’m not practising with one of my
AKs. I’m a great believer in becoming familiar with the
intricacies of different “platforms” and rolling over
the use of AEGs means that none of my beauties are
taking undue strain over time. Because of this I have
AEGs that are 10-plus years old and thanks to regular
maintenance and professional servicing, are still
running “stock” with only hop-rubbers changed for a
little performance “nudge”.
However, there’s another side to my airsoft which
is “training”, a subject that we’re currently having a
good chat about in the Airsoft Action Contributors
group; in fact there will no doubt be an article on this
in the New Year as this topic has really opened up a
very interesting topic of debate!
What do I mean by “training” and is this directly
applicable to “Sunday Skirmish Games”? The answer
is both “yes” and “no”. As I usually shoot “real” on a
weekly basis, albeit “paper punching” at my local club
and also work as Editor on PMCI, the sister publication
to AA, I’m usually on a range somewhere quite
regularly, so my firearms safety and proficiency needs
to be on point at all times. Although 2020 has been
somewhat different, it’s not unusual for me during a
normal year to attend courses in the UK, in Eastern
Europe and in the USA. I also shoot with the PMCI
USA guys when I get chance, so I need to be able to
hold my own amongst them (okay, I like to “fly the
flag” a bit when I can too!).
In strict airsoft game terms I’m not that interested
in “team training”, although I know that many of
you enjoy this immensely, however, I am ALWAYS
interested in learning new skills that will make me
more effective. I’m always happy to learn a new
skill or drill that makes me more efficient in my
manipulation, or enhances my accuracy! As an “old
guy”, it’s training on my skills and drills that often
keeps me in the game when you young ‘uns are hareing
about… Whilst we are not training for any given
scenario as the “pros” do, or indeed as a part of some
kind of twisted “evil agenda training regime”, training
is completely valid to make you a better, safer, more
accurate and effective shooter. This to me matters as
much in airsoft as it does in “real steel”.
So why do I train mostly with a GBBR and not an
AEG, you may ask? It’s a personal thing really, as I
enjoy the operation of a full-travel-bolt gas AR or
AK and to me it gets as close to training with a real
firearm as is possible. As, at the last time of looking,
I am still a resident of Her Majesty’s fine land that
means that even as a club shooter I am restricted in
the firearm models that are available to me, so the
“gasser” becomes even more important.
I believe the salient thing here is replication
of operation; we’re never going to get the same
complete action as a real firearm even with the very
best “gasser” and certainly nothing approaching
muzzle signature and true felt recoil. There’s also no
real problem to deal with in respect of heat mitigation
during handling either. I look for how the “replica”
works and if it performs in close enough a manner
to real as to make training with it worthwhile. What
I look for is not a replica to play airsoft with per se
(more on this later!), but one that will let me run the
majority of my manipulation sequences so I don’t look
a complete and utter useless twat when I shoot with
my friends in the USA and Eastern Europe! If all I need
to deal with when I shoot “real” is mainly muzzle and
recoil management, then it’s a bonus.
VFC FOR THE WIN!
Again (as many of you will know), my personal choice
of “trainer” is the VFC SR-16. In truth, the VFC SR-16
GBB hasn’t been designed and made for the mass
market, it’s been designed and made for those that
truly want a platform that operates exactly like the
real thing but that fires safe and simple 6mm BBs,
“…THE VFC SR-16 GBB HASN’T BEEN DESIGNED AND MADE FOR THE MASS MARKET,
IT’S BEEN DESIGNED AND MADE FOR THOSE THAT TRULY WANT A PLATFORM THAT
OPERATES EXACTLY LIKE THE REAL THING BUT THAT FIRES SAFE AND SIMPLE 6MM
BBS, NOT LIVE 5.56!”
www.airsoftaction.net 9
armoury
VFC MK18 MOD1 GBBR
not live 5.56! Yes, it’s been designed for the MilSim
player but also for those that want to test themselves
to the limit in any game or on the range, with reallike
operation and real-world magazine capacities…
Basically it’s been designed for people like me!
But having thoroughly enjoyed finding a MK18
AEG that is both reliable and well-priced, in the form
of the Specna Arms model I looked at last month, my
attention soon returned to GBBRs and I remembered
that VFC had a new “MK18” model in their range! A
quick call to Danny at RedWolf UK saw one shipped
down to me in the usual RedWolf-efficient way and
I was soon out on the short range giving it some
beans!
The VFC MK18 MOD 1 GBBR is patterned after
the MK18 MOD 1 used by many “operators”, most
famously by USSOCOM and, as I discussed last time, it
has come out of the Naval SOPMOD programme. In a
nutshell, just as the Special Purpose Receiver morphed
into the Special Purpose Rifle and was type-classified
as Mk 12 Mod 0/1, the complete CQBR-length carbine
has been type-classified as the Mk 18 Mod 0, or the
Mk 18 Mod 1 with a sightless gas block and fulllength
accessory rail kit.
The gas airsoft version from VFC replicates the
“real” very well indeed and although it lacks the
“trades” of a fully licenced model it’s obviously a
MK18, right down to that super “SF Bronze” 245mm
rail system on the sharp end (which interestingly IS
trademarked and may give a clue as to where the
Taiwanese manufacturer may be casting their effective
licencing efforts in the future), I certainly hope so!
Made of high-quality alloys and steel components
throughout, the VFC MK18 is exceptionally well made
- but I expect that from VFC. The gun is extremely
solid, weighing in at 2,319g feels great in hand,
all the parts fit together beautifully and the only
things I would change on this carbine are the CRANE
stock and the A2 pistol grip. Thankfully virtually any
aftermarket parts will fit, so the choice of “furniture”
can be totally down to you, the final setup as you like
it.
Essentially the VFC is as close to the real deal as
you’ll find in airsoft form and everything is nailed
down to look and feel exactly as it would on the real
thing, including the operating system. Internally the
gun runs the latest VFC GBBR system which makes it
extremely efficient and the internal construction also
ensures added durability as well, providing a recoil
impulse is solid and consistent, which makes the
shooting experience fun and immersive. Like my SR-
16, it has a full-travel “bolt carrier group (BCG)” and
once again this replicates exactly the operation of the
military carbine so your drills need
to be 100% the same. For instance,
the VFC magazines only hold 30
BBs so your reloads need to be on
point. In relation to magazines, the
grey STANAG style provided is also
the latest version from VFC, with
no visible valve on the base, which
adds to the “real feel” overall. This
version is even more reliable and
will go through more BBs with
less cooldown if you do decide to
go crazy in full auto and this is a
“gasser” where you can actually
do that without the whole deal
venting! The steel magazine housing
also adds good weight, a realistic
feel and “wear and tear” will add a
real worn look in time. In addition
to absolutely first-rate build quality
and superb
components, the MK18
also offers realistic takedown;
by splitting
the receivers
you can
remove
the
BCG for
cleaning
and
maintenance, again, just like
the real thing.
BOOMTIME!
I’m pleased to tell you
that in operation the
MK18 is, if anything,
even better than my
SR-16!
As I’m in
“C-Virus
Lockdown”, I
10
JANUARY 2021
armoury
VFC MK18 MOD1 GBBR
initially tested the carbine on my 10m short range at
home, to chrono and evaluate and in terms of power
I got a consistent 1.07 Joule/341fps on a .20g RZR
BB using green gas. With .30g RZR BBs the accuracy
was stunning at that range, ringing the steels with
each and every BB. I did take an “afternoon stroll”
up to my woodland range eventually
though and ran some drills using a mix
of the STANAG and VFC V-Mags, plus
the excellent BUISs that come fitted as
standard and once I had the hop set just
so, was again punching out the sandbags
at 30m with a dead-flat BB trajectory to
target. This carbine has some serious legs
to it! If you’re going to use it in a CQB
environment, accuracy is NOT going to be
an issue once you have it set up right!
So, this is a REALLY fine carbine and
another great addition to the VFC product
range and one that is undoubtedly going
to delight the MilSim crowd… but is
it usable as a regular “skirmish tool”?
Again, I’d have to say both “no” and
(a qualified) “yes”. In terms of holding
its own against a field of Hi-cap-fullauto
AEG players I believe that you may
struggle but only down to the sheer
weight of fire you’ll be facing. If you’re
good enough to get in close to give
some double taps with a support gun
giving you some covering fire though,
then you’re going to be living on “Planet
OPR8R” - and there is no better feeling
than that in my opinion!
Bottom line, I guess, is would I buy a
VFC MK18 GBBR myself as I already own
the SR-16 GBBR? Yup, you better believe
I would!! The MK18 is “of its time and
place” and quite apart from that, it’s a
darn fine airsoft gun! Although my days
of hard-charging “Zero Dark Thirty” style
play may be on the decline, I still love an
AR with a “soul” and the MK18 has a
very big soul. Add to this that it’s also a
fine training tool, it’s reliable and accurate
and you have a package that’s sure to
delight you every time you pick it up - and
that’s a more-than-good enough reason to own one!
My thanks again go to my good friend Ray at VFC
(https://www.vegaforce.com) for being part of this
article and also to the guys at http://uk.redwolfairsoft.
com for supplying the MK18 for T&E. AA
“IN ADDITION TO ABSOLUTELY FIRST-RATE BUILD QUALITY AND SUPERB
COMPONENTS, THE MK18 ALSO OFFERS REALISTIC TAKE-DOWN; BY SPLITTING THE
RECEIVERS YOU CAN REMOVE THE BCG FOR CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE, AGAIN,
JUST LIKE THE REAL THING.”
www.airsoftaction.net 11
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armoury
BOLT AIRSOFT B4 PDW
I
have to admit that being a big guy, 6’2 and with
long old arms, I have somewhat of a “love/hate”
relationship with the current crop of Personal
Defence Weapons, or PDW models that seem to have
become dominated by the minimalist sliding stock
design. I accept that, in terms of engineering, the
sliding stock design in its now myriad forms is a thing
of beauty but as I have what is known as a “positive
ape index” (which means my arm span from fingertip
to fingertip is greater than my height), really short,
small carbines and SMGs like the old MP5 PDW are
usually uncomfortable for me to wield.
I have said many times that I love an “SBR” and,
indeed, own a number of models of that style
with 10-inch barrels, however, all of them have a
“traditional” buffer tube and sliding stock. Most
usually, these days I use a 14.5-inch carbine or an even
longer-barrelled “.308” style rifle, as these feel most
comfortable with my “ape arms”!
PDW
AS RED CELL ARE SETTING UP TO LOOK AT A WHOLE BUNCH OF “PDW-STYLE” AEGS
NEXT MONTH, BILL HAS BEEN OUT ON THE RANGE PREPARING THINGS AND HAS
BEEN SOMEWHAT TAKEN WITH THE LATEST MODEL TO COME FROM BOLT AIRSOFT IN
TAIWAN! FEATURING THEIR BRSS RECOIL SYSTEM IN A TIDY AR PACKAGE, THE B4 PDW
B.R.S.S. AEG TICKS ALL THE BOXES…
However, I do appreciate that
for physically smaller players
than I, the PDW style can be a
godsend and that in a CQB
environment this style also
comes into its own in a
major way! I know a
number of players
who totally rock
their PDWs and of
course, with effective
airsoft ranges being
somewhat more balanced
than those in the real world,
having a big old rifle gives you no
added advantage, other than that of
personal comfort in terms of manipulation.
When it comes to “tight spaces” though, this is
where the PDW style of AEG really sings, as ultimately
14
JANUARY 2021
armoury
BOLT AIRSOFT B4 PDW
this is exactly what they were designed for in their
“real steel” form! The term “PDW” actually fully
describes the military role the weapon was conceived
for, that of a compact yet effective (in terms of both
performance and accuracy) platform that can be easily
and discreetly carried by rear echelon personnel, not
as combat troops expected to regularly engage the
enemy, but as support elements who may need to
defend themselves in an actively hostile environment.
In this situation it’s all about an effective platform that
is easy to use and deploy, but which
provides sufficient firepower to
suppress an enemy until the
cavalry can arrive! Although
originally
current crop of “skeleton stock” variants leaves me
personally a little cold for a couple of major reasons.
First up there’s the physical size thing that I mentioned
earlier; they’re just TOO darn short for an old ape
like me! As I’m also all about properly aimed shots, I
also find that most of the current PDW stocks don’t
allow me to get a proper cheek-weld when lining up
iron sights. Again, I’m not a huge fan of optics on
something that’s designed to be small, compact and
deployable from concealment…
But the biggy for me - and again it’s a personal
thing I guess - is that I like to be able to fit a battery
at the start of a gameday or Op and have it last the
duration of the event and the fact is, that many
sliding stock PDWs have an absolutely TINY battery
compartment! That’s not so much of a problem
if you’re running short, fast games at a CQB site
where you can simply change out batteries in
downtime between games but if you’re playing the
part of a “CP Detail” in a longer Op (where the
PDW SHOULD be ideal), a small, limited-life
battery is not what you want!
Over the years I’ve tried
to find different
designed for a military
role, due to their
compact nature, light
weight, ease of operation
and control and their
close-range effectiveness,
PDWs are also now
popular with special
forces, tactical police units
and, more recently, PMCs
and bodyguards.
In airsoft form, where our engagement distances
are necessarily “danger close”, an SBR or PDW seems
to me to be the perfect choice for an AEG for the very
same reasons that it’s used in earnest, however, the
solutions to this
problem but as with
optics, I don’t like a PEQ-box
on a PDW for obvious reasons; I want it
small, pared to the bone effective for a
specific role - and that’s why the BOLT B4
PDW is one of the models that sings to
me.
KINETIC KOOL
Okay, so I will admit to being a big fan of BOLT, as
their AEGs are designed with the Bolt Recoil Shock
System, or BRSS, at the very heart of things. This is
the core around which other things revolve! The BRSS
is “Stage One” of any BOLT AEG design and with my
old mate Tomy Lee’s knowledge, the development
team at BOLT Airsoft have created a powerful recoil
system which uses an outstanding design, utilising
kinetic energy produced by the piston’s movement,
transferred to a recoil weight in the stock tube which
www.airsoftaction.net 15
armoury
BOLT AIRSOFT B4 PDW
subsequently generates a recoil
simulation …and that is awesome!
This gives you a great recoil
“feel” without having to resort to
a full-travel-bolt gas system, which
although are becoming more
reliable still don’t quite give you
the usability of an AEG. All BOLT
BRSS models feature a reinforced
piston which actuates a
recoil mechanism in the back
end, giving you a nice “felt
nudge” in the shoulder every
time things cycle. Trust me,
this is WAY different to an EBB
system (which I also dislike to
be honest due to the way most
interact directly with the piston),
as the BRSS gives you the feeling
of some real “felt recoil” whilst
keeping you in the game, as
BOLT AEGs can still use Hi-
Cap magazines like any
other AEG,
if that’s your thing!
So, a good
recoil system
endears the B4
PDW to me
from the
get-go
but
what
else
makes
this a
standout
model for me? Well,
the B4 is (as usual) made of
really great quality materials and
components with a high-grade
alloy receiver set, PDW-style
sliding stock, buffer tube, BUIS,
outer barrel and suppressor. It also
features some really nice polymer
furniture on the front end
that looks decidedly like
it came from a company
whose name begins with a stylised “M”, a lo-drag
polymer stock plate and a nifty minimalised pistol
grip; the magazine is also an attractive 140BB polymer
design, although 300 BB Hi-Caps are also available.
So far, so samey but it’s the polymer furniture
that not only looks great but also hides what, in my
opinion, makes the B4 work so well as an all-dayfieldable
AEG. Like many older AR AEG models BOLT
have stuck to the tried and tested formula of frontwiring
the B4 and using a split foregrip to create a
usable (and indeed sizeable) battery compartment,
which pleases me greatly! Not only that but, of
course, the battery being at the front balances out
the 2,600g weight of the AEG nicely and lets the
weight in the rear get to work… At a time when
everyone seems to want to rear-wire small AEGs, so
that they can be fitted with uber-slimline M-LOK or
KeyMod rails, this is one area where actually frontwiring
works! Like that “M-design” forestock you
can still add accessory rails to the B4 if you desire
but again to me this needs to be kept “clean”,
other than perhaps mounting a taclite for low-light
environments.
KICK IT BABY!
Another tick for me that shows Tomy’s understanding
of real firearm platforms, is the additional plate
that sits between the skeleton-stock “arms”; this
16
JANUARY 2021
armoury
BOLT AIRSOFT B4 PDW
can be perfectly positioned so that you can grab a
tight cheek-weld and really get down on your irons!
“Irons” are provided as part of the B4 “package”
and to be honest these are the only thing that I’d
change out on the AEG as new (although personally
I’d probably lose the faux-suppressor too… what is
that red ring about Tomy?), as I’d prefer some lowerto-the-bore,
more slimline lo-profile flip-up sights to
keep things from catching if you’re carrying the AEG
“concealed” under a jacket, but that’s an extremely
minor gripe in an otherwise flawless PDW.
Okay, well-made, neat and compact but what of
performance? Knowing that the internals are the
latest iteration of the tried and tested BRSS and that
I’ve had a fair amount of experience with BOLT AEGs, I
was confident that out-of-the-box performance would
be impressive and indeed it was! Using .20g RZR BBs
the B4 registered a properly consistent chrono reading
of 0.96J/323fps which is absolutely perfect for me. I
did try the BOLT with a number of different brand AR
magazines, lo, mid, and hi-cap (it looks awesome and
properly “CP” with shorty P-MAGS!) and it seemed
perfectly happy to eat the fodder they provided.
With the 140 BB mid provided topped off with .25
RZRs, it was time to set the hop and get some BBs
downrange! Like all ARs the B4 has the fire selector
above and to the left of the pistol grip and with semi
engaged the BOLT cranked off BBs with a sweet jolt
in the shoulder, sending them straight downrange to
target at 30m. Cranking up to full-auto didn’t faze it
at all and on an N-Power 11.1v 30C 1450 mAh Lipo
stick, the B4 spat out BBs pleasingly, accuracy was still
bang on and if anything, the thump in the shoulder
seemed to intensify!
As you’ve probably fathomed by now, once again I
really like what BOLT have created. BOLT Airsoft have
made, to me at least, one of the nicest, most usable
“PDWs” out there, not only benefitting from their
outstanding recoil system but also through value for
money along with quality of parts and construction.
If you love your PDW but want something that will
see you happily through the longest of Ops, then the
B4 PDW could well be the one you’re looking for; it
certainly is for me!
Sincere thanks got to the guys at NUPROL (www.
nuprol.com) who distribute the BOLT brand in the UK
as always for providing the test rifle. Red cell will be
hitting the PDWs next month, so check out then how
the BOLT B4 performs against the competition! AA
“BOLT AIRSOFT HAVE MADE, TO ME AT LEAST, ONE OF THE NICEST, MOST USABLE
“PDWS” OUT THERE, NOT ONLY BENEFITTING FROM THEIR OUTSTANDING RECOIL
SYSTEM BUT ALSO THROUGH VALUE FOR MONEY ALONG WITH QUALITY OF PARTS
AND CONSTRUCTION.”
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UMAREX KWA HECKLER & KOCH HK45
BEWARE THE
MAN WITH
ONE GUN!!
HAVING FIRST SEEN THIS PISTOL IN SPAIN, IT WASN’T UNTIL AA LEGIONNAIRE, STEWBACCA, ARRIVED
IN TAIWAN THAT HE EVENTUALLY ADDED ONE TO HIS ARMOURY - BUT WAS IT EVERYTHING HE
HOPED IT WOULD BE?
I
was introduced to this beast of a handgun in
Barcelona a few years ago, while I was visiting
“Handsome” Dave from my old Uni team, who had
been living and working there since not long after we
graduated. We were at his local CQB site, “Banana
Airsoft” and their original shop, northeast of the city
centre, when we got our first glance and hands on
with the KWA HK45.
I was immediately impressed with the feel of it in
my hand and the loud report and heavy recoil, even
with a lighter weight aluminium top slide. Dave went
on to buy one and during later visits I had the chance
to handle it further and appreciate his purpose-built,
foam-lined carry case and multitude of magazines he
had for his. My mind was thus made up and with my
move east to Taiwan already decided upon, now I had
my first airsoft purchase in mind as well!
And so it was, that one of the first things I did
when I received my ARC (Alien Residency Card - my
working visa/ proof of ID for living in Taiwan long
term), was head to KUI Airsoft in Zhubei and purchase
one of these …the first gun on my “wish list”. I used
the HK45 GBB exclusively for the first four months or
so of gaming in Taiwan whilst I saved up money and
decided what to supplement it with.
I first went to Action Bunker Taipei back in early
September 2017 and used their rental package,
just to tide me over and get used to the place and
playing style - as well as operating in a largely foreign
language environment - before committing to buying
my own gear and getting stuck in good and proper.
By the next visit I had my KWA H&K HK45 GBB and
two magazines to add to the mix, along with all my
own plate carrier and personal protection etc..
For a bit of a clarification, KWA is the domestically
manufactured Taiwanese derivation of Japanese made
KSC equipment, so KWA/KSC are essentially identical
(from what I have gathered), besides which country
they are manufactured in. I do wonder, however,
if the product streams are separate, or distributed
differently, or otherwise have varied quality control.
Much as I love the HK45 for its heft, aesthetics,
recoil and loud report, mine has not been as flawless
as the experiences “Handsome” Dave outlined in his
own review. In particular, having done some research
into issues with them since I started having problems,
“FOR A BIT OF A CLARIFICATION, KWA IS THE DOMESTICALLY MANUFACTURED
TAIWANESE DERIVATION OF JAPANESE MADE KSC EQUIPMENT, SO KWA/KSC ARE
ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL (FROM WHAT I HAVE GATHERED), BESIDES WHICH COUNTRY
THEY ARE MANUFACTURED IN.”
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UMAREX KWA HECKLER & KOCH HK45
US owners certainly seem to be having the same
problems, so whether they are getting Taiwanesemade
versions, or the whole product line just has
a fault (which seems to be a mixed bag of working
perfectly, or having “bad day” type guns), I’m not
entirely sure.
I have, at this point, had mine for three years and
the last year or so mine has not seen any action as
such - being stripped down and in pieces since last
Christmas awaiting parts and my own repairs. At
least by now I literally know the HK45 - and the USP
Compact which uses effectively the same internals in
a slightly different guise or smaller external package
- inside out! Since moving to Taipei I’ve been able to
order spare parts direct through KIC Airsoft, instead
of KUI Airsoft insisting on sending guns back to their
respective local factories for any smithing or remedial
work. I’m more than capable of dealing with problems
and repairs myself after messing around with GBBs for
nearly two decades!
AIRSOFT STOVEPIPE
The main initial issue I had appears to be the
ammunition feeding protrusion just beneath the gas
feed nozzle. Apparently, the magazine springs are a
little too powerful in terms of the force they exert on
the BBs and this, in turn, causes long-term wear on
the feeding protrusion, which has to push them from
the feed lips and run them up the loading ramp, prior
to the gas nozzle above it seating behind the round as
the slide moves fully into battery ready for firing.
This problem manifested itself within the first few
months of me playing; before Christmas 2017 I had
to send it back to KWA’s facility for refurbishment,
with the culprit being damage to this protrusion just
beneath the gas nozzle. The symptoms were basically
being constant jams and failures to properly feed or
return to battery; multiple rounds would be dislodged,
one might be chambered properly while another
would fling around inside the closing chamber space,
getting mashed against the bolt face or insides of
the top slide. Essentially the airsoft equivalent of a
“stovepipe” jam, although from an additionally misfed
round rather than an already spent case but, either
way, the upshot is the same - a round in the chamber
with another obstructing the action.
Basically, the loading protrusion tends to wear
down, deform, or eventually outright break off in the
“ESSENTIALLY THE AIRSOFT EQUIVALENT OF A “STOVEPIPE” JAM, ALTHOUGH FROM
AN ADDITIONALLY MISFED ROUND RATHER THAN AN ALREADY SPENT CASE BUT,
EITHER WAY, THE UPSHOT IS THE SAME - A ROUND IN THE CHAMBER WITH ANOTHER
OBSTRUCTING THE ACTION.”
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UMAREX KWA HECKLER & KOCH HK45
first case, to the point where it isn’t pushing the BBs
out of the magazine early enough to get them in front
of the gas nozzle by the time it reaches its resting/
closed position. Most… Vexing…! It annoyed me
most because, at the time, the HK45 was my first and
only airsoft gun so it meant I couldn’t use my own
equipment and had to bother my teammates, who
very kindly lent me their spare guns for games whilst I
resolved the issue and built my collection up.
Essentially, this is the most expensive gun I have
bought in Taiwan and turned out to be the most
annoying and unreliable to begin with despite that.
I was very impressed with its performance at first
and, admittedly, being my only gun for the first
three or four months of intensive gameplay using
four magazines and only having the pistol for all my
games, did mean it likely took a lot of punishment
early on - but even since having it fixed twice it has
continued to cause me a lot of issues.
Another issue I have noticed over the longer-term,
is that the magazines seem to wear through valves
quite quickly. In the early months I had two of them
serviced and then the other two started to exhibit
leaking issues, or a general failure to hold gas long
enough during a game day to feed and fire all rounds
in each magazine. This may have become more
pronounced as I began to use it more as a sidearm,
or last resort, when using my MP7 or G36C GBBRs
as primary guns, meaning that the HK45 and its
magazines were holstered and sat dormant for a lot
of the time. Then, when I finally did want to use it,
the gas supply tended to be unreliable and highly
frustrating!
As a result of all these woes, it has basically been
relegated to a last resort for me, as I cannot depend
on it to function properly enough to be a primary
gun, or even a loan gun to newbie friends who
won’t know how to resolve malfunctions as easily
as my experience allows me to. It is aesthetically and
functionally an awesome and enjoyable pistol to use
but, at the same time, it’s become an absolute pain
in the rear for maintenance and reliability - a very
stark contrast to Handsome Dave’s experience of his
working flawlessly with 5 magazines over many years
…hence my pondering as to whether there is a quality
or supply stream variation between KWA/KSC units.
The only other issue I have had personally, besides
the reliability and maintenance, is that I was dropping
magazines inexplicably in firefights for a while. I even
started “cupping” the bottom of the magazine with
my supporting hand to prevent it dropping to the
floor. Most of mine have dents in the bottom corners
now and I’ve had to replace a couple of the bumpers
as a result - again, no doubt worsening the gas
retention and reservoir integrity issues.
At first I imagined this was due to a weak magazine
release spring allowing the recoil impulse to actuate
the release during firing. This may have been some
cause of the issue but after the second servicing
it came back with a fresh release spring installed.
However, in the end I managed to work out that the
problem is largely anthropometric; my fingers are so
long that when I pulled the trigger completely my
trigger finger actuated the opposite side magazine
release because the lever itself has a larger contoured
operating surface compared to the other H&K guns
using a similar release style! So now I have to ensure
my supporting hand thumb gets in the way of my
firing hand’s trigger finger-tip to prevent this or adjust
my trigger press to mitigate.
Despite this, the “magazine dropping issue” seems
to persist and, at present, I am still awaiting a fresh
release paddle to replace the clearly worn previous
one. The magazine faces themselves seem to wear
down as well, which likely contributes to their looser
fit and ease of dislodging of the retaining forks of the
paddle from under the protrusions on the fronts of
the magazines themselves.
ENOUGH NEGATIVITY…
With all of that negativity out of the way, I do have to
say that the Umarex KWA HK45 is an excellent GBB
pistol, despite the issues I have had with mine. Do
bear in mind the sheer abuse most of my equipment
undergoes due to the frequency with which I play and
the local environment and related heat pushing up the
pressures it experiences.
The HK45 is, nonetheless, a very enjoyable gun to
use when it functions optimally and once I managed
to source a machined sight mount and affix a Docter
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armoury
UMAREX KWA HECKLER & KOCH HK45
red dot sight to the top slide, I began making single
shot eliminations, or achieving seemingly difficult
shots across the arena and receiving incredulous
remarks or questions of exactly what I had done to
the gun to facilitate this. Using 0.28g BLS ammunition
and having a lot of practise with pistols, was my
answer, although a large portion of the credit should
surely reside with the consistency of the action and
hop unit of the HK45 itself.
Occasionally leaky or unreliable magazines aside
(and my own inadvertent dropping of them onto the
concrete due to my long fingers or the sheer recoil
impulse actuating the magazine release), there are no
doubt far worse purchases you could make - especially
if you are intending, as most players would, to use it
purely as a sidearm, rather than your primary weapon
as I had to for months of intensive gaming. If I were
to be faced with making the same purchase again,
I would likely get a KWA USP45 as the magazine
release is smaller, like that of my KWA USP Compact
which I have never experienced the same issues with
(and I owned one of those back in the UK as well).
Hopefully I can get mine repaired and bring it
back into my frontline gear circulation once the fresh
magazine release finally arrives. If nothing else, having
to totally dismantle and repair mine taught me a great
deal about the internal operating mechanism, which
I made a reassembly video of for my own YouTube
channel (as there seemed to be little in the way of
information for putting the complicated double action
- single action – de-cocking system back together).
In closing, I’d probably re-iterate that the majority
of my experiences of the HK45 were extremely
positive and the reliability issues are most likely an
artefact of the sheer use and abuse I put all my
equipment through, and thus more of an outlier
than most people’s likely or actual experience. I have
seen many fellow players in Taiwan sporting these on
their hips and not heard the same complaints from
them thus far, and the KWA HK45 is an exceptionally
well-made and comfortable to handle, loud, heavy
recoiling and accurate pistol, which adds to its fun
factor. I made use of mine with the Docter sight
fitted for my first foray into AIPSC in Taiwan and it
performed flawlessly that day, despite my misgivings
of using it skirmishes. AA
“I BEGAN MAKING SINGLE SHOT ELIMINATIONS, OR ACHIEVING SEEMINGLY DIFFICULT
SHOTS ACROSS THE ARENA AND RECEIVING INCREDULOUS REMARKS OR QUESTIONS
OF EXACTLY WHAT I HAD DONE TO THE GUN TO FACILITATE THIS.”
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KIT & GEAR
LOFTED GARMENTS
INSULATED
GEAR FOR
THE WINTER
WIN
EVERY WINTER WE LIKE TO HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW FROM OUR OLD FRIENDS AT SNUGPAK BY
INCLUDING AN ARTICLE ON WHY YOU SHOULD LOOK TO INVEST IN SOME SERIOUS “LOFTED”, OR INSULATED
PROTECTION. CONTINUING HIS LOOK AT “GOOD GEAR TO GO”, OUR IN-HOUSE TECHNICAL CLOTHING
“GURU”, BILL, TAKES A LOOK AT BOTH NEW GEAR AND THAT WHICH HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY TRIED AND
TESTED!
I’m here writing this article this year on the first
“official” day of winter - and what do you know?
The north wind has suddenly made its presence felt
and where I live we’ve had the first proper frost of the
new season, with the possibility of snow showers in
the offing! It is most definitely time to break out the
insulated jacket for downtime and range testing days
and I truly believe that this is a crucial piece of “safe
zone” gear that every airsofter should own - for two
main reasons which I’ll recap here again.
Firstly, after a hard morning’s play you’re going to
have built up a head of steam but when you’re on an
outdoor/woodland site with no heated safe zone (in
many cases you’ll be operating from the back of the
car right now), it’s very, very easy to chill down quickly
when you stop to bomb-up or for lunch. This leads all
too quickly discomfort and on a cold, wet or snowy
winters day I’ve seen many guys leave at lunchtime as
they’ve become too chilled to continue. Secondly, in
the UK it’s often not the cold, fluffy and pretty white
stuff falling from the sky that we need to contend
with but sleet and icy rain, so you’ll totally get why I
“…SYNTHETICS RETAIN A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THEIR INSULATIVE PROPERTIES EVEN WHEN
WET, WHEREAS WHEN DOWN GETS WET IT WILL STAY WET AND WILL ACTUALLY TRY TO USE
YOUR OWN CORE BODY HEAT TO DRY ITSELF, RESULTING IN YOU BEING EVEN COLDER!”
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JANUARY 2021
KIT & GEAR
LOFTED GARMENTS
find an insulated jacket that doesn’t suffer too much
in the wet to be and indispensable bit of kit!
I know that I keep on about a correct and effective
layering system in your gear, but in the winter months
you really need to push up the insulation levels of
your mid-layer so it’s seriously worth considering some
form of lightweight lofted garment. Once upon a
time, everyone would have been saying “get a down
jacket” and, in certain conditions, I’d thoroughly agree
with that. These days though, I pretty much always
go for a synthetic fill rather than down, as synthetics
retain a high percentage of their insulative properties
even when wet, whereas when down gets wet it will
stay wet and will actually try to use your own core
body heat to dry itself, resulting in you being even
colder! Another benefit of a synthetic fill is that you
can compress it (and leave it compressed for extended
periods of time) without causing any damage to its
structure (although you need to dry it out at home
if you pack it away wet!). Most jackets will come
with a compression or stuff sac which can be used to
minimise its size, making it easier to store and carry
with you.
Remember, hypothermia can, ultimately, be a killer
and even in its mildest form can lead to you having
not just a bad day, but a bad time full stop! If you
really don’t want to be “that guy” who causes a
problem for everyone due to lack of forethought and
preparation, then please read on.
I know, I really do, that you could easily look at this
and say that an insulated jacket is “just another piece
of kit to buy, another expensive item of clothing that
won’t get used that much” but in fact, once you own
such a garment I think you’ll be shocked by actually
how much you do use it!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
All the “big names” out there will offer one, if not
more, insulated jackets in their clothing range and
depending on your left-over-after-the-latest-AEG-buymoney,
then shopping around will get you something
in your price range. Although camouflage insulated
jackets are available, think about where you’ll be
wearing it. If you buy a simple block colour rather
than a camo, then you’re also going to end up with
something you can wear every day, which makes it
even better value for money.
Most good outdoor pursuits stores will now have
in stock a wide selection of both down and synthetic
insulated jackets and some of them are offering some
great gear from the top mountaineering companies as
always. I’ve noticed that there are some seriously good
bargains to be had from the likes of Black Diamond,
RAB, Mountain Equipment, Patagonia, and The North
Face and all of them this year seem to be available in
black or some really cool grey and green tones. Do
be wary of buying “names” though, as there (sadly)
is still a degree of “paying for that” depending on
where you actually make your purchase.
Good models to look for are those that are referred
to as “belay jackets”, as those are purpose designed
to stuff down into your pack for use when you need
them most, i.e. when you stop being active and
become more static. Plus their designs are (more often
than not) more technically cut to fit lower over the
small of the back and abdomen, whereas many of
the more “fashion cut” jackets are waistline cut. I still
have a very old belay pullover filled with Primaloft,
from my time working with Lowe Alpine many years
ago, and it’s a classic!
Of course, there are now many “tactical” brands
that will sell you an insulated jacket and those are
usually jazzed up with a lot of arm-velcro and different
features from the “civvy versions”, but I’ll still go back
to my old faves, Snugpak, when it comes to insulated
gear for military and tactical use. They’ve built on
the success of their best known insulated jacket,
the Softie (a UK Forces “favourite” and if what one
of my friends tells me is right, the USMC too!), to
bring some great models to their clothing collection.
The latest generation of insulated jackets are British
made in the company’s factory in West Yorkshire and
are manufactured using its exclusive Softie Premier
synthetic insulation.
SJ FOR THE WIN!
The Snugpak SJ Range is their go-to model for
tactical all-weather jackets, designed to give you
the perfect outer shell whatever conditions you’re
facing throughout the year. All four jackets in the
range benefit from Snugpak’s hi-tech Paratex Micro
outer and Paratex Light inner, keeping any moisture
away from your skin, so you stay warm, comfortable
and dry, and the Softie Premier filling has excellent
“GOOD MODELS TO LOOK FOR ARE THOSE THAT ARE REFERRED TO AS “BELAY JACKETS”,
AS THOSE ARE PURPOSE DESIGNED TO STUFF DOWN INTO YOUR PACK FOR USE WHEN YOU
NEED THEM MOST, I.E. WHEN YOU STOP BEING ACTIVE AND BECOME MORE STATIC.”
www.airsoftaction.net 25
KIT & GEAR
LOFTED GARMENTS
insulating properties,
trapping heat and
maximising comfort.
The warmest jacket
in the collection
is the SJ12
(UK£184.95).
This Snugpak
design is
tailored to fit
the contours
of your body,
with a waterresistant
main zip
and a high
neck design
that keeps
out the
draughts.
The Softie
Jacket 12 is
designed for the
winter months with a
permanent, adjustable, insulated hood for extra
warmth around the head, neck and face. You’ll be
comfortable right down to -15°C. It comes in Blue,
Red, Olive, Military Black and Multicam camouflage
colours and the jacket also features Velcro patches
on the arm for military use. The SJ12 also has the
extended body and longer back I mentioned earlier.
The other models in the SJ range offer
permutations on the same theme but I’ve noticed that
there are a
couple of new models in this
season’s
worthy
Snugpak range that are
of comment, namely the
ARROWHEAD and the
TAC3.
The Arrowhead
offers a Comfort
Rating of
0°C/32°F but a
Low Rating of
-5°C/23°F and
is based on
the classic and
international
best-selling
Sleeka Elite
jacket. The new
and improved
Arrowhead is
the result of
Snugpak’s continued design and development for
military personnel and professionals and combines a
water-repellent Paratex outer material and exclusive
Softie insulation to create a warm, breathable,
windproof and lightweight jacket. The technical fit
offers enhanced thermal performance, freedom of
movement and includes a Softie insulated detachable
zip-off hood for added protection and warmth.
Worn as a cold-weather mid-layer or outer layer,
the Arrowhead is an extremely versatile piece of
insulation.
The TAC3 is a slightly simpler affair, an
intermediate-weight insulated hooded jacket,
manufactured in the UK with Swiss-made Softie
Insulation, lined with
a luxurious brushed
“Thermal Suede”
lining for extra
comfort. The
TAC3 is easily
compressible
for stowing,
with quick
re-loft and
the wind
resistant robust
outer fabric is
treated with
Durable Water
Repellent to
keep showers
and spindrift
at bay. With
a Comfort Rating of 0°C/32°F and a Low Rating of
-5°C/23°F, at just 660g/23oz (size Medium) this is
an ideal jacket to tuck away in your pack “just in
case”. Both the TAC3 and Arrowhead are available in
sizes XS to XXL and in both plain block colours and
Multicam.
STATIC COLD
One of the things with sites, ranges and training
areas is that you do spend a fair amount of time in
a cold, static position; you might be attending the
safety briefing first thing in the morning or breaking
for lunch, but it’s a rarity to find a heated outdoor
airsoft site isn’t it? For ages I’ve always had an original
Snugpak “Softie” jacket in the back of the car for
just such times, for when you want a bit of instant
warmth but a couple of years back I upgraded to
the Military Mountain Leader Smock, or MML6.
Developed by Snugpak with input from professional
navigators, mountain leaders, climbing instructors,
26
JANUARY 2021
KIT & GEAR
LOFTED GARMENTS
meteorological staff, and military personnel, the
functional MML6 has been created to support the
user in a diverse range of operational environments,
especially when exposed to extreme cold weather
and this is, by far, my favourite bit of kit that Snugpak
have ever made!
As a part of Snugpak’s “VENTURE” range, the
MML6 Softie Smock is a “flagship” garment. It’s a
tri-layer construction and uses both Paratex Micro
as a face fabric, and an internal Softie Premier fill,
encapsulated with a Paratex Light lining. Designed to
provide excellent thermal protection against the cold,
the MML6 is rated -5C to -10C; it also provides a high
degree of wind protection. The MML6 Softie Smock is
lighter than normal expedition style jackets and uses
water resistant YKK zips, making it ideal when size
and weight need to be kept to an absolute minimum.
It is ideally worn with a variety of base layers, such as
the Snugpak 2nd Skinz Coolmax base layer, to move
moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and
regulating core temperature in extremes of cold.
The quick
drying, Paratex Micro
100% nylon material has a Durable
Water
Repellent (DWR) finish.
Water repellency can
be maintained
with a cool
tumble dry
after washing
and periodic
re-treatment
with suitable
after care
products.
The MML6
Softie
Smock will
keep you
dry in a
short, light
shower,
giving
you time
to find
a safe place to
stop and put on more
effective waterproof layers, although I have combined
it beneath a waterproof shell if it’s REALLY cold and
wet! The MML6 Softie Smock can easily be worn
under waterproof membrane hard shells in severe
weather, still allowing easy access to your essential
equipment.
Whilst not exactly cheap at UK£189.95 the
MML6 Softie Smock should be viewed as a long
term investment, especially if you act as a RO or site
marshal as well as being a player; whilst players can
easily head back inside to warm up a marshal/RO
needs to be out on site at all times that gameplay is
in progress. The MML6 easily lets you do this so in
my mind is an invaluable addition to your “tactical
wardrobe”.
LEGGING IT
Some of you that have headed off to super-cold
areas have asked me in the past about what to wear
to keep your legs as toasty as your upper body and,
again, there’s a couple of words of advice for you
here!
Although it’s true that insulated trousers and
bibs exist for extreme cold-weather environments
(Snugpak make the Sleeka Salopettes for this exact
reason), I believe that you’d be hard-pressed to
find these conditions even on the most exposed of
airsoft sites and gamedays! I do in fact own a pair of
Snugpak Sleeka Salopettes with a full leg zip and have
used these in earnest during the winter in the alps.
However, for most game days I simply use a second,
“one-size-up-from-usual” pair of GEN II VIPER Elite
trousers, with either Snugpak 2nd Skinz Coolmax
or Powerstretch leggings underneath. Remember
here that although you do need to keep yourself
comfortable, it’s your body core and extremities that
will cause you problems from heat-loss most and
some solid activity will usually keep your legs and arms
warm enough without too much additional insulation!
Whatever your budget may be though, do make
sure that in your “gear locker” you have at least
one insulated jacket! There’s some great, well-priced
models out there these days, and at least one has your
name on it! It may not be a garment that is going
to see all-year- round use but you’ll thank me the
next time those around you have teeth a-chattering
and you’re all snuggled up in your lovely new jacket,
complaining about overheating! AA
www.airsoftaction.net 27
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EVENT
MOA 2020 - TAIWAN
MILITARY OUTDOOR &
AIRSOFT SHOW 2020
AIRSOFT ACTION’S LEGIONNAIRE IN TAIWAN, STEWBACCA, HEADS TO THE ANNUAL MILITARY,
OUTDOOR AND AIRSOFT EXHIBITION, WHERE HE CHECKED OUT THE NEW RELEASES FROM VEGA
FORCE COMPANY, AMONG OTHERS.
With 2020 coming to a close and the end
of what has been a pretty awful year for
basically everyone in sight, the light at
the end of the tunnel was the Military, Outdoor
and Airsoft 2020 exhibition, held once again at the
Taipei World Trade Centre in Xinyi district, right in
the shadow of Taipei 101. With the ongoing COVID
crisis basically cancelling most of this - and apparently
already some of next year’s - events in terms of gun
shows in general - Shot Show in the US and IWA
in Germany - MOA2020 has pretty much ended up
being the only show in town. Having rushed myself
last year with work and other commitments the
year before, I decided to make a full weekend of it
and book time off work to ensure I could cover the
event thoroughly and spend more time talking to
manufacturers about their products.
Possibly as a result of the previous cancellations
of IWA, a lot of Taiwanese domestic manufacturers
have resorted to individual press releases or their own
social media to raise awareness of the products they
had intended to showcase at the biggest international
event of the year. Furthermore, having talked to some
of my contacts in the industry, it seems that many
of their facilities are already extremely busy churning
out product to keep up with demand - with the likes
of the real steel ammunition shortages in the US
market and the sudden spike in shooters resorting to
airsoft guns for maintaining dry fire practice at home
(in lieu of the usual range work they can no longer
accomplish), as well as hobbyists being stuck at home
all over the world and taking the opportunity to
spend whatever excess money they have on acquiring
new releases and components for fixing up their
equipment ready for the return to the fields.
All of this activity and demand is excellent news
for the businesses at least, although it meant that
MOA2020 was much smaller than it was originally
intended to be, with many of the best known local
manufacturers deciding not to attend and focus on
production and product development. With a greatly
reduced attendance of other international businesses
and media, it’s somewhat understandable that there
is less exposure available for their investment of time
and resources into attending the show but, as always,
Airsoft Action was there!
Thus, the show itself was only a third of the
floorspace that QRF magazine’s Eric Chu had originally
booked (and announced) following the previous show
last year - and just prior to the whole fallout of the
pandemic causing all the issues! Obviously, it was
somewhat of a disappointment for all but I’d just like
to echo many people’s sentiments in extending my
sincere thanks to Eric and the QRF team, as well as the
attendees and industry in general, for supporting the
show and bringing us something to look forward to
(and report upon) despite the more muted hype and
footprint.
WHAT WAS ON OFFER
Vega Force Company - VFC - obviously dominated
the show, not just in terms of their attendance and
footprint on the floor but also in terms of the scale of
the news they had to share with regard to their 2021
planned releases and what they are working on in the
longer term with regards to collaborative efforts.
BCM LICENSE
One of the biggest bombshells dropped, was VFC
finally acquiring the much coveted authorisation from
Bravo Company USA (BCM), a leading name in the
US real steel shooting community and manufacturing
circle, regularly featured collaborating with the likes
of Larry Vickers and other well-known shooters.
With BCM wholeheartedly endorsing VFC’s products
and efforts, they have enabled them to replicate
30
JANUARY 2021
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MOA 2020 - TAIWAN
their ever-growing range of Armalite platform guns,
beginning with the MCMR GBBR. With various length
front handguards and barrels to suit and with the
Avalon system based AEGs hot on their heels, there
is plenty to look forward to for those who want
legitimate airsoft clone versions of BCM’s flagship
models, whether you run your gear from a gas can or
a battery.
On top of the initial release models that Ray Chang,
VFC’s marketing manager, had to share with us, there
will also be a fast-growing plethora of licensed BCM
components, with all the trademarks and features
authentically replicated: Vertical stub grips, handstops,
flash hiders, butt stocks, sights, pistol grips, steel bolt
carrier groups - the list is extensive and will be evergrowing
in lock-step with whatever BCM’s real steel
lines comprise in the future.
Despite this huge news, there was yet more to
talk about - having walked the floor and gotten the
majority of my photography and product background
information done on the opening Friday the 27th
of November, I took the opportunity to join Ray on
the VFC booth’s livestream desk in the last hour of
the show for my own internet debut in conference
with Bill back in the UK as everyone was shaking
themselves out of bed back in the UK to share in all
the goodies being announced.
H&K PSG-1 GGBR
Following on from the upcoming BCM range was
something which caused a furore just ahead of the
show’s opening, with photos from the show setup
on the Thursday circulating on local Facebook media
and immediately blowing up across other enthusiasts
elsewhere… The surprise advent of the Heckler &
Koch PSG-1 precision marksman’s rifle - but in GBBR
format! It builds off VFC’s existing G3 line, in terms
of magazine compatibility and using the same system
but presented in the immediately recognisable outline
with the long heavy barrel and adjustable butt stock
and wood effect pistol grip, including adjustable
trigger pad and palm rest. Although it should be
noted that the scopes will not be included in initial
sales, so users will have to source their own or await
the third-party market meeting their needs.
Another heavy hitting GBBR is their improved and
strengthened KAC M110K1 DMR platform, which
addresses a lot of the issues voiced by players in
respect of the sheer recoil impulse and worries over
long term wear and tear.
LAR/FAL
However, the star of the show for many was handed
to me in the form of the LAR (Light Automatic Rifle),
or FAL in Belgian parlance; “The right arm of the free
world” as many know it. An utterly ingrained outline
in the minds of many, with its very long barrel and
slim smooth handguards as well as its dark polymer
drop stock and pistol grip, with everything else being
full steel - in the DX premium format at least, with an
economy model also being available to ensure that
such a sought after and long-awaited platform (since
its teasing announcement and presence at last year’s
MOA inside a sealed glass case) remains available
to as many enthusiasts as possible. The external
appearance and handling are as close to the real
ones I’ve held before as you’re going to get! I got the
chance to try one out on VFC’s range, which made
use of Gunpower Inc’s target system TV screen setup
that you can shoot with BBs. The recoil and sound of
the LAR are outstanding and I’m sure it’s going to be
an immediate hit with those who favour short shorts
or cold wars, myself, Ray and Bill no doubt being first
in line!
MK48 LMG
Also joining their AEG line-up are the surprisingly
lightweight Mk48 LMG, which sports not only an
www.airsoftaction.net 31
EVENT
MOA 2020 - TAIWAN
industry beating 5,500 round capacity box magazine
but also has a 1,000 round internal ammunition
storage system before you even touch any external
supply, giving you an utterly dominating presence
on the field - but in a package that is so lightweight
you can literally single hand carry and operate it (or
no doubt dual wield them if you wanted to). Also on
show was their latest addition to the Avalon based
Armalite line up, the SPR, which replicates the KAC
DMR platform with a more traditional quad rail
handguard and cover panels.
PISTOLS
Ray and I closed with a look at their latest offering for
GBB pistol fans, the M1911 Ultra Carry, a compact
format .45 which surprisingly fits even my big bear
paws very nicely, in a similar fashion to my HK USP
Compact, but with the heft and aesthetics of the
iconic 1911 platform and finished excellently with
a chrome barrel and textured side grips. Again, this
stimulated a lot of interest with friends sending
me requests for more details while I was still at the
show. Everyone who knows me knows I’m more of
a polymer wonder nine lover but this nonetheless
screamed nice aesthetic, build quality and handling to
me.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Up next I spent a lot of time on Archwick Airsoft’s
stand. They had actually had a presence at the
previous MOA 2019 show (having reviewed my
photos) but at the time I hadn’t heard much about
them and my personal gear and interest hasn’t
really focused on sniper rifles or anything other than
GBBs so much in the past years. Nonetheless, this
year their acclaim and the community’s interest in
them have increased massively, particularly due to
their collaboration with various Western licensing,
manufacturing and distribution partners such as ASG,
Cybergun and EMG, as well as authorisation from real
steel manufacturers such as Accuracy International
and Colt to manufacture legitimate replicas of their
weapons systems.
The centrepiece of the show (and what piqued
most overseas interest, especially in the UKSF
impression and loadout community), was their Colt
Canada L119A2 GBBR, the weapon of choice for the
world renowned UK Special Air Service (SAS), with all
the appropriate markings and trimmings. Formed with
a genuine monolithic upper and built off well proven
and regarded GHK internal components for the
action, it’s bound to have all the wannabe “Christian
Craighead” guys picking one up to go with the gear
loadout he recently released on Instagram, from his
infamous solo interdiction in the Nairobi terror event.
Archwick have also been working on expanding
their range of bolt action sniper rifles, not only with
their replica Accuracy International Mk13 Mod7
but now with the advent of their SXX300 integrally
suppressed urban marksmanship platform. Building on
their experience and a wealth of customer feedback
from their earlier releases, the AW SXX series provides
dual feed magazine systems, with a bridge system
that allows more realistic magazines to be inserted
in the same location as the real steel equivalent. This
then pushes rounds through the bridging tube to the
feeding location that the VSR style internal magazines
actually operate, thus it allows ease of use with more
standard VSR compatible internal magazines. It also
allows realism enthusiasts to operate the platform
with the ammunition feeding bridge and proprietary
magazines being available, while the whole platform
is also available in two barrel length configurations
and is easily stripped down for compact transport,
which will appeal to those who use public transport to
get to games.
Further to the long gun offerings, AW have their
UCK folding stock gas pistol chassis, looking to
capitalise on the trend towards enhanced capability
sidearms with the likes of the USW, MP17 and CAA
Roni kits. In this case they made a system which
especially accommodates the Glock 18C pistol,
which most systems cannot incorporate due to the
selector lever on the rear of the slide causing fitting
issues. AW’s solution is an extended side cut, which
would admittedly perhaps be a concern in terms of
strength for real steel use, but should nonetheless
be of interest to those who cannot find a suitable
platform to put their G18C GBB pistols in. With an
additional folding charging handle being attached and
a thumb drive stock release button both on the right
side of the body allowing for ease of operation, and
an integral optics mounting rail on the top of the rear
cowling, it presents a useful force multiplier solution,
32
JANUARY 2021
EVENT
MOA 2020 - TAIWAN
which can be easily holstered and rapidly deployed
for action. I look forward to visiting and talking with
Archwick more in the near future, to bring you a more
in depth look at what they are doing and where they
came from historically.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Star Rainbow Company - SRC Airsoft - also had a
large stand and were showcasing a variety of their
product range. They tend to focus on CO2-powered
alternatives to many of the competitors’ platforms,
the likes of Pistol Calibre Carbines or gas pistols. This
year they are apparently looking to fill the void in the
WW2 market with their CO2 powered MP40 SMG.
Moving on to the smaller, or more independent,
manufacturers around the show, my friends from
Penghu Armaments Factory, based on the PengHu
islands to the West of Taiwan, effectively managed
to scare the hell out of domestic airport security by
bringing their latest heavy weapons to the show…
Twin-mounted Browning M2HB heavy machine guns
running off HPA systems, as well as the original Mk19
double internal barrel grenade launcher from last
year’s show! They also have further grenade launchers
in development, with 6-cylinder rotary launcher
prototype parts on show, as well as a Mk19 shellfeeding
launcher mock-up of a “work in progress”
system that will allow belt-feeding and launching of
grenades with powder or other payloads in the near
future; an ideal setup for big MilSim games and site
organisers.
Our friends from Northeast Airsoft, who featured
in my “The Men Behind the STEN” back in Airsoft
Action’s September Issue No. 117, were also on site
and had a stall showcasing the growing range of their
STEN GBB SMGs, with their latest MkV offering that
I saw being finalised and got to handle during my
previous visit to their facility. They are still working on
their GBB Uzi replica but, unfortunately, did not have
their work in progress on display, with many showing
an interest in seeing it brought to market as soon as
they can.
In terms of the “community”, aside from the
obvious plethora of teammates, players and contacts
from the companies not exhibiting which I got chance
to catch up with and talk shop, I spent some time on
the Friday with Jonathan of Airsoftology, helping him
film his Archwick Airsoft video and talking with them
over their offerings along with him.
Max Chiang and the IDPA Taiwan team, who
featured in my article in the December No.120 issue,
were also on site, collaborating with VFC to present
an enclosed shooting stage for people to try their
hand at IDPA, with results being tabulated for a
competition over the whole weekend and working on
increasing interest and participation.
With the majority of the newer releases covered,
I spent some time wandering around the smaller
stalls of local manufacturers and catching up with
people and, as it happened, I bumped into one of
our team’s friends from Taichung who reminded
me of the massive meetup of Taiwan based Filipino
players happening at Hill Fox Airsoft in Southwest
Taichung on the Sunday. I decided to join some of
my teammates to cover that event and make another
article about their charity efforts to raise money for
victims of Typhoon Ulysses back in their Philippines
homelands, so I tied off at the close of the second
day of MOA and returned home to prepare my
equipment.
I’d once again like to extend my thanks to Eric
Chu and the QRF team for making the show happen
despite all the adversity of this year, as well as Ray
Chang and VFC for inviting me to help out with the
Airsoft Action livestream covering their latest releases.
I look forward to visiting their Pentagon Centre a few
MRT stops away from my place in West Taipei, to do a
more in-depth feature piece on their company history
and plans in the near future. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 33
feature
DSI MCX BUILD
WE’RE VERY PROUD THAT AMONGST THE TEAM AT
AIRSOFT ACTION ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTORS ARE
ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE WORLD OF AIRSOFT,
EITHER AS A PLAYER OR WITHIN THE INDUSTRY
PROPER! THIS MONTH JOHN “BOYCIE” TURRELL
BRINGS IN A REPORT OF AN EXTREMELY DETAILED
CUSTOM BUILD HE WAS INVOLVED IN TO CREATE A
VERY SPECIAL - AND VERY SPECIFIC - AEG!
DSI MCX
CUSTOM BUILD
34
JANUARY 2021
feature
DSI MCX BUILD
Many years ago, I met “Nick” at the Tier 1
events we both attended and we’ve kept in
touch ever since.
One night we were chatting about the new
ProForce SIG SAUER® MCX and he said that he would
like to have one to match his Dutch Dienst Speciale
Interventies (Special Intervention Service), or DSI
loadout. Nick said “…as a DSI reenactor I wanted to
have a proper replica of the MCX that is used by the
DSI. As soon as I heard that SIG SAUER would make
an airsoft version of the Virtus MCX, I contacted
John. I asked him if he would help me make a 1 on
1 replica, because I knew John is the man who could
achieve what I wanted.”
After I was shown a few pictures I said: “That
would be a good project.” and he said… “Will you
build it for me please?”
“Nick” started airsoft back in 2004 with a team
called “Blackwater CRG”, based around the (then)
popular Private Military Contractors (PMC) style of
loadout. Later he was also a founding member of the
Dutch airsoft team “Nassau03”, which re-enacted
Dutch Special Forces in airsoft MilSims in the UK,
France, Belgium and Sweden. “Nick” said “Personally,
the TIER1 MilSims (lead by a group of retired and
serving Royal Marine Commandos) held in the UK
were the best ones we attended.” However, around
2017/18 the MilSim games were not giving “Nick”
the fun he wanted from airsoft, so he decided to reenact
loadouts of the DSI.
www.airsoftaction.net 35
feature
DSI MCX BUILD
THE DSI
The DSI is an elite tactical group of the Netherlands
National Police Corps, with a strength of
approximately 450 personnel that act on terror related
and high impact crimes. They draw operators from
both the Netherlands Police and Military, combining
into the four units within DSI.
“Arrest Team” operators are primarily utilized
for the arrest of armed suspects and other highrisk
situations. Part of their role is to deploy in
unmarked vehicles and provide surveillance of
potential terrorist threats. The BSB (Brigade Speciale
Beveiligingsopdrachten) of the Dutch Military Police
also deploy on this type of tasking.
The “Intervention Dept” is a mixed group drawn
from the Marine Corps, Commandos with Arrest
Team officers from the National Police Corps and the
BSB. This department is tasked with the most diverse
situations and has to switch between the arrest team
type role, into “intervention” which can include
hostage rescue etc. Within the Intervention Dept,
when the commander of the unit changes and the
position is held by a Police Officer, a Marine takes over
command and vice versa.
“Expertise and Operational Support” provide
a multitude of operational support roles, from
negotiators and drone operators to snipers.
“M Squadron” is a part of the Netherlands Marine
Corps and while not formally a part of the DSI, it falls
under the control of the DSI on joint operations.
THE BUILD
In the planning of the build I needed to find out
a number of things, like the accessories which are
shown in the reference picture I was working from but
the one thing that stood out, was that the rifle and
foregrip were of a different colour to the “standard”
SIG Black. After some research I found that the rifles
were painted with “Elite Concrete” cerakote. This was
sourced by Mark at High Calibre Coatings, in Suffolk,
UK and it would be to him the parts would go to be
coated.
The first part to source was the rail, as this is slightly
longer (by 75mm or 3”) than the rail that came on the
ProForce rifle. The rail also needed to be “suppressor
compliant”, which means it is substantially different
in shape to accommodate a suppressor inside the rail.
This particular rail is only available from SIG SAUER®.
Next would be the suppressor. This was an easy part
to find as I made a small number of mock suppressors
that resemble the one seen on the DSI rifle, under the
JTac Custom Ltd banner. Initially the standard 170mm
unit was used while the longer 235mm unit is in the
process of being made.
The outer barrel on the ProForce is the 11.5”
version and for the DSI build we needed the “SF” spec
6.75” barrel version, which is made by Virtus Training
Systems Ltd. As a temporary measure the 6.75” barrel
was replaced with an 8.5” outer barrel to give the
suppressor the appropriate amount showing outside
of the foregrip.
The standard sliding stock would need to be
replaced with a “hinged knuckle” type adaptor, which
would allow the fitment of a standard “M4” type
stock tube and Magpul CTR stock. The “knuckle” was
a part which was only available from SIG SAUER®,
“Nick” supplied the stock. Something that Nick asked
if was possible, was if the rifle could be rear wired.
With the “knuckle” and RS buffer tube, this was
going to be a challenge but was achieved. The only
drawback is that it wouldn’t be possible to hinge the
stock quickly. It can be done carefully for carriage in
a bag or similar but in order to lock the stock into
the “normal” position, it’s necessary to do this slowly
while cautiously applying some tension on the battery
connector so that the wires don’t get caught in the
knuckle and cause a short.
Sight unit: The sight that was selected and supplied
by “Nick” for this build, was the SIG® Romeo 4T
in black. This is an awesome red dot unit which
automatically turns on when you move the rifle
and will switch off when the rifle has laid still for an
amount of time. It also has a light gathering capability,
which means the battery duration on this unit is
fantastic at around 100,000 hours! This will be backed
up by the Juliet 4 magnifier on a Wilcox flip mount.
Magazines selected for this would be the VFC
“USGI” style metal mags. This will mirror the same
look as the operators in DSI use.
STRIP DOWN
The time-consuming part of the build will be the
stripping of the rifle and then the wait for cerakote.
The turn round for this is expected to be 10-14 days
but could be quicker. Whilst the receiver and rail were
away, we turned our attention to the internals. “Nick”
didn’t ask for any changes but while it was apart,
we swapped the hop rubber out for a Maple Leaf 50
36
JANUARY 2021
feature
DSI MCX BUILD
degree, ideal because Nick prefers to run semi only, at
approximately 330fps.
To go with the replaced hop rubber, Nick decided
he’d like to fit a longer inner barrel and for this we
decided on the Poseidon inner barrel, to run close to
the end of the suppressor, stopping just short of the
muzzle of the suppressor by about 15mm. Also, whilst
the body parts were away being cerakoted, the wiring
of the gearbox was changed to rear wired. This also
would present a challenge of how to get the wiring
into the real steel buffer tube.
REBUILD
After the body parts and foregrip returned from
their trip to the cerakoter, we gathered all of the
parts together and began to test fit parts, like the
outer barrel. This was a bit tighter fit than the factory
one, so we decided to skim 0.5mm from the outer
diameter of the “chamber” to ensure a smooth fit.
One of the more unique parts that Nick wanted to
be fitted was the sling point, which would attach via
a pair of QD style studs. The studs wouldn’t fit initially
as the replica has a half-blocked hole for the QD
points. This was going to need to be cleared to allow
the studs to go deep enough into the hole in order to
be able to lock into place.
The next step was to laser mark the logos and text
that appear on the DSI’s MCX. This took some time to
work out the sizes of the text and the DSI badge. Now
that the logos etc. were on the receiver and foregrip
the full reassembly could get under way. This was the
end result of all the work put in.
Just as we were to start the build process the
Covid-19 lockdown was enforced in both The
Netherlands and also the UK. This would bring about
certain delays as we had to wait for people to be
able to work in order to carry out jobs that were
sub-contracted out. Whilst this was a disadvantage
in respect of the time it would take to complete the
build, it did give us the time to make sure each step
was completed to the best level possible.
Nick said “John kept me posted throughout the
whole process and, needless to say, I am very happy
with the result. It’s an almost 100% perfect replica of
the DSI MCX!”
Our thanks go to Gerard Van Oosbree, at Dutch
Defence Press (www.dutchdefencepress.com) and
Sander Blommensteijn, aka twotwosixphotorgraphy,
for images used in this report. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 37
SURVIVAL
IFAK - INDIVIDUAL FIRST AID KITS
IFAK:
INDIVIDUAL
FIRST AID KITS
REAL LIFE MILITARY PERSONNEL CARRY INDIVIDUAL FIRST AID KITS AND, AS MORE
AIRSOFTERS ARE DOING THE SAME, SURVIVAL EXPERT, PAUL YELLAND, LOOKS AT WHAT
ITEMS SHOULD BE INCLUDED FOR AIRSOFT.
First aid kits are becoming quite a common item to
carry in Airsoft. Also known as IFAK’s (Individual
First Aid Kits) there seems to be a trend to model
these kits on those carried by the real-life military. But
what is acceptable to carry and where should the line
be drawn? I am going to look at what items are really
needed in an IFAK for Airsoft - and what should be left
at home!
I read with horror on one popular Airsoft forum,
about an individual who
carries a well-packed
IFAK including a chest
decompression needle!
The qualifications of the
person who was making
this claim to carry out a
chest decompression are
probably questionable
and it worries me that
there are potentially
untrained individuals who are running around with
items such as these needles under the illusion that they
are some kind of Combat Medic in a war zone.
The other item that tends be carried by players
are Arterial Tourniquets. CAT and SOF-T are two of
the more common makes and yes, in the event of
a catastrophic haemorrhage AND with the correct
training, tourniquets can be life-saving. But there
seems to be players who are turning up to skirmishes
with these items and willing to use them without any
training at all. Looking the part for Mil-sim is one thing
“DRESSING UP AND PRETENDING
TO BE SPECIAL FORCES IS ONE
THING BUT PLAYING AT BEING A
PARAMEDIC IS AN EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS GAME INDEED.”
but practicing skills beyond your scope of training is
dangerous.
Another issue that I have picked up on is training.
The level of first aid training required for Airsoft is
very different from that of a military medic or Close
Protection Officer/PMC who are actually working in a
hostile environment.
A basic first aid course such as the one day
Emergency First Aid at Work or the full First Aid at
Work qualification is
more than suitable
to prepare anybody
involved in airsoft
for the types of
injuries or medical
emergencies that
could be encountered
on the skirmish field.
Instead of focusing
on the basic levels of
first aid training, people seem to be drawn to the
“glory courses” and I have recently seen an advert
for some kind of “Special Forces” combat medic
course. Worryingly, there was a high level of interest
being shown by people in attending this course
which claimed that it would introduce people to the
skills of a combat medic. But going back to the issue
of decompressing a chest – really? Dressing up and
pretending to be Special Forces is one thing but playing
at being a Paramedic is an extremely dangerous game
indeed!
38
JANUARY 2021
SURVIVAL
IFAK - INDIVIDUAL FIRST AID KITS
WHAT TO CARRY
So, what do Airsofters really need to be carrying in
their IFAK’s? Firstly, the kit contents should reflect the
level of medical training and qualifications held by the
individual. For most, this is going to be a standard first
aid kit and should contain basic items to deal with
various wounds of different severities including bleeds,
burns, bone and joint injuries, blisters, small splinters
and eye injuries. The kit should also include any
personal medications such as Asthma inhalers, cardiac
and diabetic drugs plus auto-injectors for those that
suffer from anaphylactic reactions.
A team medic might choose to carry a larger kit with
extra items to enable them to deal with more than one
injury during an event, but the idea of the IFAK is to
self-treat (or at least have the kit readily available for
someone else to use) and in the case of the military, to
address any life threatening injuries.
COMMON TYPES OF INJURY
It is impossible to predict what accidents are going to
happen, but the most common injuries can be prepared
for. Slips, trips and falls seem to be an obvious one
to start with, resulting in sprains, strains and broken
bones. Cuts and grazes of varying degrees in severity
are common and although most are minor, it is not
beyond the realms of possibility to sustain a serious
wound that does bleed profusely. Falls from heights (it
does not need to be from very high) could lead to some
kind of injury of the back / spinal column. Bangs to the
head can cause head wounds or more serious head
injuries and using pyrotechnics can cause burns.
FIRST AID PROVISION FOR SITES
Airsoft sites should have first aid provision in place
with a well-stocked first aid kit and suitably trained
staff – depending on the sites risk assessment. Some
might argue that players do not need to carry an IFAK
because of these arrangements, however on larger sites
it can take several minutes for a site first aider / marshal
to reach a casualty with the site first aid kit. If a player
has sustained a serious laceration, for example from a
piece of broken glass or sharp piece of metal and they
are bleeding heavily, by the time a site first aider with
a first aid kit can reach the scene, the casualty could
already have lost a large amount of blood. If IFAK’s are
being carried by players, they can treat themselves or
their team-mates by applying dressings to control any
bleeding while waiting for the site staff to arrive.
Of course, this is just one extreme example, but
others can include suspected fractures, breathing
problems or cardiac conditions. Just one point that I
would like to make – if there is a serious injury onsite
during a skirmish, the game will be stopped and if the
casualty cannot be moved due to the severity of the
injury, the ambulance crew will need the site marshals
to take them to the casualties location. The crew will
not appreciate being shot at by airsoft guns, so any
visions that players might have about treating their
team-mates serious injuries whilst still ‘under fire’ are
pure delusion and fantasy.
• Disposable gloves
• CPR face shield
• Large first aid dressings
or military type
• Sterile eye pads
• Adhesive dressings
(Assorted sizes)
• Gauze swabs
• Non-adhesive dressings
• Triangular bandage
• Support bandage
(also useful for holding
dressings in place)
• Tuff-cut scissors
• Tweezers
• Wound cleansing wipes
• Micropore tape
• Foil blanket
• Prescribed medications
REALITY CHECK
The purpose of this article is to act as a reality check
when looking at what is acceptable practice for first
aid provision within Airsoft. In my following articles I
am going to be covering various first aid topics, but
these articles are no substitute for real life professional
training.
Check out my website www.airsoftmedic.com for
more first aid advice and courses. AA
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‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
‘OTHER’ GBB
PISTOLS
RANGE DAY
ALTHOUGH MANY OF THE RED CELL MEMBERS LIVE QUITE CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER, THE RECENT
FULL LOCKDOWN IN THE UK MEANT THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO MEET IN PERSON, SO BILL LOOKED
TO “ADAPT AND OVERCOME” IN ORDER TO CREATE THIS MONTH’S TEST REPORT AND BRING YOU
THE RESULTS OF THE TEST ON “OTHER” GBB PISTOLS!
I
won’t tell you that the whole C-Virus thing isn’t a
challenge for us, and not just in relation to Red Cell
testing! However, at Airsoft Action we’re all about
solutions and not problems so we’ve endeavoured
to keep everything “business as usual”, and by the
ever-increasing number of you reading not only the
“monthly”, but also our daily website posts, we can
see that this has been of benefit to you even if at
times we’ve scratched our heads a little in how best
to achieve things, even though we’ve had frankly
stupendous support from our friends and partners
involved in the manufacture and distribution of AEGs
and GBBs!
And this is really telling when it comes to any of us
getting together at the moment; with sites closing up
now until the new year, and indeed some indoor sites
that haven’t opened their doors since spring staying
shut, “getting our game on” has never proved so
challenging! Even though the Red Cell group is largely
made up of friends who shoot and play together, even
we have had to make a call on whether or not we
should gather, and as November was “full lockdown”
in the UK we were unable to do so as planned.
However, the group is nothing but resilient, so after
a quick back and forth in our “group chat” online
we decided (it’s a bit of a “Chinese parliament”!)
that although we couldn’t meet in person, we could
still create an article for this month even in isolation!
Luckily the AA Test Pool holds a number of review
samples back for further evaluation and longer-term
testing so I was able to drop off models to members
of the group that hadn’t tried them; Jase and James
got some 226 models, Bill W-R and Jimmy had G&Gs,
whilst Chris and I looked after models we already
owned from ASG and TM. Luckily the entire group
had already tried the new ProForce M17, but as Boycie
was doing a fuller review of this in “RELOADED” this
month we included it here for fairness, as everyone
had enjoyed shooting it at our last meet in October.
So, things are a little different this month, but I
believe the information you’ll find here is perhaps
even more personal and heartfelt than that to date.
Some of the models were completely new to the
testers, whilst others of us have shot the majority
over time. We haven’t picked the models to comment
on individually as we feel they are “the best”, but
because they are all great GBB pistols that are 100%
worth owning; where a model is owned by a member
of the group we have said so to maintain complete
transparency in the testing process.
As usual all the models were tested using NP 2.0
“Green Bottle” gas and RZR .20g BBs; these were
provided to all the testers to maintain parity in testing.
As I write this at the beginning of December,
sadly some of us are looking forward to a continued
lockdown due to the C-Virus as we’re about to enter
“T3”, which is largely the same as the last few weeks
in reality. I’ve already postponed our “PDW Shoot
Day” that was set for 6th December, but we are
hopeful that after the review mid-month we will be
able to get together again, not just to shoot and test,
but to enjoy each other’s company in person rather
than virtually.
Of course I’ll be dishing out Christmas presents to
the group in the form of our new red-plaid combat
shirt “away strip” courtesy of www.invadergear.com,
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RED CELL
‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
along with some new team patches! Wherever you
are all of the Red Cell crew wish you a very happy
airsoft Christmas, and we’ll be back in 2021 to rock
things along with our take on PDW AEGs!
With all the stats in the bag, it’s time to hand over
now to the Red Cell crew themselves to give you an
idea of the pistol models they had to test!
RED CELL REPORTS
Jimmy: This month I have been given the G&G GTP9;
I didn’t know much about this model, and haven’t
had a real look at it before. I have to look at this
solely as an airsoft pistol and not a replica for the fact
that it isn’t a “replica”, so I have nothing to compare
it to from the real world of pistols! That said, from
my point of view it is very familiar and carries some
characteristics of some other brands. For instance,
if hypothetically speaking H&K, CZ and Glock had a
love triangle this would be the result! I feel it has an
identity crisis, but this is a complete design and 100%
from the amazing designers of G&G. The first time I
saw this pistol I may have given it a bit of a hard time
followed with some bad press, I won’t lie; I hated the
bones of it, the look of it, and the feel of it but here’s
where it gets interesting… Oh, excuse me, I’ve just
heard the oven ping and I must go and remove my
humble pie, so please do forgive me for talking with
my mouth full!
Before I took the GTP9 to the range I sat and had a
good long look at this thing both inside and out, and
one thing that you notice and can’t get away from is
the fact this pistol is dripping with brand marks. The
G&G logo is plastered all around it someone really
wanted people to know who made it. They have
branded it in places which quite frankly don’t need
to be branded! Places where it’s not going to be seen
unless stripped which tells me G&G are very proud of
this one! Before any shooting commenced I wanted
to chrono test it and the first 10 shots out of the box
were quite impressive on the power output; using RZR
0.20g BBs the power was better than a lot of other
pistols I’ve tested with a high fps of 302 and a low
fps of 294. I proceeded to the range and released
a whole magazine with 15 at a slow pace and the
remaining 8 rapid fire and it happily emptied all of
them with equal power. With a slight adjustment to
the hop up I had the BBs shooting nice and straight
and hitting centre mass on the target every time at
a distance of 10 metres. I managed to get through 3
magazines before having to regas, as on the 4th mag
the slide wasn’t travelling far enough back to reset for
a follow up shot. After putting 100 BBs down range
I went back to the chrono and found that the fps
had dropped slightly, highest fps 290 and the lowest
fps was 284 so if we look at the earlier readings to
the recent readings we are looking at an average of
around the 290 mark. Performance wise it performed
much better than I had imagined it would and I
actually expected it to fall flat on its face; hmm, I’ll
take another slice of that pie then please… at this rate
I don’t think there’s going to be any pie left to share!
So now that we have covered all of the good stuff
let’s take a look at the little niggles I have. The trigger
is very Glock-like, but it has a fair amount of take up
with a massive 12mm before anything happens, then
it has a reset of about 6mm. It’s not a heavy pull but
it’s not what I’m used to. The magazine itself isn’t a
problem and can accommodate 27 BBs at a push,
the problem is in the loading. It is quite stiff on the
feed lips and the mag follower has to be pulled fully
down and locked in place in order to make loading
somewhat easier, and should you forget to unlock
it (like I did several times) it will render it useless
especially when you need it most but to be honest
that’s more a user error than a mag problem. I’m sure
that after a fashion you will remember to unlock it
without giving it a thought.
I must admit I have been proven wrong, and
yes, I did have to eat the whole humble pie. Out of
everything regarding the GTP9 I could only really
find them 3 little niggles which are from a personal
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RED CELL
‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
Model: G&G GTP-9
Price: iro £110.00
Age: Seven Months
Weight: 755g
Length: 21.6cm
Magazine Capacity: 27 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.95J/320fps
Hot Chrono: 0.75J/284fps
Holster Compatibility: Y
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility:
12mm CCW
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
Model: G&G Piranha MK1
Price: iro £150.00
Age: New
Weight: 670g
Length: 195mm
Magazine Capacity: 25 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.72J/280fps
Hot Chrono: 0.53J/240fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility:
Adapter Required
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
Model: ASG Shadow SP-01
Price: iro £110.00
Age: 3 Years
Weight: 1079g
Length: 225mm
Magazine Capacity: 26 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.77J/288fps
Hot Chrono: 0.72J/280fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: N/A
Supplied By: www.
actionsportgames.com
Model: ASG CZ75 Classic
Price: iro £125.00
Age: 4 Years
Weight: 980g
Length: 206mm
Magazine Capacity: 24 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.89J/310fps
Hot Chrono: 0.80J/295fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: N/A
Suppressor Compatibility: N/A
Supplied By: www.
actionsportgames.com
Model: Raven R226
Price: iro £100.00
Age: New
Weight: 845g
Length: 190mm
Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.78J/290fps
Hot Chrono: 0.72J/280fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good
Supplied By: www.rvnairsoft.
com
Model: Raven R226 RDS
Price: iro £140.00
Age: New
Weight: 845g
Length: 190mm
Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.78J/290fps
Hot Chrono: 0.72 J/280fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: Good
Supplied By: www.rvnairsoft.
com
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JANUARY 2021
RED CELL
‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
Model: WE MK25
Price: iro £130.00
Age: 5+ Years
Weight: 100g
Length: 195mm
Magazine Capacity: 24 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.80J/295fps
Hot Chrono: 0.78 J/290fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility:
Adapter Required
Supplied By: www.weairsoft.
com
Model: KJW P226
Price: iro £110.00
Age: 5+ Years
Weight: 1127g
Length: 188mm
Magazine Capacity: 24 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.80J/295fps
Hot Chrono: 0.72 J/280fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: N/A
Supplied By: Nige.
Model: Sig ProForce M17
Price: iro £160.00
Age: New
Weight: 769g
Length: 203mm
Magazine Capacity: 28 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.95J/320fps
Hot Chrono: 0.86 J/305fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: N/A
Supplied By: www.fire-support.
co.uk
Model: Tokyo Marui USP 9mm
Price: iro £150.00
Age: 3 Years
Weight: 720g
Length: 195mm
Magazine Capacity: 25 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.75J/285fps
Hot Chrono: 0.72 J/280fps
Holster Compatibility: Good
Taclite Compatibility: Good
Suppressor Compatibility: N/A
Supplied By: www.tsairsoft.com
perspective, so it’s a win for G&G at the end of the
day. Would I go out and buy one? I shall leave you
wondering about that…
Bill (No, the other one!): The GTP9 is very light and
quick trigger response, and it’s. Gas efficient with
multiple mags of BB’s per gas fill. It has an ergonomic
design for the grip and very cleaver hop adjuster tool
built into the base of the grip to adjust the hop down
the barrel externally. The magazine has a nice lock
down feature allowing the spring to be locked down
and fully retracted allowing easier BB loading. There’s
a solid feel to this pistol, with a clean cyclic action
of the slide, and a great balance. It comes in a great
presentation box with speed loader and metal badge
with model name and serial number embossed into
it. Ambidextrous-use-friendly, this pistol was a cold
weather performer with its ceramic whirl valve to
break up any icy deposits at the nozzle. Another little
slick trick is the ambidextrous magazine release built
into the bottom of the trigger well.
The Piranha though is an interesting split slide
design with only the rear third and thin sides sliding
back. Trigger response is a little slower but slightly
more positive feel compared to GTP-9. There’s a nice
little bullet key to adjust the hop but I feel this could
be easily lost on the field; in my opinion, the GTP-9
“in grip” solution is a better idea. The valve on the
magazine is a different design and felt a lot cleaner
and more positive when filling with minimal overspray.
With two full-power magazines of BBs on one fill
of gas, this pistol is very gas efficient, and the kick
from the split slide is very impressive, and is a novel
look for a slide on a GBB pistol. It will be interesting
to compare this against the mk2. It would be nice if
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RED CELL
‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
the grip had interchangeable backstraps to adjust for
bigger or smaller hands. As with the GTP9, being able
to adjust the hop on the fly is a very handy and time
saving idea. Just FYI I did have a small mishap with
the magazine release; this was easily rectified, but
it’s certainly an area to keep an eye on when you’re
maintaining this pistol!
Chris: Being a Child of the 90s, Rainbow 6 was a
huge influence on my interest in firearms. Seeing the
USP on the front cover cemented it in my mind as a
must have pistol. I have owned 1911s, Glocks and
SIGs but the USP was always my first love in terms of
pistols. When Tokyo Marui released their USP in late
2017, I had to have one!
While the debate on owning a Tokyo Marui
product, and the “elitist” stigma attached to them
(which is worth discussion in an article all of its own!)
will go on, ignoring the perceived elitism, I can say
that this pistol is solid and reliable. Although made
from ABS plastic, the USP is solid with no creaking
loose parts and no rattling. Everything fits together
perfectly and the quality control on TMs part is evident
in the quality of materials used. This quality build,
as you would expect, results in a solid dependable
pistol that is consistent and reliable. The slide is fully
trademarked (which is also a discussion for another
article in of itself with EU legislation) and although
made from ABS plastic, the fit and finish is perfect and
feels great.
The ABS lower receiver quality is made to very
similar quality to the real steel HK pistols polymer
lower. The grip has a spiked texture front and back
which is not painful on an ungloved hand and a
reasonable grip for your hands on each side. The
trigger is a double action, when slide is cocked the
trigger moves back into position 2 and has a 4mm
take up to the wall with a nice solid break, reset is
4mm with an audible click and you’re ready to fire
again. The safety is found on the upper left side of the
frame and right-handed shooters will have no issue
activating it by pushing up with your thumb, pushing
down will de-cock the pistol. The mag releace is also
positive, but can be a bit fiddly to get used to. With
practice using your trigger finger or thumb to press it
becomes nice and easy. How does it shoot?
Using NP 1.0 Blue gas it’s certainly no slouch, and
thanks to being made from ABS there is very little
cool down so the blowback consistent for the entire
magazine. You can use green gas but personally I tend
to use it in colder months only. Range and accuracy
are as you can expect with a Marui gun, perfectly
acceptable for a pistol. Accessories and upgrades,
Conclusion, Fun, fast, reliable, light but still stable
with nostalgic styling. If you fancy something different
or are a fan of the USP I would certainly suggest you
give this reasonably priced offering from Marui a go.
Jase: So lockdown kicked in again and out went
out Red Cell meeting which was really gutting as I
LOVE a P226! So when Bill phoned me and said that
he had Sig care package for me, well, it made my day!
The pistol’s design was started in 1980 and finished
in 1983, when it was put to tender in the American
‘Joint Service Small Arms Program’, and for a pistol
that has been around for as long as I have, I think its
aged very well indeed. So in my care package from
‘The Wolf’ there was a KJ Works, WE Mk25, and the
new Raven 226. Coupled with my own custom TM
226, I had four pistols to play with!
The KJW 226 was one of the first ever airsoft
pistols that I had the pleasure of playing with and
fell in love with it and its decocking lever. Now this
was Nige’s personal pistol and was a good few years
old and had a good few rounds through it. The first
thing you notice with this particular pistol is its glossy
finish which I have to say I am not a fan of, it’s just
too shiny. The FPS was 295 on a pretty chilly British
afternoon. As I started to send plastic death down
range I didn’t get more than 5 shots in and the mag
vented from the top and bottom which meant it was
due a good service. From this little lesson we learn
that, yes lads, we need to keep on top of our toys
maintenance and mags with enough gas in them
to keep the seals in good working order. With this
gun’s test over, I knew its history well enough that it
fired well and had good efficiency when it was in full
working order.
From the KJW I moved over to Bill’s WE 226 which
was a homage to Seal Team 6. It had the best paint
work of the four guns I tested, as it just looked silky
smooth with that slight element of ‘Reaper’ to it. It
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JANUARY 2021
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‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
went through the chrono at 295fps and I managed
two mags out of one fill of Nuprols finest green
vintage. With this guns special S.T.6 grips they still felt
pretty “plastic” to the bare palm. Of all the 226’s on
test with me, this one had the tightest fitting slide by
miles, it literally had no wobble to it. When it came to
hitting the steel it made light work of the task, it was
a pretty solid out of the box. Perfection.
Then I moved onto my little beauty. This silver gem
is my very own TM based, Guarder framed Mike
Cripps special. When I ordered it from Mike he had
stopped making anything other than Hi Capa race
guns but agreed to build me this custom 226 some 7
or 8 years ago now. It took time to build as we had to
source a base alloy frame from Guarder as they were
like hens teeth. Once in my workshop I was tasked
with hand polishing it to a good shine before I sent
it back to Mike for final assembly where he fitted a
Laylax barrel and bucking and mag seals. So when I
Chrono’d the gun at 295fps I wasn’t surprised, solid
numbers for a chilly day and I managed two mags
out of one refill but the gun became sluggish at the
end of the 2nd mag. In the hand it’s amazing as its
covered in one of Hogues finest soft rubber grips that
where brought over from the States by my mate Mr
Li. These where not straightforward to fit and needed
my boy Ian ‘Smudger’ to help me shoe horn them into
place but they have stood the test of time all this time
on. As for range, this will hit a steel head at 35m (if
I’ve got my game on point).
So then I picked up the last and newest 226,the
tan Raven “R”. Like all of the replica’s I handled, this
was a very good tribute to the mighty 226. I was
really enjoying the colour and matt appearance. In the
hand this gun was a treat to handle, the grips where
softer than the other two but not quite as good as
the Hogues. However, as I put the tan beauty through
the chrono it was registering pretty low, not what I
was expecting, 245fps. Right I thought, I like this little
pistol, I can’t let this continue. Off to my lockdown
workshop or as I like to call it, the kitchen table! As I
stripped it down under the bright kitchen light, I could
see the glimmer of an overly greased 226; the sticky
stuff was everywhere - and I mean everywhere. As I
went to town cleaning it up I took a peek down the
barrel… caked in the stuff. So apart came the hop and
bucking and they got a good talking-to by the dish
soap and hot water and the barrel de-greased. Once
all back together she chrono’d at 275fps and was
hitting the steal at 30m, my work was done. I can’t
comment on how the grease had got everywhere but
I’d question production as all the Raven pistols we
have reviewed in all of our previous articles had been
spot on out of the box. Not a massive issue as I always
rebuild my own hops in guns I purchase new, but for
all of you out there who don’t do your own DIY, just
be mindful to check over new purchases for things
like this.
James: So thanks to National Lockdown this month
we had no meeting, but luckily Mr Bill was kind
enough to send me a new in the box Raven R226 with
BDS for my first impressions.
So straight to it, the model I received came in
“battleship grey” with black accents and certainly
looks good! It’s also well put together with no
wobbles to be found. It comes pretty heavily greased
from the factory, so a bit of decreasing was required
before taking it to the range on a cold November
morning. Cold chrono came in at 292fps and 282fps
at the end of many rounds down range. So what’s
it like to shoot? Well, the recoil action is big! But it
still happily empties a fully loaded mag every time
on green gas in cold weather, although there was a
fair amount of gas venting to the rear of the slide at
the start of each freshly gassed mag; considering the
cold temperature and the fact that it’s brand new and
needs a bit of bedding in, overall it’s very impressive. It
has a nice weight in hand and very comfortable pistol
grip, and comes with 20mm rail upfront, a RDS and
hi-vis ironsights; all in all, a very nice package!
Bill: I’ve been lucky that I’ve shot each and every
one of the pistol models featured here and indeed
own many of them myself! After James and Jase
reported back to me I did take up the “grease issue”
with the guys at RAVEN, and this is something they
have assured me they will be looking into now
we’ve brought it to their attention. In fairness to
them though it’s a perennial problem as shipping
“metalwork” in environmentally unregulated steel
containers is a REAL problem when it comes to
possible corrosion in transit… too little and you end
up with rusty guns being delivered, and that we most
certainly don’t want! It’s a problem I’ve seen with
other manufacturers over the years, and it’s a real
balancing act to get the balance right to be fair!
It’s why I’ve learned from my time with real firearms
that when you get a new model it is probably going
to need degreasing, and I do this with my RIFs as a
matter of course… note to self, check on greasing
levels with ALL new models in the future; as Jase
rightly said, I’m comfortable with this process, but
some of you may not be! Okay, what did I look at
myself month then? A couple of “old campaigners”
is the answer in the form of two ASG CZ-licenced
models, the SP-01 Shadow and my beloved classic
CZ75!
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The SP-01; externally this is a large but pleasing
handgun. I wear a regular size Large glove, and
although slim, the grip of the CZ filled my hand well
with some positive checkering, great ergonomics and
of course the extended beavertail. The SP-01 is full
metal so it’s also a nice weight in the hand, 1110g
as opposed to the 1088g of the real thing, but of
course there is a little extra weight in the airsoft gas
magazine. It feels substantial and solid throughout.
The finish of the CZ replicas offered by ASG has
always been spot on, and the SP-01 is no exception
to this, and if anything it’s actually even nicer than its
predecessors finished as it is in a deep, matte black
which accurately mimics the polycoat finish of the
real thing. Like the original CZ75 the breech block
and barrel of the SP-01 are finished in silver, as is the
trigger. The sights as standard are excellent too with
a simple notch to the rear and a very, very tidy red
fibre optic at the business end! In use the ASG SP-
01 is equally flawless. The action is very crisp indeed,
the slide easily moved to the rear thanks to some
deep serrations on either side of it. When cocked the
safety clicks into place firmly and solidly. The pistol
comes with a gas magazine with extended floorplate
as standard which is swift and easy to load, and this
snaps into place with a reassuring “clack”. Overall
this is a really satisfying airsoft pistol and is worthy of
a place in anyone’s armoury. It looks and feels great,
shoots consistently and extremely accurately, and
cycles perfectly on both green gas and CO2.
The CZ75 from ASG shows that their system of
licencing works perfectly as you’d be hard pressed
to distinguish the replica from the real thing! All the
dimensions are pretty spot on with the replica coming
in at 206.3mm long as opposed to the 206mm of
the current 75B; in terms of weight the real thing
tips the scales at 1000g and the replica when loaded
with its full complement of 24, .20g BBs is pretty
darn close at 984.8g. The ergonomics of the replica
also mimic those of the real thing and this is a pistol
that really does sit very comfortably in the hand. The
angle of the pistol grip (which is slightly longer than
the Hi-Power and 1911) is nigh on perfect, and the
chequered plastic grips feature the embossed CZ
logo. The controls are all quite similar to those of the
Hi-Power and the 1911 as well so if you own one
of those models the 75 will feel pretty instinctive;
the magazine release sits to the rear of the elegantly
curved trigger guard on the left-hand side, with the
safety catch to the rear above. The safety is set only
when the pistol has been cocked which means that
you can safely carry it in “Condition 1”. The overall
finish of the replica is absolutely excellent with the
body and slide being full metal in a rich matt black.
The trigger, outer barrel and “breech” are all finished
with a silver “stainless” effect which makes the
whole thing look very attractive. The trademarks,
CZ logo and “MODEL 75 CAL.9 PARA” are all very
cleanly achieved on the left of the slide and the only
real giveaway that this is a replica is a tiny ASG logo.
Loaded up with .20g RZR BBs and NP 2.0 gas the
CZ75 sends BBs downrange with astonishing accuracy
giving excellent groupings at 10 metres; the sights are
a simple front blade/rear notch affair although you
can upgrade these to “dot” sights should you wish.
The pistol does have an adjustable hop-up which
is accessed by removing the slide, and this is very
well explained in the full colour instruction manual
supplied with the pistol. Overall this is still one of my
favourite airsoft handguns, and fully lives up, even in
6mm BB form, to the claim of being one of “the best
combat handguns ever”!
As always, our thanks go to Red Cell partners
NUPROL (www.nuprol.com), VIPER (www.viperkit.
co.uk), Attack Sense Smart Targets (www.attacksense.
com) and Invader Gear (www.invadergear.com).
48
JANUARY 2021
COVERT
BOOT
BLACK / BROWN / TITANIUM
/ SRP: £49.95
KIT & GEAR
PTS UNITY
PTS UNITY
TACTICAL FAST
In association with
MICRO MOUNT
WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO LICENSED AIRSOFT PRODUCTS FROM THE FIREARMS AND PARTS INDUSTRY,
PTS SYNDICATE IS ALWAYS A COMPANY WORTH LOOKING OUT FOR! IN THE FIRST OF WHAT WE HOPE WILL
PROVE TO BE MANY COLLABORATIONS “ON PAGE”, CHRIS FROM THE AIRSOFT & MILSIM NEW BLOG BRINGS
US NEWS OF THE VERY LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE EXPANSIVE PTS SYNDICATE RANGE.
The latest new additions to the UNITY Tactical
licensed product family are the FAST Micro
Mount and Micro Riser that some of you have
been waiting for to come out. In this review, we´ll
focus on the Micro Mount first.
THE IDEA
Unity Tactical FAST is a series of optic mounts that
provide end users with a quicker sight picture than
standard height mounts. A 2.26” optical centerline
height provides faster/easier reticle acquisition while
wearing electronic earpro/communications headsets,
night vision goggles and gas masks and allows for
more rapid visual processing of the battlefield by
promoting a heads-up posture.
A heads-up posture also helps users maintain a
neutral spine position which is more comfortable
while wearing helmets, plate carriers, and other heavy
gear.
MICRO MOUNT
The PTS FAST Micro Mount is built from 6000 series
Aluminum Alloy (black anodized). The Micro Mount
is compatible with the Aimpoint® Micro (H1, H2,
T1, T2, CompM5) series and other optics with the
Aimpoint® Micro footprint such as those found on
many Sig Sauer®, Holosun®, Primary Arms®, and
Vortex Optics® platforms.
As you would expect from a licensed product,
the UNITY Tactical trademark can be found on the
right side of the mount. One small detail is missing
regarding to the “real deal”. Right under the UNITY
name – the PAT PEND| CAGE 81C38 number. Except
for this, every other marking is where it should be to
give this replica an authentic look.
Of course, there´s a reminder at the bottom that
this product is made for “Airsoft Use Only” for those
thinking to grab a cheap deal on the real deal.
The Micro Mount features built-in standard height
back up iron sights (BUIS) that keep your airsoft gun
uncluttered without reducing capability. Those of you
that run smaller gun platforms, such as PDW/SMGs,
know that rail space can become a critical thing when
mounting lasers, light/switches and sling attachment
points to it.
If your gun offers enough rail space, you´re good
to go with your preferred BUIS or you make a fusion
of both. How does this work? The front sight post
can be removed so that the rear BUIS aperture from
the Micro Mount can be used with a traditional front
sight, creating a more conventional sight radius.
As seen here on my setup, I run it with standard
old school CQB BUIS. I actually use the back sight too.
Looks cool to me - I like it but it also works well.
The Micro Mount comes with a standard rail-
50
JANUARY 2021
KIT & GEAR
PTS UNITY
grabber clamp mount for fixation but is already
designed to readily accept a drop-in American Defense
Manufacturing QD Auto-Lock Lever. This mounting
option is sold separately but not from PTS.
It´s available from the UNITY Tactical website or
straight at American Defense MFG if you want to
upgrade it for about $35.
PERFORMANCE
The Micro Mount works pretty well for me as I can tell
it for now. Got to use it for about three weeks with
my Holosun HS403B mounted on top of it. Installation
was very easy using a hex key. It sits tight and strong
on top, no wobble at all. Good workmanship right
here. Actually, that´s what I expected from it. A bit
more time in the field will tell how it really performs
then. Let´s hope that the Corona Lockdown will end
soon to get this field time rolling…
As mentioned at the beginning, this mount
provides a quicker sight picture than standard height
mounts on the market. Due to this, you have a more
“natural aiming” position while shooting and moving
towards your target. During the training sessions I
did with it so far, I really can feel a benefit out of this.
Also, the more neutral spine position which is a result
of it is comfortable.
If you run NODS and want to use your optic to aim
(instead of IR Lasers) or maybe both, this never felt
more comfortable than with the FAST Micro Mount.
As you can see in the pictures, the natural aiming
position stays the same and so the line of view is in
accord. Picking up targets during goon time becomes
a much quicker thing that way. Very much appreciated
from my point of view.
What´s more to say about it? For $60 bucks, which
is less than the half of the price from the real deal,
you get a very well made licensed replica for airsoft
use. If you feel yourself in the need to improve your
shooting/aiming device, the PTS UNITY Tactical Micro
Mount is your go to option I would recommend.
Stay tuned on our site as we take a look at the
second release from UNITY/PTS, the “Micro Riser” very
soon too.
Our sincere thank go to Chris for providing this
review for Airsoft Action and you can keep up to date
with all the great news and other reviews available
from Chris and his team by keeping an eye on www.
airsoft-milsim-news.com. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 51
FEATURE
ACTION AIR - TAIWAN
THE
AFTER A SHORT BREAK OUR
LEGIONNAIRE IN TAIWAN,
“STEWBACCA”, ONCE AGAIN
PITS HIS TALENTS AGAINST
OTHER LOCAL SHOOTERS - AND
THIS TIME HE DIDN’T HAVE TO
TRAVEL FAR!
OF ACTION AIR
Having first started training in Action Air back
in early February 2020 with Setup Project
Practical Team in Western Taipei, followed by
qualifying for my competition licence towards the
tail end of March and finally competing for my first
time at the Taichung Shootfest in April, the next few
months went by in a similar blur for me. Not only
was I juggling other airsoft-related activities such
as speedsoft competition and related concerns and
general skirmishing as well, I was also managed to
squeeze in moving home yet again! This time though,
much closer to SPPT’s training place and my preferred
airsoft shop in Taipei at least!
October the 25th soon crept up on us all - I’d
managed at least keep up regular weekly training
sessions with the team and marked my 45th practise
just before the recent competition. Chris Leung and
James Zhou, who operate the shooting centre SPPT
that call “home”, decided to host a Level 1 event,
which was especially important given the dearth of
them throughout the earlier months of the year due
to everyone’s concerns over COVID transmission.
ON HOME TURF
Thus, my most recent foray into competitive shooting
with airsoft guns came to pass on home turf -
only two MRT stops from the new home with Ms.
Stewbacca. This meant we didn’t all have to get up
at silly o’clock in the morning to get there, which was
an immediate advantage in terms of being well-rested
and having a relaxed arrival. Given the limited indoor
- and upstairs - space we train in, the organisers
decided to split the competitors into two groups,
cycling the majority of Taipei Focus Action Shooters
(TFAS), who have the larger team, as well as some
of the Spring Rain (SR) and SPPT players who were
running Open Division equipment first, then the rest
of us in Production and Standard Divisions afterwards
(while the first group grabbed lunch).
Following my earlier experiences and the use of my
WE M17 for my first competition, I had since decided
to go down the route of using the CZ Shadow series
of GBB pistols from KJ Works. Despite my teammate’s
continued attempts to turn me to the HiCapa M1911
style dark side, I managed to stay true to my European
roots!
Having tried out the CZ SP01 Shadow left with me
by the Umbrella Corp guys of Hong Kong on their last
visit to Taiwan, I had gotten used to the odd manual
of arms required to use it in Production Division
(load a round, remove magazine, lower hammer in a
“THE MAJORITY OF THE TARGETS WERE TO THE LEFT END BEHIND VARIOUS
OBSCURING COVER PANELS, FORCING YOU TO MOVE THE LENGTH OF THE STAGE
TO GET EYES - AND MUZZLE - ON THEM ALL CLEARLY, WHILE ONE OF THE PAPER
TARGETS WAS ACTUALLY ON A SLIDING RAIL, RELEASED BY THE DOWNING OF ONE OF
THE POPPERS.”
52
JANUARY 2021
FEATURE
ACTION AIR - TAIWAN
controlled manner then reinsert the magazine and fire
the first shot double action) - although I had managed
to put a lot of wear on the original Shadow 1. So, for
a birthday present to myself, I splashed out for the CZ
Shadow 2 purely for competition purposes and gotten
used to the handling and shooting.
competitors present and my resultant scoring of 84/85
pts - with 9 of us competing in Production Division
overall.
Stage 2 was my last of the morning session - hence
shot third in order - and was an interesting setup none
of us could really have prepared for…
COMPETITION DAY
When the competition day rolled around, the prelunch
sessions consisted of three short stages setup
alongside each other down the length of the room,
with access to the starting points flanked by official’s
desks in each case (for dealing with the appropriate
paperwork for each stage and competitor).
Stage 1 was the largest of the three and involved
running sideways between fault lines, with a course of
fire comprising 6 mini IPSC paper targets (2 of which
had “no-shoots” obscuring them), 5 mini poppers and
the ending plate. This was to be started in “Condition
2” and had a minimum round count of 18, with 85
points available.
The majority of the targets were to the left end
behind various obscuring cover panels, forcing you to
move the length of the stage to get eyes - and muzzle
- on them all clearly, while one of the paper targets
was actually on a sliding rail, released by the downing
of one of the poppers. A further cluster of targets
was obscured at the right end, behind a blind that
needed to be pulled and held open with a toggle on a
rope, forcing you to single-hand shoot the three paper
targets in this area - one of which was the sliding one
where it came to rest and the other two were the
ones with no-shoots obscuring them. This is where I
spent the most time ensuring I got the accuracy in and
avoided penalties. I shot this stage second in order
and managed a reasonable level of accuracy, with 15
“Alphas” and 3 “Charlies” in just over 18 seconds,
which I was much happier with given the level of
The stage was basically stationary/shooting
from a narrow fault box, with a sliding door set up
on rails, with only two narrow vertical firing slots
available for use. We had to start with the door in
the central position on its rails, in Condition One,
with a minimum round count of 13, for 65 points
and comprising a course of fire of 4 mini IPSC paper
targets, 4 mini poppers and the ending. The only
other considerations being 2 no-shoot papers right in
front of the centre of the door (to obscure the firing
slots in the central position) and a final stipulation
being your gun was not allowed to hit the outside
of the aiming holes in the door, which many of us
seemed to slow our pace to ensure compliance with.
This was easily my slowest stage of the morning
and overall when you consider the lower round
count. Despite planning the stage, I still found myself
searching for targets too much through the narrow
shooting slots. I seemed to be one of the few people
using the higher one (being the tall gangly type that I
am), with most of the others squatting low or doing
some stretchy gymnastics to shoot through the lower
port. My diligence paid off at least, with an entirely
cleanly shot 13 “Alphas” for a full score of 65 points,
albeit I had to do a few make up shots to get hits
on paper as I kept plinking rounds off the obscuring
www.airsoftaction.net 53
FEATURE
ACTION AIR - TAIWAN
cover on one of the left targets which cost me a
few seconds and taking my time all the way up to
22.39s. As a result I also managed to relive my first
competition by finishing the stage on my final round
- with the slide locking back to applause at my further
jammy-ness!
Stage 3 was the one I shot first in order for the
morning trio and comprised a narrow stage beginning
in Condition 3, with two vertical regions in the front
panel covers to shoot through, obscured extensively
by a patchwork of paper targets which were used to
force you to shoot from odd positions, or through a
“ladder” of gaps at each of the two firing points.
When I’d finished the course of fire - consisting of
4 mini paper targets, 3 mini poppers and the ending
plate - I’d managed all Alphas, aside from one target
that I’d put 2 shots through the Charlie zone and a
make-up shot in the Alpha, with one target having a
very close couple of Alphas I was quite happy with.
Overall, this gained me 58 of the available 60 points.
PREPARATION & PLANNING
With the first phase dealt with, our second group
broke for lunch and the organisers began the reconfiguration
of the arena for the fourth and final,
medium length stage after lunch, which took up
the entire competition space. We had an extended
lunch for a few hours while the rearrangement was
underway and the first group of shooters cycled
through the final stage prior to our return - plenty
of time to rest and replay things in our heads and
compare notes between our group, as well as prepare
ourselves for the final stage.
The “Boss Fight” final stage was fairly involved,
with three individual “fingers”, or tracks, projecting
forwards off the access path between fault lines
crossing the whole rear from left to right. Each
of these fingers had a fairly small window in the
barricades to shoot through, providing a limited view
of each zone of the whole stage and the shooter had
to begin part way along the middle finger. This section
had a “jail cell” style barricade of vertical bars which
could be shot through to hit some of the poppers on
the right if desired, as well as a flap over the main
shooting window, which had to be held open in order
to shoot single-handed to get the central region of
paper and poppers. With the ending plate only being
visible from the central and left side bays, the shooter
had to plan in which order to address the right hand
bay, as it couldn’t be tackled last, not realistically.
Being a medium length course and taking up the
same space as the previous three combined, it was
obviously going to be more involved and include
some longer shots to test accuracy - with a total of
10 mini IPSC paper targets, 3 of which had no shoot
obstructions and 9 steel poppers shared out across the
three bays. Naturally it took quite some time to arrive
at an efficient route through the targets and shooting
bays, so the queue for stage planning was long and
we all got around 3 runs in prior to shooting it live.
Suffice to say, the majority of competitors followed
a similar path to myself, shooting and moving ahead
down the middle bay from the start buzzer before
doubling back and taking on the isolated right hand
side bay before running clear to the opposite side and
finishing up on the left bay and taking the ending
plate out from there. I was more than happy with my
performance in this round, given the mess I made of
the complicated last stage in Taichung back in April
and forgetting my plan. I really felt like I nailed this
one a lot better and seemed to be higher up the pack
as a result of my performance on it, given how close
a race the other stages had been - or how slow I had
been on them while striving for accuracy (as usual).
When I finally showed clear, holstered and stepped
back I felt pretty spent given the intensity of the
planning, stage, running, reloading and attempts
to shoot it as clean as I could, all of which with the
eyes of everyone else on you and my GoPro atop my
head too. I felt much better all told though and with
“THE “BOSS FIGHT” FINAL STAGE WAS FAIRLY INVOLVED, WITH THREE INDIVIDUAL
“FINGERS”, OR TRACKS, PROJECTING FORWARDS OFF THE ACCESS PATH BETWEEN
FAULT LINES CROSSING THE WHOLE REAR FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. ”
54
JANUARY 2021
FEATURE
ACTION AIR - TAIWAN
my newer gun and gear set up, as well as being a lot
more practised with it and stage planning this time
round, I had a much better overall outcome, which
was evidently reflected in the results too.
Despite the no-shoots being used over mostly
the more distant targets, I still managed to come
away with a reasonable time of 28:54 and only got
6 Charlies (mostly on the longer, obscured targets
behind no-shoots that I was being overly cautious
of keeping clean - no innocent bystanders please!),
with 24 Alphas and no other news to speak of. My
reloading and aiming had felt more fluid and some
of my double taps had been pretty snappy, albeit
sacrificing a little accuracy in some cases. But, I felt
far improved and arguably less nervous, or at least
flustered, as I had been at my first competition due to
the final stage failures. The writing’s on the wall… or
at least the scores!
Following the breakdown of the final stage and
a bit of stop, everyone gathered to find out their
individual overall stage times and scores, which had
been tabulated and printed out and stuck on the wall,
while the Divisional winners and runners up were
being finalized, ready for announcement.
In the end I’d accrued 345 of the possible 360
points and taken a total of 85.14 seconds across all
four stages, with 63 Alphas, and just 10 Charlies, so
I was very happy with my individual shooting. I felt I
could maybe have pushed myself to be a little faster
but as I - and the IPSC motto - always say, “Diligentia”
comes before “Celeras”. At least this has given me a
solid baseline of skills to build on - and get faster at
employing in future shoots!
THE WINNERS
With the final scores tabulated, the winners and
runners up for each of the three divisions were
announced and trophies presented. Open division was
taken by Jia Yu Liu, with Jia Hua Zheng taking second
place and Bo Xian Hou in third, out of a total of 15
competitors. Standard division was won out by Yu Qi
Tsai, second place being taken by Ding Xuan Ah and
Jiao Pin Du in third, out of a total of 14 competitors.
Finally, Production division was a very close call
between first and second place, with “Patty” Pei Shan
Huang just gaining an edge over second place Yu Xi
Liu and Yao Zhong Li taking third place. My fifth place
score was around 16% behind Patty’s and 5% behind
third place, out of the total of eight competitors who
seemed quite well matched in speed and abilities from
what I saw of our rounds.
SUMMING UP
From my first competition in April and placing 5th out
of 6 shooters in the Production division (plus having
an absolute mare of a last round), I’d risen to 5th out
of 8 shooters and acquitting myself far better this time
round, without any of the obvious “I just made a hash
of that didn’t I?” moments. I certainly felt more like I
belonged there this time round, having trained hard
alongside the team for longer and getting to know
the ropes and more of the community in general.
It’s been a continuing pleasure to get involved
with Action Air in Taiwan, among all my other
shooting-related activities since getting here. Now
we’re working towards our next competition, which
should (hopefully) be in December and I’ve recently
purchased the STAGE electronic mobile app-driven
target system (from TMC in Taipei) to start measuring
my speed and progress, which is already helping in my
training since the competition.
Hopefully I can continue to....
#GoFasterTryNotToSuckQuiteSoMuch! AA
www.airsoftaction.net 55
RELOADED
SIG AIR PROFORCE M17
SIG AIR
PROFORCE M17
THIS MONTH IN RELOADED BOYCIE SETS HIS SIGHTS ON A GBB PISTOL MODEL THAT CONTINUES TO
TAKE ON GREATER SIGNIFICANACE IN ITS “REAL WORLD” FORM, THE M17!
Since my first purchase of a 9mm Glock 17 - serial
number BSX397 - in the early 1990s you may
say that I am a dyed in the wool Glock fan. Well,
yes that would be fair to say, particularly as I am a left
handed shooter and the Glock was so uncomplicated
to use. My experience with real firearms goes back
to 1981 and over that time I have owned and used a
huge number of live fire pistols. One that I could never
get on well with was the SIG P226 which I always felt
had a lot of metal high up and this gave me a recoil
action which I didn’t really gel with. When Bill asked
me to review the ProForce SIG AIR M17, I knew my
prejudice from the P226 would be at the forefront of
my mind.
The first words out of my mouth when I handled
the M17 for the first time at Red Cell test day were,
to use the language of Father Ted, “Feck me Dougal,
that’s a beauty!” The feel of the grip in my hand was
immediately very comfortable and the safety catch
and slide release, both of which are ambidextrous,
were really easy to operate. The safety catch is small
enough to be unobtrusive but big enough to allow
positive operation, even with gloves on. Another
really good feature is that the M17 uses a striker fire
method which means there is no external hammer to
snag on kit or be a potential extra conduit for dirt and
water to get in to the workings of the pistol.
Unlike the P226, the M17 is a single action only
pistol, this means that you must ‘rack the slide’ in
order to cock the hammer, whereas the P226 is a
double action first shot when you pull the trigger the
hammer moves to the cocked position before falling
and firing the round. The profile of the slide, while
being quite angular, is really appealing, and atop the
slide sits a really clear set of white dot sights. The
rear of the slide has a Micro Red Dot Sight (MRDS)
ready mount which is covered by a really nice plate
which incorporates the rear sights. This plate and set
is able to be replaced by the SIG M17 adaptor plate
which will allow the fitting of a chosen MRDS. This is
particularly good as it means that a professional Law
Enforcement or Military shooter can replicate their
service weapon with this 6mm version for low cost
and much safer training, with everything other than
an empty case leaving the slide after a round is fired.
In the real world the SIG M17 can use both the
17rd magazine which sits flush with the base of the
pistol grip, or the 21 round extended magazine. A big
advantage of being a left handed shooter (yes there
are some!) is that to operate the magazine release I
use my trigger finger. This is something that I have
been very familiar with for nearly 40 years and is a
big safety point that I like. I have tried to use pistols
with either an ambidextrous or swappable magazine
release but I just can’t get on with it. In a situation
where potentially you may need to use someone else’s
“IN A RECENT POST TO THE WEBSITE WE SHARED THAT SIG HAVE ACHIEVED TWO
SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES IN THE MHS PROGRAM: THE DELIVERY OF THE 200,000TH
MHS PISTOL MANUFACTURED AT THE SIG SAUER FACILITY IN NEWINGTON, NEW
HAMPSHIRE AND THE FIRST MONTH TO HAVE MHS PISTOLS SIMULTANEOUSLY
DELIVERED TO ALL BRANCHES OF THE U.S. MILITARY!”
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JANUARY 2021
RELOADED
SIG AIR PROFORCE M17
pistol, especially in
a moment of high
stress, I am not having to think about how to
use the mag release.
The grip of the pistol has a very comfortable
recess where your thumb sits and this is
replicated on both sides. On the front of the
trigger guard is a really positive grooved section for
those who prefer to place a finger on it as they hold
the pistol in a firing grip. Further forward on the
frame of the pistol is a section of pitcatinny rail which
will enable the fitting of a large number of accessories
such as tac lights or lasers. To “field strip” the M17
it follows exactly the same action as on the live fire
version.
FIELD STRIP
Ensure the magazine is not fitted and clear the pistol
before checking the chamber for a round. Pull the
slide back until the scallop in the slide, by the rear of
the front slide serrations, lines up and enables you to
turn the take down lever. The slide then is removed
from the front of the frame. One of the most useful
and neat things I found on the ProForce M17 is that
to alter the hop up of the 6mm, lock the slide back
and turn the ‘recoil rod’ to achieve a really positive
adjustment. This saves all the hassle that some other
pistols have in that you have to either take the slide
off to adjust the hop or use a specific key, inserted
into the faux chamber to enable the adjustment.
The trigger has quite a heavy pull when you
compare it to most 6mm pistols but this again is to
give the same feel as is present on the real firearm.
There isn’t a long pull to operate the trigger to fire the
pistol and there is a really positive reset when firing a
string of shots.
One thing I think that would be really good for SIG
to produce would be a boxed set of the P320-M17
like you can get with the real firearm. This would
include one flush fit magazine which comes with
the ProForce P320-M18 and two of the extended
magazines. It is really clear that SIG have had a lot of
input and worked very closely with VFC who OEM this
replica to produce a really fantastic training tool.
On to the test range and using NP 2.0 Green Gas
and RZR .20g BBs I
loaded the magazine
and readied the pistol.
The first thing I did
was to fire a magazine
full off BBs through the
chrono at a “deliberate”
rate of fire, keeping the
pace of one, release, two,
release, three, release
until the magazine was
empty. I’d definitely say that
green gas is the best option
in the warmer months and
for indoor use NP 3.0 could
be used if you wish (at your
own risk) over winter months when the ambient
temperature is lower
Now to have some “time on target”; using the
Virtus Training Systems Aluminium target set at a
range of approx. 7m and spaced approx. 500mm
apart it was easy to move the pistol and hit each
target without missing one from a low ready start.
So to round things up, this is an all-round great
6mm pistol. From someone who loves their Glock
(VFC licensed) and other similar platforms, the M17
has really turned my head, so much so that I actually
asked to buy the one we had for test. If I were back
shooting live pistols on a regular basis then I would be
seriously considering the purchase of the 9mm P320
M17 to use for competition. I’ll never totally give up
my like of the Glock platform but the M17 I can see
being a regular feature in my holster for training and
skirmishing use.
My thanks to Frank at Fire Support for the loan of the
pistol for the test, and please do check out all they
have to offer by visiting www.fire-support.co.uk. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 57
KIT & GEAR
5.11 ALL MISSIONS PLATE CARRIER
STAYING ON
MISSION
ALTHOUGH REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR IGGY IS NOW RESIDENT IN AUSTRALIA, HE’S STILL VERY MUCH
INVOLVED IN AIRSOFT AND THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR “6MM BROTHERS AND SISTERS” ARE FACING
THERE. OF COURSE, HE’S STILL VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON GREAT KIT AND WILL CONTINUE TO BRING US
NEWS AND REVIEWS AS PART OF THE GROWING INTERNATIONAL “AA LEGION”! THIS TIME HE TURNS HIS
ATTENTION TO HIS LATEST PLATE CARRIER ACQUISITION…
I
recently bought the 5.11 All Missions Plate Carrier
and had the opportunity to use it in skirmishes,
both indoors and outdoors. In addition to the plate
carrier I opted to have two 5kg training plates, to add
to the realism and get the true feel of the product,
as it was designed to be. Also, so long as you had
weighted plates, in certain MilSim events they award
an extra “medic hit”, which means you can carry
two bandages over other players that only have the
one, so you can stay in game longer …if you can get
someone to put your bandage on you after a hit!
The 5.11 All Missions range of products are
modular. With regards to the plate carrier this
becomes truly clear as you explore it. The front and
rear panel that feature the new hex grid design come
away using hook loops and the entire back part of
the panel is Velcro. Around either side the two hex
grid cummerbunds are followed by two stretchy
cummerbunds underneath, that revel the strap as a
last option of connecting the front and rear of the
plate carrier around your body.
This means you can use the plate carrier as a heavyduty
assault vest with MOLLE pouches attached at all
angles thanks to the hex grid design, allowing you
to customise your plate carrier to suit the way you
operate best with it.
The front hex grid also features a “Kangaroo
pocket” which has a Velcro strip along the inside of
58
JANUARY 2021
KIT & GEAR
5.11 ALL MISSIONS PLATE CARRIER
it, designed for the quick release mag holder that’s
included with the purchase. This holds three STANAG
(M4 style) magazines. The Hex grids are available as
a single aftermarket item; allowing you to buy others
and build them to suit different loadouts, making
it super easy to change from mission to mission,
depending on the task.
With all hex grid parts removed the plate carrier
looks more like the 5.11 Tac-Tec version, only without
MOLLE on the lower half of the outer front and rear
plate panels. This still means you can attach Velcrobacked
pouches should you require them. That said,
the plate carrier has another Kangaroo pouch here, so
using the quick release mag holder mentioned above,
you can carry magazines easily - just in a slightly more
low-profile loadout.
This option is still available at the lowest profile
option too, once you remove the two stretchy
cummerbunds, meaning all you have is the front
and rear plate sections held around your waist by a
single strap and clip. The padded sleeves that feature
hydration tube guides for a water bladder along the
outside edge of the the shoulder can be removed
from the shoulder straps themselves, making the
whole thing into a very low-profile plate carrier.
Inside there are two thick pads on the front
and back, adding that element of comfort but
also providing a channel of airflow to avoid you
overheating under the plate carrier. The plates I got
in addition to the carrier are non-ballistic and are for
training only. They give the feel of the real thing and
certainly the weight, which means that it is a great
option for exercise too, adding 10kg to any exercise.
If I am exercising with the plate carrier, I use it in the
lowest profile option, that way it doesn’t get in the
way of any exercise but still makes me work harder.
The plates themselves are held in place by Velcro
straps, seating them perfectly over your vital organs.
There is an additional Velcro seal at the base of the
plate pocket sealing them in place.
In-game I have only used it in full loadout. I also
added two MOLLE pouches on the front, both at
45-degree angles. Initially I had them at opposite
45-degree angles until a friend advised me to put
them both on the right side as I am predominantly
right handed, therefore I would change magazine
with my left hand and it would allow both magazine
pouches to be easily accessed from the left.
The design (as stated in the name of this plate
carrier) is geared to all your needs, ready for all
missions. It comes in two colours, black and kangaroo
(a darker version of tan).
Overall, I am happy with it. It is very
accommodating and allows me to customise my plate
carrier more than ever before. The quality of 5.11 is
always very high and this latest plate carrier maintains
it; I even have a new item for exercising with,
which is an additional bonus I did not envisage. It is
comfortable and even after wearing it for some time it
still is not an issue.
It is pricey but for the fact it’s modular, allowing
you to do more than any other plate carriers, makes it
worth it. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 59
TECH TALK
UMAREX VFC MEETS JEFFTRON LEVIATHAN
UMAREX VFC
MEETS JEFFTRON
LEVIATHAN
IT’S ALL VERY WELL REPORTING ON NEW PRODUCTS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO HIT THE MARKET AS THEY
APPEAR BUT, OF COURSE, AS AIRSOFTERS WE WANT TO KNOW HOW THESE CAN BE APPLIED TO ENHANCE
THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR AEGS AND GBBS TO GIVE US THE EDGE “IN GAME”, DON’T WE? THIS MONTH, IN
HIS FIRST REPORT FOR AIRSOFT ACTION, RED CELL SHOOTER JIMMY DAVISON TELLS ALL ABOUT USING THE
JEFFTRON LEVIATHAN IN A RECENT BUILD!
So, back at the start of October, one eve
before the now-regular adventures of Red
Cell, myself, Marcus Ravera (All Ages Airsoft)
and John “Boycie” Turrell met up just for a general
chinwag about all and anything airsoft and part of
that chinwag brought up the subject of the Jefftron
Leviathans. John mentioned he had a nice VFC HK416
which could use a little revamping…
Marcus and I were then tasked with the job of
fitting said Leviathan and naturally we accepted that
challenge. A few weeks passed and one morning a
parcel had arrived at the shop; excited was I! Having
never had my hands on the VFC 416 before, I was
very eager to have a look at it and my initial opinion
was that of great quality. One solid piece of kit -
which is something you expect from Umarex/VFC - no
rattles or wobbles and it felt very realistic. Aesthetically
stunning I must say and I couldn’t wait to get it down
on the range and see just how well it operated. To
my dismay, we discovered a slight problem with the
trigger system and as soon as a battery was fitted
(sadly a common thing with some of the Gen1 416s
as it happened to Bill’s too, so something to watch out
for as they age!), as it went full auto with no input
from the trigger. Oh well… What does that really
matter, as its having a major upgrade anyway. This is
where Marcus takes over with the build…
TIDY WORKBENCH, TIDY MIND… OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT!
First things first, it’s time to tidy Marcus’ bench and
get this wagon rolling… after a coffee of course!
Initial takedown of the rifle was very easy, up until
we reached the mag release and I invented a few new
words at that point (as did Marcus)! The mag catch
is unlike any I’m used to seeing, as it had the tiniest
of grub screws that went through the release button.
After managing to find an allen key which was almost
hair-like, we managed to remove it and the rest of the
strip was straight forward, with no more surprises.
I love the fact it has a quick-change spring as, from
“INITIAL TAKEDOWN OF THE RIFLE WAS VERY EASY, UP UNTIL WE REACHED THE MAG
RELEASE AND I INVENTED A FEW NEW WORDS AT THAT POINT (AS DID MARCUS)! THE
MAG CATCH IS UNLIKE ANY I’M USED TO SEEING, AS IT HAD THE TINIEST OF GRUB
SCREWS THAT WENT THROUGH THE RELEASE BUTTON.”
60
JANUARY 2021
TECH TALK
UMAREX VFC MEETS JEFFTRON LEVIATHAN
a tech point of view, it makes splitting the gearbox
so much nicer and the possibility of a deadly spring
leaving the back of the box at MACH 3 is completely
removed from the equation! Trust me, it CAN happen
and it is THAT fast!
Now inside the gearbox, we were presented with
some high quality components; it’s just a shame there
was a problem with the Mosfet. They’re an electronic
component and these things happen. It was nice
to see that there was some quality anodised parts,
a lovely red anodised cylinder which was very solid,
vented piston head which was CNC ally, cylinder
head CNC anodised, double O-ring gave a good seal,
nozzle which had an O-ring and again is made from
CNC ally. The gears I was impressed with, as you
could easily see these were machined to a very high
standard and a nice little touch with the stamping;
they were shimmed very well from the factory which
added signal wire that is needed, these tabs are made
redundant purely to allow more space and prevent any
crimping of these new wires. The slot for the trigger
to sit in needs expanding by about 2 thousandths,
in order for the trigger to operate smoothly. The
main circuit board itself is held in by small screw and
shows time and effort has been put in rather than just
thrown together. We had to add 0.1mm shim to both
the sector gear and bevel gear, which is exactly the
same as what I had to do to another VFC gearbox the
day previously. The quality of the casing in which all
this lovliness was housed was just as high in quality;
no cheap material was used on its construction.
So out with every part and bag up parts we no
longer needed. The trigger (Jefftron supply a nice
flat anodised CNC trigger), the old curved one, is
no longer needed, along with all of the wiring, the
trigger shuttle and contact and the cut off lever all
went into a little bag forever to be forgotten. The
beauty of the Leviathan means you no longer require
these actual mechanical parts.
Before fitting the new Leviathan there were a
couple of minor (but crucial) alterations we had to
perform. There are a few little tabs that sit on the
left-hand casing that keep wires where they are
supposed to be once closed together but, due to the
orientation of the board is crucial so the contact
between the cam lobe of the sector gear and the
microswitch can be made fully, which acts as the cut
of lever, or COL (as some of you might refer to it).
Once this was established, it was then a case of
routing the wires and making them so as not to
interfere with the motor head (Jefftron recommend a
www.airsoftaction.net 61
STRETCH
PANTS
BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN
/ SRP: £69.95
TECH TALK
UMAREX VFC MEETS JEFFTRON LEVIATHAN
small
dab of
superglue
to keep the
wires from
getting in
the way).
The wiring is
a tad stiff at
first but soon
becomes easier
to manipulate
into
place. I love the
fact Jefftron
have prewired
these, making fitting
so much easier. At this stage we fitted the
trigger and the sector and connected the Leviathan
to a battery and synched it with the app. The beauty
of this system is that all you need to do is connect
via Bluetooth then check the operation of the micro
switches, this also allows to adjust the pull of the
trigger via a tiny grub screw. You can either have it full
travel or down to a hair trigger with less than 1mm of
travel, which I favour on my own builds.
Once we had established these parameters it was
just a case of fitting the remaining parts back in and
closing the gearbox back up, although not before
replacing the piston head and cylinder head O-rings
and inhibiting a little lubrication in strategic places.
Using the Airtech studios gearbox tools (which might
I add are a genius design!) we closed the two halves
up and they slid together effortlessly. Everything was
buttoned up and reassembled and then it was time
for the chronograph and some range testing.
BBS DOWNRANGE
On first chrono it was pushing a .20g BB at an
average of 1.33J/380fps. “Great!” we thought, but
unfortunately, being a full auto and the UK laws
being somewhat less, Marcus had to go back to the
bench and lose a little power from the spring. Good
job it has a quick-change spring, something I believe
every AEG should have and be a standard for airsoft
manufacturers. Spring power dropped, Marcus had it
consistently sitting at 1.07 Joule/340fps. Perfect!
Having thoroughly tested it out now, I can honestly
say
THE 416 IS
working like a dream!
Trigger response is fantastic,
plus, due to the fact we have brought
trigger travel down to within 1mm, follow-up
shots are almost instantaneous and we have turned
this AEG into something that can be made very
personal to the shooter. Every airsofter loves a little
personal touch, for example a choice of scope/optics,
torches, stocks, PEQs and the like, the list is endless
right down to the colour of the gun, so why shouldn’t
we be able to personalise how the thing operates
too?
The Leviathan is one of those new products which
I believe every airsofter should have and I would
like to see manufacturers making a system like this
a standard across the board and do away with the
old-style contact system (which, let’s be fair, although
works it is a bit behind the times!). We are seeing
more and more brands installing this type of electronic
coolness but only on certain models. It should become
as common as a zipper on a jacket or laces on shoes!
Hands down, this is the best upgrade I have fitted,
or used, on an AEG to date! After having put a few
hundred rounds through the 416, the Jefftron hasn’t
shown any abnormal signs, we’ve had no error codes
(another thing I love about the Leviathans is the error
log), everything was operating perfectly. Mosfet
temperature was low, amps were low on both semi
and full auto, motor start up is giving between 40-
45 amps, average semi-auto is 23 amps and average
full-auto is 17 amps. Using a just a 7.6v battery we
have a respectable 13rps, with a reaction time of 63
milliseconds - so it’s pretty fast too!
Overall, we feel that fitting a Jefftron Leviathan will
give you a massive advantage during gameplay, giving
you the edge over your opposition and, on that note, I
can do no more than recommend it fully to you!
For more information, visit www.jefftron.net. AA
“WE ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE BRANDS INSTALLING THIS TYPE OF ELECTRONIC
COOLNESS BUT ONLY ON CERTAIN MODELS. IT SHOULD BECOME AS COMMON AS A
ZIPPER ON A JACKET OR LACES ON SHOES!”
www.airsoftaction.net 63
feature
THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT
A BRAVE
NEW...
THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC HAS MADE MANY OF US STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WE REALLY LOVE
WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PERSONAL “AIRSOFT EXPERIENCE” AND, FOR MANY FORE-SIGHTED SITE
OPERATORS, THE ENFORCED “OPERATIONAL PAUSE” HAS ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE STOCK OF WHAT
THEY OFFER THE PLAYER - AND WHAT THEY CAN (IN SOME CASES QUITE LITERALLY!) BUILD ON TO
OFFER AN EVEN BETTER GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR PLAYER BASE! HERE IN THE UK, BILL GOT
TOGETHER WITH A LOCAL “SITE OP” TO GIVE A VISION OF ONE POSSIBLE FUTURE…
A
while back now, at the butt-end of 2018, I had
the opportunity to actually get out with my
friends to just go and play airsoft on a cold,
crisp winter morning and I had the chance to visit a
local site I’d not played before, Imperium Airsoft. It
wasn’t a day for reporting or thinking about an article,
just a rare weekend where I had no other airsoft
commitments and just wanted to get out and get my
game on with my mates for once!
Suffice to say, I had an awesome day and saw some
guys that were really starting to get their site rolling
in a meaningful way, and I’ve been keeping tabs on
their development ever since with a view to getting
back one day to see how things had moved on. Sadly,
the good old C-Virus put a stop to that and although
friends have returned to Imperium and, indeed, the
site has been active as safety guidelines have allowed,
I’ve been unable to return yet.
However, I have spoken on and off to Site
Operator Jim and watched with interest how the
regular numbers at Imperium have grown steadily.
I’ve also had reports back from friends, both out
and out skirmishers and dedicated, hard-core-henry
MilSimmers, that they’ve played the site and come
away more than happy, which to be honest says great
things about a site and its management/marshalling
team! Normally it’s a fact that skirmishers love a site
and MilSimmers hate it - or vice versa - but in this
case, Jim and his team somehow manage to keep
everyone happy. With this in mind I asked him how he
manages to do this, set up some interview questions
about what the future holds and this is what he had
to tell me!
AA: Hi Jim! What is your ethos towards creating a
great site environment for players? How important is
the site itself physically, how do the site staff influence
things, what facilities do you believe should be in the
safe zone, and what is the importance of a good site
shop?
Jim: “First and foremost in our mind is that we
exist for the player and we want to create a great
experience for them at every opportunity, every touch
point, from the moment they make contact with us
online or by phone, to that greeting and check-in at
the gate and then throughout the day; the briefing,
the scenario or skirmishes, the team and how we
interact and engage with players and each other is
incredibly important. We have an amazing team of
guys and girls on the payroll, who love what they do
and keep the good energy flowing up till endex and
beyond, always keeping it positive, fun and friendly
but with a professional edge.
“The site itself is very important, having the right
combination of wasteland, privacy and a landlord as
a partner means we can do things that no other site
would be able to. Having vast variants of terrain is a
massive bonus; we have roads, tracks, paths, fields,
woods, valleys, bush, sand, chokepoints, concrete
structures and interesting undulating terrain with
some of the most gorgeous views over the Swale
which make you want to stop and stare. This is all
before we talk about our built HESCO structures, Iso’s,
64
JANUARY 2021
feature
THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT
static or dynamic military vehicles.
“A good safe zone should have a tea station, ample
secure nearby parking, no hills and of course clean,
flushing toilets and washing facilities. Add plenty
of player cover with benching for kit, and battery
charging, for those who don’t wish to work from
cars. A great firing range and delicious hot food is
also important (thanks Dominos!), plus a solid supply
of the essentials like pyro, bbs, and gas. We are lucky
enough to have the mobile battlefield supply station
that is Platoon Stores (https://platoonstores.co.uk),
with a fantastic selection of almost everything on
site at every gameday. Having these things are very
important, especially for the new player who isn’t as
well organised or familiar with the realities of airsoft,
compared to the veteran, old-school airsofter. The
new generation doesn’t know what they need
until they need it, hence the requirement for
caring, and a well-stocked site shop and all
the rest of it. Whereas, if you’ve been playing
10+ years you’ll be used to having near to no
facilities at a typical site - but that doesn’t mean
players don’t appreciate them. Our Safe Zone
has come on leaps and bounds in the last year
with all these things, although we will make it
far better once we get past this phase of the
pandemic.”
AA: What do you feel physical development
of the site brings to the game in terms of
structures and physical props?
Jim: “The experience on the site must
remain as immersive as possible. We are against
building anything that doesn’t feel natural or
in scenario to the player, so you won’t find a
pallet at Imperium being used for cover! You
will find yourself behind a large earthen berm,
which feel’s right and natural (but chances are
we put it there with a 14 ton excavator). The
extensive sand-filled HESCO, the
ISO containers, the static Military
vehicles, such as our Lynx Helicopter,
Saracen and Saxon APCs all add
to this Battleground environment,
without ever making it feel like a
“manufactured” arena.”
AA: You do make great use of
vehicles and mobile props from
what I’ve seen. What do you feel
this adds to the player experience?
Jim: “Imperium have a taskforce
of Military vehicles! Our 5 Ton,
MG42-wielding UI1300L Unimog,
a 15 Ton Saurer Infantry fighting
Vehicle, with its Oerlikon 20mm
Cannon (gas firing!), a 12 Ton Saurer APC (the sports
tank!), two Steyr-Puch Pinzgauers, 10 man Tactical
Off-Road Vehicles, A WOLF G-Wagon and couple of
Pickups acting as technicals. Due to the size of the
site, the terrain and the amount of roads we have,
along with our team’s shared passion for Military
Vehicles and Off-Roading, this was naturally going to
be our USP. Imperium players get a massive kick from
being dropped into battle by APC, Truck or Pickup. It
brings so much excitement and immersion to airsoft
that just takes the whole thing to the next level.
Sitting in a bunker and feeling the ground tremor as
a tank rumbles by is an amazing feeling and creates
awesome memories for players, memories that are
unique to Imperium Airsoft.”
www.airsoftaction.net 65
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• Two zippered bicep
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feature
THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT
AA: Scenario-driven games, I know you like this
format. How do you feel this adds to the game day?
Jim: “We run a “ladder system” of events, these
are: Skirmish, Ground War, BattleSim and Milsim.
Skirmish is what you’d expect, ideal for new players or
people who just to want to get stuck in, shorter sub
1-hour games with breaks between. We still make use
of our vehicles but tend to play certain areas of the
site, it’s intense and action orientated. Next is Ground
War, this is typically full site conquest or roll back,
often with dynamic events and missions that need to
happen in addition to the main objective. In Ground
War we introduce ammo limits and restrict full-auto
fire to 2-second bursts for assault, 4-second burst on
true support weapons and we also loosely organise
players into callsigns and provide radios so they can
work together to achieve objectives. They get massive
freedom of movement so can play “their way”. We
also make extensive use of vehicles during Ground
War events and we only stop once, for an hour at
lunch. With BattleSim, it’s the next step from Ground
War and we run 6, 8 and 12-hour events, much more
organised on the callsigns, lots of taskings, lots of
role play, plenty of surprises and lots of Mechanised
Vehicular Action.
“We’ve run some great events this with our
friends from SEO Milsim and a fantastic volunteer
crew leading each team. MilSim is something we
are yet to do, the last planned one was cancelled
due to lockdown but this is going to be 24 hours,
Saturday 10am till Sunday 10am. Even the MilSims
and BattleSims have internal difficulty ladders. For
example, newer players/people who want to have
less structure and more fun, would be on a team like
Civ pop or local gang - just there to cause trouble
and have a laugh! Then another team would be a
slightly more organised Opposing force/Cartel with
straightforward but serious taskings and such, then
you get the very organised, immersive Special Forces/
Task Force teams for the guys that want to go that
way! All teams have roleplay elements at their heart
and its tongue in cheek, fun, with no big egos!”
AA: What should a really good site be offering the
player for their “game day buck”, in addition to the
above?
Jim: “The best things in life are free, right? So,
you don’t need tanks and trucks to run a great day of
airsoft - although it does really help - but you do need
your site team to be player-centric; players should feel
welcome and valued at any site they visit. As a team
we always make an effort to learn people’s names,
talk to them, find out a bit about them and help them
any way we can. We are also very lucky to have the
amazing Darwin Hamilton, of Atdarzphotography, on
our team, taking some amazing shots of all the action
at Imperium! You may not have a “Darwin” but sites
should be taking photos and providing them to their
players as a value add!”
AA: Do you have plans for the future to extend
what you offer even further?
Jim: “As demand increases we will likely run more
events, possibly evenings during the week for outdoor
CQB and a firing range but we are very keen to launch
our “Tank and Truck Driving Experience”, where you
can come and drive our machines at Imperium as a
private driving experience! As this grows, it will mean
more toys for the airsofters to enjoy as well when we
reinvest, so do checkout www.tanksntrucks.com”
Many thanks to Jim for answering my questions
and putting up with my pestering! The challenges
we’ve all been faced with when it comes to airsoft
this year really have put a lot of things in perspective
for me and from what I’ve heard, seen first-hand and
what Jim has told me, it seems to me that the best
sites are really stepping up now to give us, the players,
a better and more immersive gameday experience
than ever before!
I have run games large and small and even run a
site myself, so I know how much commitment and
dedication it takes to make a truly memorable day,
not just once but time after time, after time. I believe
that it is important for all players to realise just HOW
MUCH effort (and no little money!) goes into creating
“the best day”, one that pleases all and sets the tone
for the future.
And if what Jim has described IS the future of what
we can expect from our gamedays next year and
beyond, then I’m as excited as you are to take get
back out and you can rest assured that I’ll be returning
to Imperium Airsoft just as soon as they reopen!
Additional thanks go to Darwin Atdarzairsoft
(official site photographer at Imperium) for allowing
us to use some of his superb images in support of this
article. Please keep an eye on https://imperiumairsoft.
com for information on upcoming games and events
and take a moment to check out their social media
pages to see what they’ve been up to recently in
preparation for 2021! AA
www.airsoftaction.net 67
armoury
CYMA
009 “NAM AR” SERIES
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
“NAM AR”
SERIES
AS A KEEN COLLECTOR OF VIETNAM WAR ERA GEAR AND LIVING HISTORY ENTHUSIAST AS WELL AS
AIRSOFT PLAYER BILL IS CONSTANTLY LOOKING OUT FOR NEW PERIOD AEGS AND GBBS THAT ARE
IDEAL FOR THAT CONFLICT, AND HE’S BEEN WAITING TO GET HANDS-ON THE NEW MODELS FROM
CYMA THAT FIT RIGHT IN!
Like most of you reading this, I grew up after the
Vietnam War had ended. Although I am a child
of 1964, I have no personal recollections of the
“American War” from the time but certainly, as I grew
older I learnt more, largely due to having an American
former-USAF Major as my “modern history” teacher
(he also taught us about the intricacies of American
Football, bless him!) but also thanks to the plethora
of coverage both in movies and even in comic
books (who remembers the cartoon strip “Fighting
Mann”???).
That has led me, throughout my adult life, to
learning more and more about this particular conflict,
building up both an extensive library of books written
by those who served there (both sides, not just the
USA), along with an ever-expanding collection of
equipment and uniforms, some real and some repro.
Although I haven’t been active for a while, I have
been involved with Vietnam War Living History Groups
(namely www.modernforces.com), whilst my time
living in the USA turned me into the “mule” of one
group, leading to me scouring every militaria and
“Army/Navy” within miles to source original kit to
bring it back to them in the UK!
I was also an active member of the original
international Vietnam Airsoft (VNAS) group and
played a small part in creating VNAS-UK (in fact I
still have the banner!), attending “Namsoft” games
around the UK and even running a few myself.
You may remember me as “Wild Bill” from those
groups and games but if you weren’t there man, you
wouldn’t know! After a harsh introduction into the
fact that “Namsoft” was every bit as detail-stringent
as living history (thanks Ken Cho if you’re reading this
for setting me on the right track!), my appreciation
Living History image -
Eyepro Not Required
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CYMA 009 “NAM AR” SERIES
of the efforts made by players to “get it right”
has continued to grow over the years.
And, of course, there’s one specific area of
this that as airsofters we ALL love and that’s
the firearms used “in country”! Again, over
the years various “M16s and XMs” of varying
quality and historical accuracy have come and
gone, although I do still own my original
Classic Army “XM” that was cut down to
“E1” (more on that later!) length. Some
have been complete “frankenguns” put
together for spare parts with real period
furniture, whilst others have been off the
shelf models that have served their purpose
and seen some action; suffice to say that my
US “Nam Armoury” is quite… extensive!
Airsoft replicas of “Nam” period rifles
and carbines has become better and better
and with the current drive in technology (in
relation to internals), they actually perform
excellently too these days! Externals have
also improved, with any Vietnam reenactors
that I know owning AEGs and
GBBs because they are “just right” and
you’ll see many of them at shows like War
& Peace or Military Odyssey.
Although I’ve owned many “M16s”
most of my living history
impressions have been
centred on MACV-SOG,
MIKE Forces and the LRRPs
(along with the occasional
bit of Stoner-wielding SEAL
action!), so the full length
M16 has never really been my
preferred model as most
of those units carried the
XM177 Carbine, or the
“CAR-15” as most vets
refer to it. That said, most
of
the Vietnam airsoft players
I know revel in the role of the lowly
“grunt” where “Mr. Colt’s Best Girl” is
most definitely their favourite choice
of replica.
What I received from Taiwangun
though, piqued my interest as I also
have impressions based on the
“Advisers” from the early days of
the Vietnam War. When they
told me they had a new
CYMA “Nam” era M16 of
course I was interested, but
what arrived was highly unexpected and very exciting.
Out of the plain box came the rifle and when I looked
closely it was not just any old M16 but a pretty nicely
achieved early war Colt Model 603/XM16E1, featuring
CYMA’s latest internals!
MASH UP!
During the late 1950s and early 1960s the way
the USA fought wars was changing, moving from
massed “force on force” set pieces to “manoeuvre
warfare”, with far more deployments taking place on
a smaller scale. Troops became mechanised and air
mobile and the rifle they used needed to reflect this.
It needed to be smaller and lighter in weight than
the ungainly and heavy M14s, L1A1s, and G3s in use
at the time by the US and other armies worldwide.
Engagement distances, especially in the jungles South
East Asia, were decreasing so the need for a high
power 7.62mm was lessened; enter the M16 and
“5.56mm”!
Although the “airsoft M16” has been covered
exhaustively I am a sucker for the more interesting
models. The Colt Model 603/XM16E1 was the first
attempt at providing an improved M-16 for the US
Army, with production running from early 1964 until
it became the Colt Model 603/M16A1 in early 1967.
The XME1 was the first model to incorporate the
“forward assist” feature and also featured the “Partial
Fence” reinforced lower receiver for the first time, and
because it was a “going from one place to another”
model, it also featured a real mash-up of components
during its production cycle.
After use with advisory and “special” units, the U.S.
Army began to issue the XM16E1 in 1965, with most
of them going to the newly raised and experimental
Airmobile Divisions and the 1st Air Cavalry Division in
particular. After many trials and tribulations the Army
finally standardised an upgrade of the XM16E1 (as the
M16A1) in 1967 and the Model 603/M16A1 remained
the primary infantry rifle of U.S. forces in Vietnam
until the end of direct U.S. ground involvement. It also
became the standard service rifle for all U.S. military
ground forces after it fully replaced the M14 service
rifle in 1970.
TICKING ALL THE BOXES
There really is a LOT of history behind the M16 and for
any airsofter having an early model in the collection
really does encompass many eras and conflicts. Yes,
of course it can be used for Vietnam themed games
but it also would be pretty correct for Cold War and
Falkland War Scenarios, as the M16 was used heavily
by UK Special Forces and the Royal Marines during
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armoury
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those “on/off” conflicts (again, I’ll come back to that
later!).
It’s really the attention to detail, even the tiniest of
things, that really makes the humble CYMA stand out
from the crowd though. I’ve seen many manufacturers
have a crack at an “M16VN” only to be let down
by silly things, like using the wrong pistol grip or
handguard slip ring. Although such things will only be
noticed by a true “stitch bitch”, once you see, you just
can’t un-see!
The Colt Model 603 had some pretty unique
features, which many believe were only added at a
later date when the rifle finally became the M16/
A1. Firstly, the lower receiver of the 603 had what is
known as “a partial fence”, in that it carried only an
additional reinforcing feature above the magazine
release. The upper receiver had only just received the
forward assist, in the case of the early models a more
rounded shape. The flash hider was originally still of
the three-prong style, but during the life of the 603
models could also be found with the “birdcage”, and
the slip ring was flat rather than the conical shape we
see today. The butt pad was a simple rubber affair,
although the distinctive triangular handguard was
already in place.
The CYMA, rather surprisingly and somewhat
pleasingly, follows this entire feature set down to the
smallest detail; it truly is a work of art and no little
research has gone into getting everything completely
right. The replica 603 is fully made of good quality
alloy, with only the pistol grip, butt, and handguard
being made of a very nice matt black plastic. The
metal parts, rather than just being a shoddily painted
black, are a deep black and grey mix. There are
absolutely no trademarks so it’s a blank canvas for the
re-enactor!
Internally things are no less impressive. The hop-up
adjustment is exactly where you would expect it to
be, behind the fake bolt which is accessed by pulling
back the charging handle; this benefits from the
now-common “hold back” function that means the
cover stays to the rear until you hit the bolt release
which can be fun in game! The hop is a solid metal
unit and once set stays steadfastly in place. The
rifle also benefits from CYMA’s new “E-EDITION”
configuration, that can handle higher-strength springs
and also ensures a super-snappy trigger response. This
has been achieved thanks to the new, more durable
gearbox parts such as a V2 gearbox with quick spring
change system, a steel gear set with 8mm steel
bushings and bearing spring guide, married up neatly
to a high torque neodymium motor and processor unit
with built-in MOSFET system!
This really is an impressive rifle, not just for the
money (as it’s a steal in my opinion) and even on
a 7.4V though it really does crack away; bear in
mind that most Vietnam themed airsoft games will
have strict ammo limits and you’re going to want to
stick on semi-auto anyway. The trigger is crisp and
responsive. The metal 160 BB magazine is the short
type first issued with the real 603 and feeds absolutely
flawlessly and once loaded, snaps into place with no
wobble.
I loaded the magazine up with a full complement of
my usual RZR 2.0g test BBs and got to work. The BBs
through the chrono gave me a perfectly acceptable
mean of 1.06 Joule/339fps (once again I’d asked
Taiwangun to deliver as close to 350fps as possible -
and once again they delivered!). Setting targets out to
50 metres I was able to get reasonable groupings on
semi-auto, with things opening out marginally when
I switched the selector up to full. My thought is that
with a bit of fettling you could really have a very, very
accurate rifle on your hands here, although it’s good
to go straight out of the box.
SHORT(ER) AND SWEET(ER)!
Now, as much as I love this take on the venerable
M16 rifle, CYMA have actually created a series with
the same internal components and in said series you
also have the XM177E1 and E2 carbine variants to
choose from! This of course interests me greatly (given
my specific historical interests) and both are as unique
as the 603!
The Colt Model 609 (along with the Model 610
for the USAF, known simply as the XM177/ GAU-5A)
was the first Colt carbine to see wide scale production
and adoption by the US military with the designation
XM177E1. This model was produced from late 1966
through until early 1967 and proved somewhat
problematical due to the 10-inch barrel having a
negative bearing on reliability, along with causing
accuracy issues, even with the distinctive 4.5-inch
moderator.
“THE CYMA, RATHER SURPRISINGLY AND SOMEWHAT PLEASINGLY, FOLLOWS THIS
ENTIRE FEATURE SET DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL; IT TRULY IS A WORK OF
ART AND NO LITTLE RESEARCH HAS GONE INTO GETTING EVERYTHING COMPLETELY
RIGHT.”
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CYMA 009 “NAM AR” SERIES
The XM177E2 was basically the same carbine with
a 11.5-inch barrel and this, the Colt Model 629,
was fielded by the US Military during the Vietnam
conflict, most extensively by Special Operations Forces
including the “recon teams” of MACV-SOG and the
USN SEALs. The E2 had a number of changes and
improvements made to it, which included lengthening
the barrel and making changes the moderator to
make it more effective, along with giving underslung
grenade launcher compatibility. Both the CYMA
“XMs” are also things of beauty and if you look
closely you’ll find small details, like the change in
handguard slip ring, that make them sing to me!
But there’s a final model in the line-up that I find
REALLY interesting, even more so in a way than the
“Nam” models …and that’s the CM.009D.
This is an unusual carbine in that it looks nothing
more than an XM with a longer barrel but if you’re a
gun-bunny like me, then it’s going to jump out as the
Model 653/4! This was the final “all A1 Component”
model in the Colt 600 Series and the second carbine
model created with the now almost-standard 14.5-
inch barrel. This model was almost exclusively used by
USSF, the Rangers and USN SEALs, although there are
couple of instances where it can be seen in use by UK
Forces too!
Over the years in various uniform reference books
for the Falklands War, there’s a picture of a splendid
chap called Hugh McManners, author of the book
“Falklands Commando” and who was among the first
of the British Special Forces to land on the Falkland
Islands …and he’s carrying what is usually referred
to as a “Colt Commando” but is, to the best of my
knowledge, a Model 653/4. The British Forces, such
as the Royal Marines liked the “M16” series (in reality
more likely to be Colt export models such as the 711
and 715), as did
the SAS from their
time in the jungles
of Borneo, so it
would make sense
that McManners,
as a member of
148 (Meiktila)
Commando Forward
Observation Battery
and who I believe
was predominantly
a forward controller
for both the SAS
and SBS in the
Falklands, would
have carried a
lighter carbine
version from the
same family!
In a nutshell these are all (with the smallest amount
of work like changing the oversized handguards on
the XMs and getting some cool “trades” engraved)
close to Living History standard replicas in terms of
look, feel and finish and the “M16” certainly works
perfectly as a “fighting AEG”. You get everything that
CYMA have always been great at, with the added
bonus of the very latest internals that until now
they’ve only offered in their more modern “tacticool
ARs”. The CYMA CM.009C MOSFET EDITION “M16”
Model 603 has a retail price of just £163.63 at
Taiwangun (at the time of writing) and this is fabulous
value for money!
Although I bought the “M16” for myself in the
first place, I think there may be a CM.009E/XM177E1
coming to me too when I can afford one and possibly
even one of those CM.009D/Model 653/4 as well to
go into my “Falklands Collection”… a man can never
have too many “collections”, right?
For more information on CYMA .009 models head
over to www.taiwangun.com. AA
www.airsoftaction.net 71
THE CAGE
XMAS STOCKING
THE CAGE:
ALL I WANT FOR
CHRISTMAS!
2020 HAS BEEN A YEAR THAT MOST OF US WOULD LIKE TO FORGET FOR MANY REASONS BUT THE
FACT IS THAT, EVEN DURING THE MOST CHALLENGING OF TIMES, AIRSOFTERS AROUND THE GLOBE
HAVE ADAPTED TO OVERCOME, GETTING THEIR GAME ON WHENEVER - AND WHEREVER - IT WAS
SAFE TO DO SO! BILL REFLECTS ON THE PAST YEAR AND CHECKS IN WITH THE AA TEAM TO FIND
OUT WHAT THEY’D REALLY, REALLY LIKE FOR CHRISTMAS!
So, 2020 has been a bust for airsoft… or has
it? I’d be the first to admit that we’ve faced
challenges during 2020 that have been pretty
much above and beyond virtually anything we’ve
faced before! Yes, there have been legal issues
surrounding ownership of ROFs that put the very
future of our beloved game in to question in the past,
and those will always be with us given the seeming
“gutter press” agenda to make anything even vaguely
“gun-shaped” the domain of potential evil-doers!
But the C-Virus (as I mentally see it!) has placed a
HUGE challenge before us, threatening our ability to
gather and play airsoft, and putting manufacturers,
retailers, and site operators under immense pressure
financially! Shows have been cancelled, games have
been postponed, shops have been shut physically,
and even sites have been “mothballed” putting safety
most well and truly first.
But has this ever threatened airsoft as a whole? I
don’t believe it has, as the global airsoft community in
many ways seems stronger than ever before!
The good manufacturers have taken the “slower
tempo” to really make inroads into new technological
developments, and to ensure that new models arrive
with us almost weekly! And with these new models,
rather than the usual “scrum and glut” we see of
them at SHOT and IWA, instead they have been
released at regular intervals, allowing both we as
evaluators and you as players to check each and every
one out in detail as they arrive.
Sites have adapted too, with more focus on both
player safety and satisfaction! The good sites have
taken their enforced downtime to reassess and,
if necessary rebuild! Time has been taken for site
maintenance and improvement, and the exemplary
sites have invested further to make life easier for
their players in terms of booking, services, and
facilities! Whilst keeping player safety to the forefront
numerous site opreators I’ve spoken to have told me
that the new “quality and safety” measures that they
have put in place during the pandemic will stay, to a
degree, in place when things ease so thyat players get
a better experience for their “gameday buck”.
What of “the community”, that fragile thing that
we speak of so much? In truth I’ve seen more than
ever players in online groups actively reach out and
support their fellows, giving advice freely and honestly,
sharing ideas, and generally reaching out to those that
are having a tough time. Much of the toxicity of the
past seems to have been placed well and truly on the
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THE CAGE
XMAS STOCKING
back-burner, making airsoft discussion online a far
richer thing than before, and my personal wish is that
when that toxicity tries to return, we should as a true
community make it clear that this is unacceptable.
And what of the future? In my mind it is only a
matter of time before airsoft recommences fully, and
that we’re all out, together as friends and “teamies”,
enjoying our game once again! You’ll see from
Stewbaca’s report on MOA that things have already
started moving forward again, and although there is
no SHOT in January, and no IWA in March, from what
I see, along with discussions I’ve already had with
manufacturers and those in the industry proper, the
airsoft scene for 2021 is already looking MEGA!
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…
So, with great things to look forward to, this time
I got together with the “regulars” to ask them “if
money were no object, what airsoft goodness would
you like to see under your Christmas tree? And
realistically what do you think you’ll see airsoft-wise
under your Christmas Tree?” and this is what they told
me…
Jimmy: I’ve asked Santa for a TM416 Delta with
all the trimmings as a money no object prezzie.
Realisitcally, I wouldnt mind some Magpul furniture
for my Specna, now that would be nice! In fact it’ll
probably be socks and slippers, oh and maybe some
pants!
Callum W: A proper functioning airsoft SMLE…
Bren gun… Lewis gun… (we see a pattern here!)
Boycie: Money no object, ERG LMT .308, basically
the L129A1 with the 6x ACOG scope. Realistically the
rail I need to complete the Banshee build…
Scott: Browning M2… For vehicle mounting mostly,
having to scratch build them in a pain!
Björn: The best would be automatically activated
gentlemanly behaviour for ALL players on the field...
maybe automatic identification of hits and the lock
gun system could help!
Stewbacca: GBBR FAL/G3, maybe that Luger and/
or PPQM2 GBB I’ve been eyeing up. But that’s not out
of the realms of my means or possibilities I suppose,
things are perhaps too accessible here in Taiwan! My
wishlist is actually shrinking, probably because I keep
accumulating guns I have less space for, and more
earache from MsStewbacca about... Phased pulsed
plasma rifle in the 40kW range though?
Bill W-R: Money no object, Specna MK18, ICS CXP
ARK, Ares L85A3 and a full 5.11 UBACS loadout in
big boy size. What am I likely to get? UK army issue
deployment bag and some candy canes!
Hana: A decree on the licensing of “soft-bomb”
guns in China!
Christopher J W: TM M27 recoil, range of TM
MP5 recoils, a collection of blasters and laser guns for
all my SciFi project games and some robot horses that
we can use for the 6th Cavalry!
Stef: Tokyo Marui Mk46!
Jon: Probably a fully tricked out DMR (quick change
spring, full hop work, MOSFET, 100m accuracy etc),
a WAS RPC in Ranger Green (with AK and STANAG
pouches) and some new waterproof versions of the
Under Amour boots as they’re easily the most comfy
boots on the planet.
Stu H: Money no object ? Getting hold of my old
Romak AK again; CA Body and guts, but real wooden
grips and folding stock! Or the mythical ERG Masada!
Realistically ? Nowt…
Jase: Money no object, a real LBT 6094 with
accessories. What’s really going to be under the tree?
Nothing, lol!
HEARTFELT PLEAS
And to conclude this year, I’ve included a couple more
“heartfelt pleas” that really sum things up!
Bill W-R: Imagine this…. UBACS only available
in sizes small and medium, that latest Gucci 5.11 or
Halikon load out not available in a 32” leg? Everyday
1st world problem. No, because for the average
airsofter in the UK and the majority of the world, as
long as you don’t wear bigger than an XL then your
choice of what to wear is almost endless, from army
surplus to OPFOR, all tastes are well covered. However,
get to the larger sizes and you are now looking at a
whole new ball game.
Now before anyone says anything, yes I am of
larger build and so far this year I have lost 20kg,
however this still doesn’t allow me to squeeze into a
decent DPM or Multicam top with Velcro on the arms
to hang my favorite patches or call sign. So what is
the problem? 5.11 do sizes in the USA up to 6XL;
however they see fit to not allow them for sale here in
old blighty.
“The Fat Airsofters Association” has over two
thousand members, so the market is there and how
many players are possibly dissuaded from playing our
sport because they can’t look like everyone else on
the field. As an industry I would say they are missing
a (pardon the pun) growing market in supplying
larger players who don’t want to rely on substandard
products from overseas retailers on your favorite
auction sites or app. Now I am not saying that we are
ridiculed for our size as the community is way above
that in my personal experience, but oh how I wish
I could throw on some tacticool ripstop trousers, a
www.airsoftaction.net 73
Airsoft & MilSim News Blog
@AMNBOfficial
Airsoft & MilSim News Blog
@airsoftmilsimnewsblog
AWARD WINNER
WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM
If you have any old kit or gear tucked away in a
cupboard, garage or shed that you have thought about
sticking on eBay, or a forum to get rid of it, then why
not donate it to the Pilgrim Bandits instead and Tez will
make sure any money raised from its sale will go
towards helping even more people – and you can be
sure of the undying gratitude and thanks of those who it
helps to live again.
Please contact Tez on either his mobile: 07748 800 981
or email: terry.arnett@pilgrimbandits.org
THE CAGE
XMAS STOCKING OPTICS
UBACS and a decent plate carrier and look like my
team mate next to me in some properly recognizable
camouflage pattern. So here is the challenge I set to
all the manufacturers and retailers out there. Open
your wares to the bacon buttie loving brethren!
The market is there, we know it is and some of you
already have the products available in other regions,
so come on share the love for the larger player at let
us get tacticool too.
Steve T: This is gonna seem super obvious and
a bit like a beauty pageant model asking for world
peace, but the only thing I wish for this Christmas is
for COVID to be nothing more than a memory!
I miss playing, I miss my squad, and I miss my
friends. I really hope that we can all get an effective
vaccine and get back to what we love doing the most
- shooting each other! Wishing you all health, wealth
and happiness (Oh - and I’ll take a Wolverine MTW
since you’re asking...).
So that’s it for another year, but rest assured that
everyone involved in Airsoft Action is already hard at
work for the next Issue, and are ready for a whole
new year of airsoft fun in 2021! Like Steve, we have
ALL missed being next to our friends both at home
and abroad, and all of us are looking forward to a
year of airsoft where we can once again live, learn,
and grow!
Wherever you are, the entire Airsoft Action crew
wish you the very best for 2021, and a very Happy
Christmas! AA
www.airsoftaction.net 75
feature
THE MP7A1
SMALL BUT
PERFECTLY
FORMED!
AS PROMISED AT THE END OF FRENCHIE’S PIECE ON THE GLOCK 18C AEP LAST
MONTH, THIS MONTH HE’S TURNING HIS ATTENTION TO THE MARUI MP7A1.
While some question the point of the AEP
pistols, the Personal Defence Weapons
(PDW) make a more persuasive case for
their existence. It is true that there is now a choice of
gas blowback MP7s to choose from, they are prone
to all the potential drawbacks of their ilk, cost, pricey
magazines, and sometime fickle operation. I know
that there are many of you out there who love them,
and I get it, but if you’re a player who is looking for
simpler and more dependable version of the MP7, the
Marui is almost certainly the best choice.
THE MP7
The MP7, originally the HK PDW, was developed to
meet the same NATO requirement as the FN P90 – a
weapon for second-line troops whose normal duties
didn’t require them to carry a rifle. The requirement
also sought new ammunition capable of penetrating
standard soft body armour, something that existing
9mm-based weapons increasingly struggled with.
H&K developed a 4.6x30mm round, unique in that
both variants were penetrators designed, and indeed
capable of defeating soft armour at 200 metres.
Fiocchi and VBR of Belgium produce ball ammunition
in 4.6mm with VBR producing a two-part controlled
fragmentation round for the weapon.
Due to the wide use of polymers in construction,
the MP7 series can be used as pistols or as
submachine guns with the collapsible stock providing
increased stability. H&K claim that the 4.6mm round
is virtually recoilless.
The compact nature of the weapon and its ability
to defeat body armour have seen its deployment
well beyond second echelon and police roles with it
becoming a useful tool in the arsenal of many of the
world’s special forces.
THE AIRSOFT VERSION
Right, back to the airsoft version and I’ll pop this
in here simply to get it dealt with – while Chinese
factories have produced perfectly acceptable clones
of pretty much everything, I have yet to handle or
work on a clone of the PDWs which is worth the
investment. Why they seem to be problematic I don’t
know, but every example I have handled, fired, or
worked on was prone to issues from poor electrics to
inadequate range. So, while I have nothing against
Chinese guns in general, with these I would say the
original is still best.
Like the Automatic Electric Pistol (AEP) range, the
heart of the MP7A1 is its miniaturised gearbox. These
are a perfect example of Marui’s technical excellence,
and they are also really small! As with the pistols,
there are a whole raft of upgrades available, and
companies who specialise in supplying and fitting
these upgrades. Unlike the pistols, I do get the desire
to improve performance in the MP7A: as a PDW it
is more desirable that it should perform more like a
full-AEG so it can be used as a primary weapon – after
all the real thing can be depending on situation and
circumstance. Technically this is challenging because
of the size, or lack of size of the components, and I
78
JANUARY 2021
feature
THE MP7A1
have yet to meet one
that can match the 350
fps-plus of most AEGs.
That however could
simply be because I
haven’t met the right
MP7 yet, and I have an
admiration for those
that can upgrade those
tiny gearboxes and get
them running reliably
at higher fps.
In stock trim, output
is similar to the AEPs,
but slightly better – muzzle velocity is stated to be
240fps and combined with a Marui hop unit, this
should give decent, if unspectacular range. The
issue with both the compact AEGS and the AEPs is
not some much one of absolute range, it’s more to
do with how long it takes the BB to get where you
want it to be. As mentioned last month, if your
intended target sees you shooting at them, they have
a reasonable chance of being able to dodge the fire
with no suspicion of cheating required! On the other
hand, if your play style leans towards the sneaky and
subtle, these are excellent weapons being compact
and fairly quiet. They also have the advantage of not
delivering outrageous welts – an advantage if that’s
something that matters to you I suppose!
As with the AEP these rely on relatively small
batteries and I have seen a few modifications to allow
the use of LiPo packs or external battery options to
improve in-game life. Magazines are generally low to
mid capacity – Marui do manufacture wind up hi-caps,
as do the Chinese clone makers but I always found
these to feed less reliably than the lower capacity
alternatives.
If you forego upgrades, other than possibly
improving battery life, the MP7A1 is a bit like my
beloved TM shotguns – an airsoft gun that will
absolutely do the job but requires that you do some
work to get the best from it. You will need to get
closer to your target than with your tricked-out AR15
variant, you cannot easily become the equivalent of
a squad automatic weapon and dump lots of ammo
to cover advances or retreats, these are guns that
demand greater subtlety.
Given their compact size they do make great CQB
guns, an environment where range is usually a lesser
concern and where slapping a decent red-dot onto
the top rail can pay dividends as even with a rather
simple stock, the MP7 points well and comes onto
target quickly.
Like most of Marui’s guns (and the real thing) it is
made largely of ABS plastic but it’s a solid little beast
that shouldn’t cause any undue issues. With AEPs and
the compact AEGs I habitually hacked the supplied
charger off and soldered a connector onto the wires
to allow the use of a decent charger. I found this
improved the levels of charge and protected the
batteries – certainly with the pistols I never felt the
need to source alternative power sources. Were I
running the MP7A1 I might fit a compact dummy
LAM unit to hold an external battery, in part just to
make it a little easier and quicker to change batteries
in game, as removing the front end to do so is less
convenient than the “slide off, battery in” method
pioneered with the AEPs.
While I have a huge soft spot for the FN P90
(frankly I have a huge soft spot for anything FN
develops) there is no escaping the fact that the MP7
series is far more compact and easier to carry. You
can’t, sensibly, holster a P90 whereas that’s a definite
possibility with the H&K weapon. With its magazinein-grip
layout the MP7A1 is an intuitive gun to use
and the control layout will be instantly familiar to
nearly all airsofters – less thinking more shooting!
Would I personally run one as a primary weapon?
I honestly don’t know – just because I could doesn’t
necessarily mean I would, and I have used Marui’s
Tactical launchers with their dubious range extensively
in the past. As an alternative to a sidearm it’s a more
flexible option – yes AEPs are selective fire – but
stocks and red-dots make a significant difference to
the probability of hitting what you’re aiming at and
that is an advantage that’s worth something. The
larger ammo capacity of the MP7, combined with the
‘properly’ sized magazines (compared to the Glock
AEP with its stick mags) makes it overall an easier
weapon to use and if I found myself having to rely on
a secondary I would much rather it was one of these
than a pistol. AA
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VIKTOS OPERATUS XP DENIM JEANS
LO-VIS ENOUGH TO BE YOUR BEST DAILY JEAN.
TACTICAL ENOUGH TO CARRY A FULL EDC LOAD-OUT.
SHOP NOW
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YOU DROP!!
CHRISTMAS IS ON THE HORIZON, AND WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT WE ARE VERY MUCH LOOKING
FORWARD TO IT THIS YEAR! OF COURSE IT’S THAT TIME WHEN YOUR NEAREST AND DEAREST THAT WISH
TO HUMOUR YOUR AIRSOFT ADDICTION WILL BE ASKING YOU FOR LITTLE GIFT IDEAS, SO THIS TIME WE’VE
KEPT THINGS SENSIBLE(ISH!) FOR ALL THOSE LITTLE STOCKING FILLERS!
Head torches are an invaluable tool; being able to go
“hands free” whilst maintaining a stable light source
means that you can go about your tasks after dark
just as easily as in daylight
PETZL
Whilst there are many brands available on the market
one has always stood out, and that is Petzl. The
TACTIKKA +RGB is a compact head torch ideal for
both recreational and professional users, offering a
choice of white or red/green/blue lighting to preserve
night vision. It’s designed for activities where stealth is
a key factor.
The TACTIKKA +RGB head torch offers versatile
lighting; proximity or focused lighting for movement,
BOOST mode for temporary access to maximum
brightness (160 lumens) and three lighting modes
(red, green or blue). It also features CONSTANT
LIGHTING technology to ensure constant brightness
over time, and a mixed beam (wide, focused or red).
This is how it is described on their website:
• CONSTANT LIGHTING: brightness does not
decrease gradually as the batteries are drained
• Several lighting modes suitable for different
situations, from proximity lighting to rapid
movement
• BOOST mode for temporary access to maximum
brightness
• Red light combining visual comfort and stealth,
red strobe light
• Automatically switches to reserve mode when
batteries are running low and then to red
lighting when the batteries are nearly empty
• Compatible with Ni-MH or lithium batteries for
greater burn time
Easy to use:
• push-button is easy to use, even with gloves
• washable headband, designed for dynamic
activities (secure and absorbent)
Specifications
• Weight: 85g
• Technology: CONSTANT LIGHTING
• Beam pattern: mixed
• Energy: 3 AAA/LR03 batteries (included)
• Battery compatibility: rechargeable Ni-MH and
lithium
• Certification(s): CE
• Watertightness: IP X4 (weather resistant)
At only 88g with the batteries fitted, and with
a comfortable, broad headband, the TACTIKKA
+RGB can be worn for extended periods of time; the
headband also offers sufficient adjustment for it to
be worn with most helmets. The torch itself can be
angled downwards to bring the beam into exactly the
position you need it to be, and angling downwards
also gives easy access to the battery compartment.
The broad, well-sized function control button,
which allows you to easily cycle between lighting
modes, is big enough to use even with gloves
on.Whilst the TACTIKKA +RGB is not the smallest
head torch on the market it’s easily stowable, and
durable enough to put up with some serious abuse.
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DECEMBER 2020
KIT & GEAR
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We’ve been using the latest version for a good while
now, and the run time is exemplary. The TACTIKKA
+RGB comes in camo, desert tan, and black. After
using Petzl head torches for many years we have great
confidence in what the brand builds, and thus far
the TACTIKKA +RGB has proved that they continue
to drive the technology forward. This product comes
with our complete recommendation!
KYDEX CUSTOMS
Sticking with light sources, protecting your taclite
from BB strikes can mean the difference between
going home happy and holding your head in your
hands when you pack up your beloved pistol light
with a shattered lens!
Our friends at Kydex Customs (www.
kydexcustomsuk.com) have a solution for you in the
form of a Replacement Torch Perspex Lens! Priced at
multiple colours and patterns, and designed as a lowprofile
medium sized waist pack, the Toke features a
5” wide belt strap equipped with genuine Duraflex
quick release buckle, sturdy Wisport zippers and side
webbing loops for optional attachments. Additionally,
there’s a zipper secured front pocket and large loop
patch for hook-and-loop customisation with tags, IDs
or morale patches, and glove friendly paracord zipper
pulls for easy and quick access to all pockets. Made
of durable 500D Cordura Nylon material, this highly
practical waist pack is perfect for all those little iems
like car keys or your phone when you’re on site!
Again available in lots of colours aand patterns, if
you eed a bit more space for your EDC items, then the
HELIKON BUSHCRAFT SATCHEL could be just what
you need! At 17 litres this useful bit of kit is made of
durable Nylon Cordura fabric, and has been designed
just UK£2.99 these replacement lenses are held in
stock in two sizes to fit Surefire X300, X300U and
X300V lights as well as Nuprol NX200 and NX300
lights, some of the more common weapon lights on
the market, and they’re made from shock resistant
clear perspex; the price is for a single replacement
lens. If you have a model of light they don’t offer a
replacement for then please reach out to them and
they can have one custom made just for you!
MILITARY1ST.CO.UK
If you’ve not checked it out, our friends at www.
military1st.co.uk have an entire section devoted to gift
ideas, and a couple of them grabbed our attention as
items we would certaiinly use ourselves!
The WISPORT TOKE WAIST PACK is available in
for active outdoor users as well as tactical users.
It features two spacious compartments fitted with
genuine garaged YKK zippers with glove friendly pulls,
concealed slots for attaching tactical gear of your
choice and detachable shoulder strap. With multiple
MOLLE panels on the sides and bottom of the bag the
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Bushcraft Satchel is a must have carry item!
Whenever you are airsofting, or indeed undertaking
any physical activity, keeping yourself hydrated should
be your priority, and not only when the temperatures
are rising! The KLEAN KANTEEN WIDE MOUTH 800ML
BOTTLE is fully compatible with most backcountry
water filters and UV
sterilisation devices.
These high-quality
liquid carriers are made
of extremely durable
18/8 food-grade
stainless steel and
were designed to be
the healthy alternative
to polycarbonate
and lined aluminium
bottles. Thanks
to its sturdy steel
construction Wide
Mouth bottles are
environmentally
friendly, toxin-free and
don’t retain or impart
flavours. Additionally,
these durable bottles
can easily be sterilised
in boiling water, so no matter what you put into them,
it’s always easy to keep your drinks fresh, crisp and
clean tasting.
And don’t think for a moment that insulated
flasks are just for old people (like Bill!), as the KLEAN
KANTEEN TKWIDE 591ML INSULATED BOTTLE with its
double-walled vacuum insulated construction keeps
contents hot for up to 17 hours and cold for up to 58
hours. Field rated, environmentally friendly and toxinfree,
these sturdy steel construction bottles are highly
durable, leakproof, long-lasting and don’t retain or
impart flavours.
TKWide Insulated Bottles can
be used as a mug, a thermos
or a bottle, and thanks to the
wide opening and slim design
they are easy to drink from,
easily accommodate ice cubes
and cleaning brushes, and are
fully compatible with most
backcountry water filters and
standard size cup holders.
let’s face it, gas for your GBBs is always going to be
welcome, and the guys at www.airsoftzone.com
sent us an early Xmas gift in the form of their latest
NIMROD gas!
This comes in four performance levels ideally for
all makes and models of GBB, and indeed different
environmental conditions!
The specifications are:
LIGHT PERFORMANCE BLUE GAS
• Best choice for hot summer days or guns with
plastic slide / without recoil.
• Pressure: 0.8 Mpa / 116 Psi / 8 Bar
• Operating range: +15 - +40°C
STANDARD PERFORMANCE GREEN GAS
• Great all-round gas for spring, summer and
autumn use, suitable for a wide range of airsoft
replicas.
• Pressure: 1.0 Mpa / 145 Psi / 10 Bar
• Operating range: +15 - +35°C
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE RED GAS
• Powerful Airsoft Gas for year-round use,
including the winter season. Suitable for a wide
range of airsoft pistols and rifles.
• The gas is not suitable for pistols and rifles with
plastic slides.
• Pressure: 1.2 Mpa / 174 Psi / 12 Bar
• Operating range: +5 - +30°C
EXTREME PERFORMANCE BLACK GAS
• Extremely strong performance gas. Suitable
for winter use and with high-quality full metal
airsoft guns.
• The gas is not suitable for pistols and rifles with
plastic slides and “Japanese weapons”. For
high minus temperatures, we recommend nonblowback
pistols.
• Pressure: 1.4 Mpa / 203 Psi / 14 Bar
• Operating range: -15 - +20°C
We’ve been checking these new gasses out in
our own gassers, and thus far they’ve proved to be
AIRSOFTZONE.COM
Now if you want something
specifically for airsoft then
84
DECEMBER 2020
KIT & GEAR
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effective in all our GBBs and GBBRs, with both the
Blue and Red performing well in VFC and WE full
travel bolt carbine models! You can check out more
information by visiting https://nimrodtactical.com
BIG FOOT
Protection is another vital part of airsoft for all
these days, and when Bill was visisting his local
airsoft store (All Ages Airsoft) he came across a neat
modular full face solution in the form of the Big Foot
MULTIDIMENSIONAL SPLIT MASK.
Big Foot have made some unique and interesting
mask designs in the past, but finally it seems they’ve
hit their sweet spot with this latest modular design.
Available in multiple colours (even Multicam for
the col perators out there!), and resembling an
OpsCore mandible more than a little, the hard plastic
lower mask can be worn on it’s own with goggles
or ballistic-rated glasses thaanks to a padded and
elasticated headband, or attached direct to the ARC
rails of a suitable FAST style helmet. There is a model
that also comes with goggles built-in, but it’s best
worn, in our opinion, attached to your bone dome
with your usual eyepro beneath. The mask comes with
additional inner padding as standard, but again this
can be left out for improved airflow when attached to
the helmet. We like this mask because a) it’s REALLY
well-priced, and b) it offers great levels of protection
for your lower face and nose whilst still allowing you
to run a comms headset comfortably under your
helmet as usual!
Well, that’s a wrap for out pre-Christmas look at
useful airsoft gear, but whatever you get under your
tree we hope you’ll enjoy it to the full! AA
www.airsoftaction.net 85
last post
THAT WAS THEN...
THAT WAS
THEN..
THIS IS NOW...
FRENCHIE SAYS: “IF I HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE VAGARIES OF EDITORIAL TIMING, CHRISTMAS SHOULD BE
UPON US AND THIS SHOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE POINT TO WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR! IF I’M
A MONTH LATE, OOPS, BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
January. The month named after Janus, the twofaced
Roman God. Janus is two-faced not in
the sense that you can’t trust him further than
you can throw him (all Gods are a bit slippery, let’s
face it) but rather he looks forwards and backwards
simultaneously. He is therefore the God of transitions,
which rather obviously is why the first month of
each year is named after him. As a January baby it
is therefore appropriate that I take this opportunity
to do a bit of both myself, looking back at 2020 and
forwards into 2021.
No-one will need reminding that 2020 was the year
of the pandemic, where we all learned more about
epidemiology than we ever needed, became familiar
with the wrong sort of positivity and for many of
us it was a year that saw us confined to our homes
more than at any other time in our lives. It was also
a year that saw staggering levels of additional deaths
across the globe, and while it’s easy to joke about it, it
doesn’t pay to be glib.
Although my crystal ball has been playing up lately,
I feel confident in predicting that the first quarter
of 2021 will not see a miraculous change for most
of us. Yes there are vaccines on the way but the
logistics of distributing and delivering them are utterly
mindboggling. Even if you aim for 70% inoculation
you are still contemplating some 4.9 Billion people
worldwide. That’s more than read Airsoft Action every
month…. So, while we will all probably be on the
receiving end of needles at some point, it might take
a while.
That means that the sort of restrictions we have all
become used to are most probably going to continue
for some months to come. For some of us that’ll mean
no airsofting at all, for others it may be limited but
possible with care. Here in the UK it’s been a mixed
bag with full lockdowns stopping the sport in its
tracks, followed by partial lockdowns where you could
spend fruitless hours trying to work out of games
could be played or not, which were in turn followed
by various tiers and further lockdowns which made
it possible or impossible to participate. It’s been a bit
like Schrodinger’s Airsoft – simultaneously capable of
being played and of not being played.
“ALTHOUGH MY CRYSTAL BALL HAS BEEN PLAYING UP LATELY, I FEEL CONFIDENT IN PREDICTING
THAT THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2021 WILL NOT SEE A MIRACULOUS CHANGE FOR MOST OF US. ”
86
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THAT WAS THEN...
Hopefully for everyone involved, 2021 will be less
restrictive, allowing retailers and site owners to make
some progress on returning to normality. I know of
some sites near me who have been closed, poised
to open, forced to not reopen by a change in policy
and who have finally had to throw in the towel
either because they simply can’t continue to carry the
burden or because their landlords have decided in the
face of uncertainty to do something else with their
property. Add to this the massive upheaval in the jobs
market with major companies closing completely and
you have to assume that there is simply less money
trundling its way around the system and reaching
retailers, techs and all the others who rely on a cut
from a less than infinite pie to make a living.
However, if you want to know what’s actually going
on, ask someone who is in the thick of it. I had a
socially distanced chat with Scott Allan of Landwarrior
and what he told me rather bore out what I suspected
about 2020.
Apparently, it started well, took a bit of a breather
as lock-down was announced and then picked up as
the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (aka ‘furlough’)
kicked in. That seems to have given airsofters the
confidence to continue spending even though the
playing situation was far from clear.
The move to the tiered system seems to have dealt
the industry a major blow as players were unsure what
they could or couldn’t do and site operators were left
in a similar conundrum. Even getting definitive advice
could be time consuming and frustrating. Given
restrictions on travel things much have been not only
confusing but a bit grim to be honest if you were
trying to run a site which attracts players from all over.
I saw similar behaviour during the banking crisis
of 2008 – there was a period of steady, possibly even
increasing sales and then as the enormity of what was
going down became all too obvious, the retail side of
the business nose-dived as players started to fear for
their livelihoods. It looks like the airsoft industry has
seen something similar although sales over the year
have largely held up.
There were specific instances of pain however
- site insurance went through the roof as insurers
calculated new risks and if you’re being cynical,
probably thought that Covid was a good excuse to
slip some tasty increases in. What?! Me? Cynical? Err,
yes actually. This cost increase, combined with only
half of a normal year’s operation and the loss of all
corporate business has had a marked negative effect
on everyone’s feelgood factor and bottom line.
Hopefully 2021 will see a progressive loosening
of restrictions and therefore easier operating
conditions both where events and retail operations are
concerned. I’m personally worried that as a country
we haven’t yet seen the last of the economic pain,
and of course the pandemic has been a wonderful
excuse for the UK government to stop mentioning
Brexit every hour, even as it looms ahead of us. Given
the lack of any meaningful agreement with the EU at
the time of writing we can only guess at the possible
knock-on effect to the industry next year. I fear that
the pain will come in the form of greater economic
instability and there are no sectors who really benefit
from uncertainty.
If I may stray close to home, Nige’s decision to
finally take Airsoft Action wholly digital and to scrap
the cover price has revitalised the magazine. It’s not
that we weren’t all keen enough, but there are things
you can do digitally that you simply cannot do in print,
and as a contributor, getting my head around this has
been liberating. Even simple things such as inserting
hyperlinks is, in the context of my writing here, a
wonderful novelty. The fact that so many players
across the planet were at times heavily restricted in
their movements makes me proud that as long as they
have a phone, they can keep up with news, reviews,
and opinions. I sincerely hope we entertained and
informed last year and can build on that this year.
So, please forgive what is, honestly, not the most
optimistic view of the near future and receding past
and I draw small comfort from the fact that if we have
all learned anything this year it is that the world you
woke up to on Monday morning can look radically
different by the time you reach Friday afternoon!
Would it be too much to ask that 2021 might bring
positive rather than negative change? AA
HERE’S TO A BRIGHTER 2021!
“HOPEFULLY 2021 WILL SEE A PROGRESSIVE LOOSENING OF RESTRICTIONS AND THEREFORE
EASIER OPERATING CONDITIONS BOTH WHERE EVENTS AND RETAIL OPERATIONS ARE
CONCERNED.”
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