Airsoft Vol. 13

AI-MAG.COM
T H E W O R L D ’ S B E S T S E L L I N G A I R S O F T M A G A Z I N E
MAG HOLDERS
SMG
EVO
GEAR
FROM ESSTAC
BATTLE READY
’ON A BUDGET’
LOAD OUTS!
PAGE 22
COMBAT
ACTION
AIRSOFT!
A BLAST FOR THE
WHOLE FAMILY
TO ENJOY IN
NORWICH!
REAL PAGE 50
SWORD!
THE ULTIMATE DMR
ALL NEW GLOVES
TRIED AND TESTED!
M870 SPRINGER
CLASSIC ARMY’S PUMP ‘N’ GO BLASTER!
“BORIS THE BULLET DODGER”
PHOTO BY J. CAPUANO
CHECK OUT PAGE 32
NEW Z-TACTICAL CT5 PTT
ALL IN ONE COMMS
TUNE IN ON PAGE 36
VOL:13 ISS:4 £4.50
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CONTENTS
AIRSOFT INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 13 ISSUE 4
09 FOREWORD
The Editor picks up another hot topic and passes comment. Do you agree? You
can always get in touch on Editorial@ai-mag.com
1 2 - 1 5PHOTO SPOTLIGHT
Ryan Sabad graces our dedicated gallery with some amazing, inspirational
images this month.
1 6 - 17LOCAL LOADOUTS
Real readers, real players, real kit. You can be part of the long standing Local
Load Outs feature, just drop us a line!
22-25 COMBAT ACTION GAMES
A family oriented, friendly site smack bang in the middle of Norfolk!
26-27 AI500: UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Find out all you need to know about our upcoming event here.
28-29 OF MASKS AND MEN
Protective face wear is now a popular choice but it wasn’t always the way.
32-35 CLASSIC ARMY M870 TACTICAL
A spring shotgun with a real sting in its tail, all for just over £100.
36-37 SERPA HOLSTERS
A brief history of a popular but controversial holster.
38 Z-TACTICAL CT5 PTT
An all in one PTT solution that will get your
tactical comms up to scratch.
28
32
FEATURED!
40-47 RUSSIAN KIT
Six months on and we have now finally
assembled a full Russian load out and got
it out on the field! But how does it hold up?
75
38
006 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

40
12
50-53 REAL SWORD SVD
Probably the finest electric DMR that money can buy.
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54-55 SOLDIER SKILLS
More tips to make you a better player. Take as much or as little as you want!
58-59 KILL OR BE KILLED
Okay, airsoft isn’t a matter of life and death but it does make a difference how
you approah and play the game.
62 ESSTAC KYWI MAG POUCHES
Finally a solid solution for those tricky ASG EVO magazines.
63 ASG DIGITAL CHANGER
Get your batteries juiced up for optimum performance with this versatile
battery charging station.
64-65 VIPER TACTICAL ESSENTIALS
On a budget? Viper Tactical’s latest kit is the only stuff you will need to look at.
66-67 THIS IS MY RIFLE…
Jacob takes us on the grand tour of his personally configured BB blaster and
explains his choices.
70-71 FIRST TACTICAL
A new brand on the scene with great products available through Military 1st.
75-78 STROKE OF GENIUS
Short stroke your AEG to push performance into overdrive.
79 FUG LIFE
Enola Gaye’s all new gloves form part of their growing apparel line.
82-83 GERBER GEAR
An exclusive look at Gerber’s new highly affordable SharkBelly folding knife.
86 TAG INNOVATIONS
A new breed of realistic simulation grenades for fragging out your foes.
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W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 007

AIRSOFT INTERNATIONAL VOLUME 13 ISSUE 4
FOREWORD
PAUL MONAF
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
paul@ebcon.co.uk
The man that started it all.
He calls the shots behind the scenes.
BEN WEBB
EDITOR
bwebb@ai-mag.com
A fresh face at the wheel, ready to
steer Ai on to the next level.
BEN DICKIE
ART DIRECTOR
designteam@ai-mag.com
The Rambo of
shapes 'n' colours.
S23: GEAR MONKEY
STAFF WRITER
editorial@ai-mag.com
Our answer to The Stig, you can count on
our Gear Monkey to be at the cutting edge!
PHIL BUCKNALL
STAFF WRITER
editorial@ai-mag.com
An experienced airsoft player bringing a
selection of practical experience.
JACOB MILLER
STAFF WRITER
editorial@ai-mag.com
Jacob is our youngest contributor but he has
wisdom and insight well beyond his years!
CRAIG ATKIN
ILLUSTRATION
craig_atkin@hotmail.co.uk
With a pen in one hand and a 1911 in the
other, this talented guy has us covered!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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FORMAT! CHECK OUT PAGE 88 FOR MORE INFORMATION
Order online at: www.ai-mag.com
Or over the phone on: 01529 488 100
PUBLISHING
PAUL MONAF: SALES / PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
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SHARON MONAF: ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
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DISTRIBUTED BY COMAG
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PRINTED BY THE MAGAZINE PRINTING COMPANY
Issn: 1750-8584
ebcon
publishing ltd.
Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of articles in this magazine,
but the publisher accepts no responsibility for any errors contained in
material from independent sources or authors. Reproduction in whole
or part of any text, photography or illustration in any form without
permission from the publisher/editor is strictly prohibited. We welcome
articles, photographs or artwork. Airsoft International cannot be held
responsible for any loss or damage to unsolicited material. Please
enclose a SAE if you wish your material to be returned. Competitions
will be judged on the dates specified. No correspondence will be entered
into and the judge's decision is final. In the event of the published prize
not being available due to circumstances beyond the control of the
magazine, a suitable alternative of similar value will be provided.
DISCLAIMER
The publishers of Airsoft International (Ai) magazine do not condone the possession of firearms,
airsoft models or replica weaponry for illegal purposes.
The hobby sport of airsoft skirmishing is conducted at specialist skirmish sites or clubs
throughout the world, in controlled conditions where strict safety policies are implemented.
Airsoft International magazine does not publish articles on real firearms or blank firing weapons.
Airsoft replicas should not be confused with real firearms, air rifles or BB Guns.
In accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Home Office in the UK (overseas readers may
be subject to different laws), airsoft replicas are not to be used or brandished by any individual in a
threatening manner in public or in any way to cause a person to fear personal injury.
Airsoft replicas are recommended for use at professionally run skirmish sites. Individuals
ignoring this advice will be breaking the law and can expect severe penalties imposed upon them
from their local constabularies.
TIMES ARE A CHANGIN’
Airsoft has changed quite a lot since we started
publishing this magazine well over 10 years ago.
We have weathered the birth and explosion of
social media and now a whole new generation of
Youtube-fuelled airsoft fanatics are well and truly
immersed in the game. It’s a mighty interesting
phenomena and certainly one that has had a
massive impact on how we interact and play the
game we all love.
Trends move faster, fashions change and the
audience that gets to see our guns, gear and load
outs in action is now massive. Thinking back you
barely ever even saw a photographer at a site but
now we are all desperate to see 500-plus images
of a day’s exploits uploaded onto Facebook before
we have even taken our boots off. This is all great
though, it’s fuelled a massive community and airsoft
in undoubtedly growing in all directions.
“Posers” are one of the much maligned aspects
that have spawned from this media-centric
phenomena but are they really anything new and
are they really deserving of all that negativity?
Many of us like turning up at airsoft games and
getting a bit of attention and that’s why we build
our kits and guns up. There’s rarely anyone that is
so function-driven and utilitarian that they ONLY
use what is absolutely necessary… Having a few toys
and gadgets to spice things up is part of the fun. As
long as what you are doing is safe and within the
game rules and isn’t impacting on anyone else’s fun,
what’s the issue? Airsoft wouldn’t be the immersive
and engaging hobby that it is without the element
of what used to be called “suspension of disbelief”
and to achieve that we need a bit of dressing up and
a few theatrics…
On the other end of the spectrum we have the
“speedsofters”… That’s just playing the game for
what it is and pretty much ditching the pretence
of it all being a “simulation” of military action. It’s
still airsoft but the aforementioned suspension
of disbelief isn’t as essential because the act of
shooting BBs at each other is the same. Speedsoft is
undoubtedly a bit more competitive and is closer to
a sport than what we have to call “themed” airsoft.
Speedsoft as a thing didn’t really have a name in
airsoft a few years ago but it seems to have made
its way into the UK via the internet from the Far East
and the USA where it has been popular for a while.
This time last year there was certainly a bigger
rift between the two extremes but it seems that
a happy medium has been achieved lately, or at
least players are beginning to understand what to
expect at certain venues. I’m not a massive fan of
putting labels on things like this and creating divides
but knowing what you are getting into is certainly
important. it’s amazing how many nuances there are
when it comes to what is simply shooting little balls
at each other really, isn’t it?
See you in the safe zone!
Ben Webb

Y O U R S H O T S ! Y O U R S H O T S I N P R I N T ! - Y O U R
THIS MONTH WE HIGHLIGHT ANOTHER GREAT, UP-
RYAN SABAD AND-COMING LENSMAN, THIS TIME ITS RYAN SABAD
FROM OTTAWA IN CANADA. 12 YEARS IN THE GAME RYAN HAS RECENTLY TURNED HIS
OPTICS TOWARDS THE WORLD OF AIRSOFT AND MIL-SIM TO CREATE SOME EXCITING
AND DYNAMIC IMAGERY. LET’S LET HIM TAKE HIS PLACE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT!
TIME BEHIND THE LENS
Give or take 12 years or so. I first started
gaining interest in photography when I was
in high school as I was stealing my brother’s
point and shoot camera to take pictures of my
skateboard friends. Around the same time my
school had a multimedia program but they
focused more on video and video editing.
I tried my hand there but because of my
ADHD I had a hard time focusing and finishing
assignments as I just didn’t have the attention
span to finish any of my videos. Thankfully my
teacher saw my interest in photography and
had me doing photo ads for school clubs like
rugby and football.
When I was 17 I started working at a local
camera chain (Black’s Photography) where I got
to handle my first real DSLR, The Canon 30D.
There I met one of my personal mentors and
assistant manager, John Morris, who helped me
gain more interest in photography. He taught me
things like rule of thirds, aperture, composition
and most general camera skills. I went to college
to study photography but once again due to
my poor attention span, I did not pass my first
year. I continued to self-teach the finer points of
photography; anything that caught my interest
and as soon as I started getting into airsoft in
2008, my photography came with it. Even before
I bought my first real gun, I had already began
taking photos of airsoft.
HOW I GOT INTO AIRSOFT
I first started getting into airsoft when I was 17
and I would wander the local Wal-Mart and see
the airsoft guns they had. They were cheap,
clear and plasticky garbage but because they
looked like real guns, it caught my eye in a way
I never felt paintball could. Paintball just felt
fake and unrealistic but even these clear airsoft
guns felt more real than any paintball guns I’d
seen. So late 2008 bought a Wal-Mart M4 and
was super excited. That was until I realised that
I had no idea what to do with it. It wasn’t like I
could just walk down to my local park and start
playing around with it there. I had no idea what
airsoft was and what I could do with it. But I had
to find a way to get out and use it, so I googled
“Ottawa Airsoft” in hopes to find anything that
could help me get more information.
Instantly everything changed. I found the
local airsoft forums as well as Airsoft Canada
forums. I had no idea airsoft was such a HUGE
sport, not only nationally but worldwide! I
signed up, got age verified and got invited
out to a game on Feb 28th,2009 in an
abandoned paper mill in Quebec aptly called
“The Mill”. Ever since then I’ve been hooked.
I took photos of that game and it solidified
my desire to play and take photos of airsoft.
Now, almost 10 years later I am one of the
most preferred photographers in the Ottawa
Valley region and the official photographer of
one of the biggest Mil-Sim events in southern
Ontario, Force Recon’s Nightfall. They host
their event mid-June at PRZ Paintball &
Airsoft in Piction, Ontario. This years was on
June 9th-11th. Over the course of the 18hr
event, I ended up taking 3200 photos. I can’t
wait until next year!
012 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

S H O T S I N P R I N T ! - Y O U R S H O T S I N P R I N T !
MY CAMERA GEAR
When I was younger I used simple point and
shoots, but when I started working at the local
camera shop I bought my assistant manager’s
wife’s DSLR, the Canon Rebel XT as my first real
camera. From there I bought a brand new Nikon
D300 for college in 2008, and have been using
ever since, even to this day without fail. Today I
run 2 D300s, one with a 28-70mm lens, the other
with a 70-200mm. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m
proud of the gear I’ve got now, and I plan on using
it to its full potential.
LOCAL SITE
One of the great things about the Ottawa Valley
airsoft community being so close nit, we have
quite a few fields to choose from. There’s Red
Devils in Kempville, OHP in North Gower and
Stingers Airsoft & Paintball in Brockville. But the
most important field to me right now is Siloki
Combat in Smith Falls. Ever since their opening a
few years back, the field owner, Richard Peskett,
has been nothing but supportive of me and my
photography. Great field, great management.
FAVORITE GUN
I’ve always held the MP5SD near and dear to my
heart and I loved the way it felt in Call of Duty. It
was one of my first real airsoft guns so it’s always
a source of fond memories for me. The stories I
could tell about that gun...
FAVORITE WAR FILM
It’s such a hard question to answer because theres
so many good war movies out there. Act of Valor
for its realism, Battle: Los Angeles for its intensity,
Jarhead for Jake Gyllenhaal (seriously underrated
actor. Will watch him in anything)
FIVE THINGS YOU THINK THAT ARE ESSENTIAL
OR IMPORTANT TO AIRSOFT PHOTOGRAPHY
As a player, don’t focus on the camera:
Everyone loves to get a cool shot of themselves.
Which is great, but it’s extremely hard to do
when every time I try to take your picture,
you are looking directly into the camera and
smiling. There’s nothing wrong with that, but
lets save that for after the game, right now I
want to try and capture you being tacticool.
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 013

Y O U R S H O T S ! Y O U R S H O T S I N P R I N T ! - Y O U R
Don’t be afraid to get stuck into the action! As I
mentioned before, everyone wants a cool shot of
themselves. You need to be willing to go just as
hard as the players to make sure you are part of
the action and get the sweet shots. Try and find
yourself directly in the middle of firefights, as this
way you can focus your attention at both teams as
they clash. Sure you might get shot accidentally,
but hey, this is airsoft, it’s what you signed up for!
RYAN SABAD
Don’t be afraid for your lenses. I understand
the mentality. As players, we’ve all lost optics
to a stray BB. But if you fear too much for your
camera, you’ll never be able to reach your full
potential as a combat photographer. I’ve been
shooting for nearly 10 years, and never once
have a felt that a BB has come close to damaging
my lenses. Our lenses are made from the most
perfectly engineered glass in the world. A small
BB would have to be shot from an extremely hot
gun from very close range for it to do serious
damage. I personally recommend use a basic
clear UV filter on your lens. It keeps your lens
from getting dirty and help avoid dust and scratch
damage plus it’ll take the brunt of the damage if
anything were to happen. But seriously, a BB will
not shatter your lens.
In regards to the BBs shattering lenses, That
has been one of the most frequent questions I get
asked... “what do you use to protect your lenses?”
I’m preparing to make a video demonstrating
the durability our lenses have against airsoft BBs.
I have an old lens that is no longer functional that
I will be firing BBs of various weights at various
distances and FPS at. Starting from basic .20g on
a normal fps gun, all the way to .28 silica BBs from
an overpowered, high FPS gun at extremely close
range. I hope to demonstrate that it takes A LOT
to damage a camera lens and that photographers
should not be overly cautious of their cameras. I
hope that I can make this video in the near future
and that more photographers can see this and
adjust their shooting style because of it.
As a player, do and wear things that make you
unique. As a photographer, I am more prone to
taking your photo if you are dressed uniquely,
using a different or unique gun, or your play
style is more enthusiastic than the people around
you. The more interesting the player, the more
interesting the shots. So get out there, be the
hero, scream and shout, run around like crazy, or
grab another player and fireman carry him to your
medic. Whatever it is, do it with pizzazz!
As a player, support your local photographers! I
would not be where I am today if it was not for the
support emotionally and financially of my local
community. Their kind praise and constructive
criticism made me a better my skill set, and their
donations and hiring me for events helped me
afford new lenses and gear. We are all players and
we all know that money in airsoft goes to guns,
gear and games, but whenever you can; support
your local photographer in any way you can. It will
mean the world to them; it certainly does for me.
MEDIA LINKS
■ Facebook www.facebook.com/SabadPhotos/
■ Instagram www.instagram.com/sabadphotos/
■ flickr www.flickr.com/sabadphoto/
■ Twitter twitter.com/sabadphotos
014 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

S H O T S I N P R I N T ! - Y O U R S H O T S I N P R I N T !
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W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 015

Y O U R L O A D O U T S I N T H E S P O T L I G H T
BRAND NEW!
READER’S GEAR!
LOOK THE BUSINESS? WELL DON’T KEEP IT TO YOURSELF, HERE’S
YOUR CHANCE TO SHOW OFF YOUR GEAR. GET INVOLVED AND SEND
YOUR LOAD OUT PICTURES IN TO US AT: EDITORIAL@AI-MAG.COM
NAME: NAME: TOM ‘ANVIL’ HIBBERD
AGE: 40
FROM: NOTTINGHAM
TEAM: LFO (LENTON FIRST & ONLY)
HOME SITE: SKIRMISH NOTTINGHAM
I have been airsofting since 2002 as part of the Lenton First & Only.
Over that time I’ve had various loadouts but as a hobby butterfly
nothing really stuck as I wanted to move onto a new project. For the
last couple of years though I’ve settled on the following. It’s highly
personal and everything works for me. We don’t protest any specific
unit but do have a team camo.
■ HEADGEAR
FMA FAST Helmet with Counterweight Pouch, Warbungie, Airframe
Straps, Goggle Swivels, Comtac Headset Mounts and FMA spacemesh
padding. Sprayed in a tan/green/brown mix. I didn’t used to like
wearing helmets and I’m still not a fan in woodland. However having
cracked my head on door frames too many times I eventually got one
for CQB. It started off life as a fairly standard FMA replica but overtime
I replaced all the padding and strapping with more comfortable
versions. If I was doing it again I’d get an actual Team Wendy bump hat
or a Nexus Kevlar helmet instead.
■ EYE PRO
ESS ICE glasses. Eyewear for me varies on temperature and humidity.
I’m a big sweaty bloke so steam pretty much anything up. I normally
resort to mesh but for those days when I can, I wear ESS ICE.
■ COMMS
Beofeng UV-5RE + Extended Whip Ariel and Extended Battery Pack.
Z tactical TomTac HeadSet + PTT. The Beofeng is ridiculous value for
money. The team has a light radio license so we’re legally allowed to
transmit on them. For a cheap option, this really is a great setup.
016 SEND YOUR LOAD OUTS TO: EDITORIAL@AI-MAG.COM

- L O C A L L O A D O U T S - Y O U R L O A D O U T S I N P R I N T
■ FACE MASK
Nuprol Mesh Face Mask with FMA Goggle Swivels.
I’m the idiot the team uses as a breacher. That also
means I get shot a lot. Not wanting to loose my pearly
whites I picked up a mesh facemask. I removed the original
straps and attached it to the Goggle Swivels for my helmet.
This means that I have a quick detach mask for CQB and
seeing as the SAS have been seen recently wearing them it
can’t be a bad idea.
■ GLOVES
Mechanix Classic Coyote Brown gloves. I’m a big fan of
these gloves. Thick enough to take the sting out of getting
shot in the finger whilst being thin enough to manipulate
things. I don’t really notice wearing them which works for
me. Coyote works with my team Flecktarn and my personal
Russian kit too.
■ UNIFORM
Helikon Flecktarn BDU. The team wears Flecktarn as camo.
It works with our local sites and it’s not very common
making it easy to not shoot your mates ‘accidentally’. The
Helikon gear looked good and came in at a very affordable
price. I also play in Russian VSR-93 and a BARS Gorka 3.
■ BELT ORDER
Warrior PLB Battle Belt with Low Profile suspenders. +
ESSTAC mag pouches, Karrimor SF Folding Dump Pouch,
SSO Medic Pouch, HW BFG holder, G-Code Optimal Drop
Holster Mount, HW Glock 17 Holster and Leatherman
Supertool. This has the base belt in ATACS-FG with a mix
of OD and Coyote pouches. I’m a big fan of this belt. It has
exactly what I want on it which is great. I’m most pleased
with the custom Kydex Glock Holster by HW Holsters. I carry
a First Aid Kit with a pressure bandage, combat gauze and
a CAT tourniquet.
■ CHEST RIG
SPLAV M23 Pioneer Chest Rig. A Russian bit of kit that I
adore. I wanted one of these for many years but couldn’t
get one at a decent price. Eventually this game along. It has
seen on pouches so not as flexible as some more modern
versions. It’s light and comfortable and can happily take as
much gear as is needed for a days pew pew.
■ BOOTS
LOWA Mountain GTX Boots. Amazing boots that are
waterproof. I’ve stood in many a stream or puddle with
no trouble. They are not cheap but this pair has lasted 12
years now! I got them as I have dodgy ankles from rugby
and skydiving and needed a lot of support. They’ll need a
resolve sooner than later but the uppers are going strong.
■ PRIMARY WEAPON
LCT TK104NV + Magpul Furniture, PTS US Palm pistol grip,
Prometheus 6.03 Barrel, GATES Warfet. Tough as old boots.
This is a full steel AEG. I imported the Magpul Foregrip and
furniture. The Mosfet is set up for trigger response on semi
and battery protection as I run LiPo batteries. It has a shiny
barrel and I flat hopped it for extra range. It has excellent
range and accuracy and great to use.
■ PISTOL
WE G17 + polished slide, tritium night sights, Surefire X300
light, Angry Gun magwell and adjustable trigger. A pretty
standard WE Glock replica. I haven’t changed any of the
internals other than the trigger. All the bits that move have
been polished to give a nicer trigger pull. It goes pew when
you pull the trigger which is about all I want from a back up!
SEND YOUR LOAD OUTS TO: EDITORIAL@AI-MAG.COM 017

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PATROL GLOVE - CHARCOAL

SITE REPORT
C O M B A T A C T I O N G A M E S - N O
WAR IS HELL
WHEN YOU’RE IN A RUSH TO BE “REALISTIC” IT’S EASY TO FORGET THAT EVEN THOUGH WE DRESS LIKE SOLDIERS AND
RECREATE DEADLY COMBAT SCENARIOS AIRSOFT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN AND ENJOYABLE. NESTLED IN THE HEART OF
NORFOLK, UK, COMBAT ACTION GAMES IS A WELCOMING, WARM AND INCLUSIVE SITE OF PRETTY EPIC PROPORTIONS!
W W W . C O M B A T - A C T I O N - G A M E S . U K
“Combat Action Games is a woodland based
airsoft site running games every other Sunday.
The site is a large 120 acre woodland based
just north of Norwich in Norfolk. There are
many objectives currently in play and more will
be added soon! As well as a friendly bunch of
regular players we often have players visiting
from other sites as well as new players just
getting into the sport! Everybody is welcome,
age restrictions do apply.”
Full disclosure here, when somebody mentions
a “woodland site” to me, I shudder with fear…
No, I’m not scared of trees but the ingrained
memory of a few bad site experiences involving
piles of tires heaped up on a barren field in
the middle of nowhere has an effect. Combat
Action Games is not one of those kinds of sites,
in fact it is situated in an expansive and well
established woodland area spanning some 120
acres. Criss-crossed with a network of vehicle
access tracks the site is divided up into a
number of zones, each densely populated with
a mixed selection of trees and undergrowth
thankfully made up mostly of lush ferns as
opposed to dreaded nettles, which are all too
common on airsoft site within the UK.
Each zone of the site is developed and
constructed with its own theme ranging from
WW2 German-style pillboxes and bunkers,
through intricate trench networks with deep
cover and sandbagged machine gun positions
all the way to a wooden “downed” helicopter…
There’s even a semblance of Star Wars’ “Endor
Base” off in one wing of the site. Each distinct
region is large enough to host a short skirmish
but the whole site can be opened up for
longer more complex game scenarios, as we
experienced during our visit.
On the day of our visit over 100 other players
were in attendance which according to the
operators is the regular turn-out. Even with
quite a lot of players on hand the organisation
was direct and concise with a well rehearsed
and delivered safety briefing covering all the
usual essentials and the more specific site rules.
As well as covering off hit-taking fundamentals
for the new-comers, the restriction on blind
firing and respawning the only contentious point
was the “surrender rule”. Personally I’m a fan
of a ruling where a simple, single shot takes
precedence over any “bang” rule however CAG
use a simple close-range surrender option. As
the play unfolded it was easy to see why they
022 WWW.COMBAT-ACTION-GAMES.UK

R W I C H - W W W . C O M B A T - A C T I O N - G A M E S . U K
W W W . C O M B A T - A C T I O N - G A M E S . U K 023

SITE REPORT
C O M B A T A C T I O N G A M E S - N O
had opted to do this, since in certain areas of
the site it is possible to get very close to your
opponents over the top of barriers and such. We
certainly didn’t see any abuse of the “bang” rule
during the day, only examples of it being used to
ensure everyone was having a good time.
The attitudes and approach of all the
numerous staff, around 15 marshals in total,
were relaxed and friendly. Let’s face it, this is
airsoft and nobody wants to be screamed at by
some jumped up wannabe drill sergeant doing
his best to impress his own fantasies upon you.
Having genuinely approachable and professional
staff members is a very welcome addition
and complimented the already laid-back and
overwhelmingly positive atmosphere around the
site; out also has a wholly positive impact on the
attitude of the players in attendance too.
Gaming kicked off at around 10am with
the players being split into 4 equally sized
groups. Unusually the operators at CAG run
two separate games simultaneously through
the morning. These games consisted of short,
straight forward objectives and allowed play to
rotate around the previously mentioned themed
“zones”. This is done to ensure that everyone
gets to see all of the site and isn’t restricted to
024 WWW.COMBAT-ACTION-GAMES.UK

R W I C H - W W W . C O M B A T - A C T I O N - G A M E S . U K
COMBAT ACTION GAMES
■ LOCATION: Combat Action Games,
Swannington Bottom Plantation,
Felthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk. UK.
■ TERRAIN: Woodland.
■ PRICE: £20 full day - £10 Half Day.
■ TIMES: 8:00am - 4:30pm.
■ HIRE GUN: £45 Full Day - £25 Half Day.
■ FPS LIMITS: Auto 350fps/semi
425fps/single 500fps.
■ OTHER RESTRICTIONS: Some
limitations on full auto fire and
minimum engagement distances.
■ SHOP: Full shop facilities on site.
■ MORE INFO: combat-action-games.uk
or call 07748 023832.
Whilst we make every effort to check
our information is correct, please check
with the site prior to visiting, in case
rules and details have changed etc.
fighting over a small area. This worked really
well and allowed new players to get the lay of
the land and get their bearings.
After the lunch break play resumed and
instead of short games, the players were divided
into three teams and the entire site was used in
a large area domination scenario. This played
through until 4:30pm when the day ended. The
actual gameplay was nicely relaxed and in good
spirits, it was a pretty warm day, up and over
20C throughout so the pace was quite sedate.
This was also down to the large amount of
sniper rifles out on the field. there were plenty
of opportunities to lead a mad charge and get in
close though thanks to the decent cover and well
conceived game areas.
At the end of the day a raffle was held in aid of
Pilgrim Bandits, prizes were provided courtesy
of Viper Tactical and ActionSportGames and
included some great new luggage, tactical kit
and the awesome CZ EVO 3 Carbine.
FACILITIES
Combat Action Games is based in a woodland
but features a spacious hard-standing carpark,
shop facilities stocking cold drinks and snacks
and there is also a burger van present for hot
food. The safe zone is predominantly outdoors
although there is a small undercover area for
gear prep. There’s also a test range with a
number of targets set up at various distances
to allow you to zero your guns. We aren’t aware
of any charging facilities so make sure your
batteries are topped up before you head out.
FUTURE PLANS
Combat Action Games is a great, well organised
and very friendly site and is ideal as an
introduction into airsoft but still challenging
and interesting as a more experienced player.
Although it is well established and operates as
a well oiled machine, the CAG team are keen
to make the point that the site is a work in
progress, there’s always more to be added and
things are frequently changed around, improved
and developed. When talking to the staff they
have some amazing sounding plans in the
pipeline and it should be very interesting to see
them pulled off, a task we think the team are
more than capable of doing!
We’d like to thank the whole CAG team for
having us along for a very enjoyable day, the site
is set firmly on the Airsoft International radar
and it should be on yours too!
W W W . C O M B A T - A C T I O N - G A M E S . U K 025

BACK BY
POPULAR DEMAND!
UNFinISHeD
BUSiNEsS!
22 > 23 > 24 SePtEMBEr
026 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE! ACT NOW TO SECURE YOUR SPACE!
THE AI500 SERIES RETURNS TO THE FORMER PLEASURE ISLAND SITE
BY POPULAR DEMAND! UNFINISHED BUSINESS WILL BE SETTLED WITH
ANOTHER CATACLYSMIC CLASH OF THE VIPER AND MONGOOSE FORCES!
WILL YOU AND YOUR TEAM BE PART OF THE BATTLE?
After the momentous occasion of Ai500: The Gathering we are proud to announce that we will
return to the former Pleasure Island site in Cleethorpes to bit the mighty Viper and mongoose
clans against each other once more, maybe for the final time as we know it!
This time round we have big plans to mix up the game play, add even more objectives and
characterful obstacles to ensure that play is varied and engaging. If you enjoyed The Gathering,
Unfinished Business is set to top it off!
Although victorious The Mongoose clan have a new leader now and they have been baited in to
a grudge match to settle old scores. Will you join the Viper team to help them bite back and bring
down the “Jolly Green Giant” or will you bolster the Mongoose team and uphold the winning
record? It’s your choice…
The following details will be important to
read through and understand. Doing so will
increase your enjoyment of the event. Some
details and information may be subject
to change in the run-up to the event so
please ensure you look out for our email
communications from us on a regular basis.
LOCATION
Ai500: Unfinished Business will take place at
the now disused Pleasure Island theme park
in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. It is a ticket-only
event with no access to the general public
allowed. Unfortunately none of the rides and
attractions will be in service and your ticket
price does not include access to them.
BOOKING
The full ticket price is £90 per person.
Player bookings can only be made via www.
ai-mag.com and spaces cannot be booked via
Pleasure Island or the owners of the site.
Advance booking is only available via
Paypal and a £45 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT
will be required. You will receive a payment
confirmation from Paypal, which will be your
receipt of payment.
Please make sure that the email address
tied into your Paypal account is your correct
email address as this will be used to confirm
your space and provide all further information
leading up to the event.
GROUP BOOKINGS
Group bookings can be made via Paypal by
simply adding the required amount of spaces
(a maximum of ten spaces per booking) into
your basket on our website checkout. A £45
deposit will be required for each named
individual you wish to reserve a space for.
Each individual’s name should be entered into
the “Additional Info” box upon checkout. If
you have made the booking we will respond to
your email address with further information
you might require, which you may need to
pass on to the individuals you have booked in.
PAYMENT IN FULL
When you arrive at the event ALL Players will
be required to sign in and pay in FULL (CASH
ONLY). You will also be required to sign two
disclaimer forms, one for our insurance and
another for the site owners. You will be able
to download the documents required as part
of the booking transaction. (A number of
documents will be available at the sign in desk
on the day, but to speed things along please
bring your own copy if at all possible).
Once you have booked in and handed in the
necessary paperwork you will be issued with
a unique ID item - this item must be visible at
all times (ESPECIALLY WHEN GAINING ACCESS
TO THE SITE AND SLEEPING AREA) if you do
not have this item then you will not be allowed
into the site so please keep safe.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Ai500: Unfinished Business will take place in
Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire UK on the weekend
of the 22/23/24 September 2017 and will be
two Days of skirmish action over a unique and
fascinating site! Spaces are limited for this
exciting event. So don't miss out!
■ LOCATION: Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes,
Lincolnshire, DN35 0PL United Kingdom.
■ TIMES: 22 / 23 / 24 September 2017.
■ TERRAIN: Mixed CQB/Open theme park.
■ PRICE: £90 per player (£45 deposit).
■ ACCOMMODATION: Large indoor area.
■ ALCOHOL: Licensed bar and after-game
entertainment on site.
■ RETAILERS: Large retailer + trade area.
■ HIRE GUNS: No.
■ RESTRICTIONS: Uniforms, rules and
more info can be found on our website.
■ INFO + BOOKING: www.ai-500.com
Our Ai500 games are set over the duration
of a full weekend, so players will need to
be on-site and registered on the evening of
Friday the 22nd of September. Gameplay
commences on the Saturday morning and
will finish on the Sunday afternoon after a
rest break on the Saturday night.
Whilst we make every effort to check our
information is correct, please check with
us (via www.ai-mag.com) prior to visiting,
in case details have changed etc.
FACEBOOK.COM/AI500
PHOTOS BY 'SNOOK SNAPS'
GO TO WWW.AI-MAG.COM FOR MORE INFO AND GAMING RULES
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 027

THE EVER CHANGING FACE A I R S O F T A
028 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

P P L I C A T I O N S - T H E H U M B L E F A C E M A S K
OF MASKS AND MEN
I'VE BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK A BIT IN AIRSOFT. I STARTED PLAYING OVER
17 YEARS AGO AND IT'S BEEN INTERESTING WATCHING THE SCENE DEVELOP
OVER THAT TIME. I HAD A BREAK TO PURSUE OTHER HOBBIES FOR A WHILE
BUT CAME BACK A FEW YEARS AGO. THIS ALLOWED ME TO HAVE A BIG LOOK
AT THE STATE OF THE UK AIRSOFT SCENES TWO THINGS SPRANG TO MIND.
ONE IS THE PROFESSIONAL NATURE OF MODERN SKIRMISH SITES AND THE
OTHER IS THE CHANGING FACE OF ‘MIL-SIM'. WRITTEN BY JACK EYLES
When I started playing (back in the dawn of time
when everything was made from plastic) there
wasn't any ‘mil-sim’. We did weekenders instead.
Camo rules were used to differentiate sides but
were fairly broad. “Desert camo vs Greens” was
about it. We weren't fussed about what AEGs
people were using and the games were largely
about a themed(ish) mission and a chance to
play someone exciting. Missions could be very
complex and beyond the scope of a normal days
play. That was the real draw and the reason that
the team went to them. My own natural leanings
were towards playing the OpFor as the bad
boys often had more fun. We had a great time,
learned a lot from the former SAS staff and
went home tired and happy. There wasn't any
comment about what was or wasn't being worn.
Myself and a friend at a Stirling Services
‘Iraqi Freedom’ event in 2005. Green and Tan
team players. Using our standard loadouts with
uniform changes and still had a great time.
I helped set up and run First & Only at
their original site in Matlock. We wanted an
environment where teamwork and tactics
actually mattered. Using the experience
gathered from numerous trips to Stirling
Services and our own ideas it was decided that
each open day would have a theme and a story
to inspire the players. There was an extensive
use of props and also no boundaries were used
for games rather than those of the site itself.
This at the time was a risky decision but it all
payed off and the site quickly gained a great
reputation. Today this type of play seems to be
having a resurgence and I'm seeing the rise of
‘battlesim’ games throughout the country.
We hosted some of the first themed period
events at First and Only. The WWII and Vietnam
games being particularly stand out events.
Uniform rules weren't too strict, we were
descriptive rather the prescriptive as there
was little point skirmishing in expensive period
clothing and equipment with the huge risk in
damaging and ruining it.
MIL-SIM TODAY
After having a bit of a break from airsoft I
decided to take it up again and had a bit of
a shock. Of course looking pretty in the safe
zone is the most 'important' bit of Airsoft but
sometime this goes to, in my opinion, ridiculous
levels. There's a hardcore bunch of thread
counters on the scene whose enjoyment seems
to be based on playing dress-up and living out
a far-fetched fantasy. I've seen them get really
upset when the 'bad guys' don't play along.
Rather than encouraging new players they
can be very negative about any kit that's not
'correct'. This a highly dangerous state of play as
new players are the life blood of the hobby.
If we don't encourage and bring on our new
guys and gals then we won't have events to go to
and nice people to shoot at. Wearing Cyre rather
than clone combat gear means that people have
less money to actually go out and play. It's a
common remark in the real steel world that
money is better spent on bullets and training
than new shiny equipment and clothing. Playing
more and developing your gun skills will make
you a better player than getting a new shirt.
I see a lot of players wearing plate carriers
and body armour covers. I very rarely see that
armour filled with actual weight armour. I'm not
talking about a pair of level 4 ceramic plates
but rather steel training plates or even rigid
polymer shaped plates. It can't be a simulation
if your gear is there for looks rather than feel.
Reenactors often use a 10 foot rule. That means
that if it looks okay from 10 feet away then it's
okay. The funny thing is that at that distance a
clone plate carrier with heavy plates looks more
realistic than a Crye JPC 2.0 with foam padding.
Surely Mil-Sim should be about the play
style, problem solving and tactical decisions
rather than the Gucci kit. I'm sure that there
are many that are like this but I've been left
with a bad taste in my mouth recently. Don't
get me wrong I like all the shiny stuff too but
it's not the primary focus for myself or the
team. Having good quality fun and achieving a
difficult task is what does it for us.
One of the most notable issues for some
Mil-Sim players is face pro. When I started
playing there wasn't any aside from the plastic
masks that hire gunners were provided with.
Players either improvised or went to work
on Monday looking like they had the world’s
worst acne outbreak. Loosing teeth wasn't an
infrequent occurrence amongst players either.
Luckily my employer didn't care too much as I
wasn't in a customer facing role so I managed to
get away with having a shot up face.
As my career progressed this became less and
less acceptable. We turned to balaclavas and
headovers to try and protect our professional
modesty. These were hot and generally
inconvenient to wear all the time. Full face
pretty much broke my immersion and someone
running around with a skull mask on doesn't
really help unless it's a specifically themed
event. So when the mesh half face masks
became available I jumped on them, mine can
be clipped onto my helmet when breaching and
room clearing and then removed and put into
a pocket. If someone wants to wear one all the
time I have no issues with that. This became
even more apparent when pictures of UKSF
operators appeared on the internet. Photos
of the SAS and SBS wearing half mesh face
masks caused a bit of consternation amongst
the Mil-Sim community. They were quickly
dismissed as just being used for training.
Then amid the very sad events of the 2017
Manchester bombings emerged photos of UKSF
on deployment wearing masks. I'm wondering
now if masks will quickly change into the latest
fashion accessory amongst players. I guess what
I'm getting at here is that play fair, play hard, be
nice to each other and work towards a common
goal. Looking good is important but it's more to
play the game.
IMAGE OF E27 COURTESY OF SNOOKS SNAPS
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 029

HAND ON THE PUMP C L A S S I C A R M Y M 8 7 0 T A C
CLASSIC ARMY
M870 TACTICAL SHOTGUN!
WITH TOKYO MARUI’S GAS SHOTGUN LINE UP, INCLUDING THE M870, THE
TACTICAL AND THE BREACHER, ALONG WITH THE NEW KSG-12 THERE’S
A FRESH BUZZ AROUND PUMP ACTION BOOM-STICKS. OF COURSE
GAS-POWERED GUNS GIVE A LIGHT AND FAST RACKING ACTION BUT THEY
DO HAVE THEIR COMPLEXITIES AS WELL AS THEIR EXPENSES. CLASSIC ARMY
HAVE THIS CLASSIC SPRINGER ON THE MARKET FOR A LITTLE OVER £100. JUST
HOW REALISTIC IS THE IDEA OF USING IT AS A PRIMARY WEAPON THOUGH?
The Remington 870 shotgun is about as iconic
as the shotgun gets, between this and the
Mossberg 500 you have about 90% of the pump
action shotguns you will ever see rounded
up. Available in various different lengths and
configurations including full stocks, folding
stocks, stockless and with pistol grips, the 870
is used by hobby shooters, law enforcement and
military forces the world over. They have been
featured in countless movies and TV productions
and they make a very solid choice when it comes
to themed load outs and impressions.
Classic Army’s M870 Tactical is what you could
call the “full length” model at an imposing 40”
from muzzle to butt pad. The barrel is a full half
of this overall length at 20” and the magazine
tube that runs beneath it is extended to match.
With a real cartridge-fed shotgun this would give
you a capacity of at least 8 cartridges before
having to reload.Classic Army’s gun however,
uses a hidden box magazine system to feed BBs.
The entire receiver and fore-end of the 870
Tactical is made from robust, black finished
metal. There are very few screws and external
giveaways that this is a replica. The stock and
pump grip are made from black fibre reinforced
nylon material that has a matted, low-vis finish.
The mock “bolt” visible through the ejection
port is possibly the biggest giveaway that the
Classic Army shotgun is a replica because it is
finished in a bright silvery paint and lacks a few
details. We can’t be too critical of this though,
because of the internals of the gun it is nigh
impossible to model a realistic false bolt.
The stock features a gnurled grip area for a
traditional look and for a bit of extra traction for
the primary hand, the fore grip is heavily ribbed
to facilitate a fast cocking action. The stock is
rounded out with a lovely rubberised recoil pad
that makes the gun comfortable to shoulder
and less likely to slip when seated. There’s a
functional push-thru trigger safety to prevent
any accidental discharges and a single forward
sling point but curiously nothing at the rear.
The barrel and the magazine tube are clamped
together at the front with a simple brace but
there are absolutely no sights, nor the provision
(such as a RIS rail) to fit them, making us
question the “Tactical” moniker a little.
032 WWW.FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK

T I C A L S H O T G U N - C L A S S I C A R M Y
GET YOURS FROM
SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT AND
INEXPENSIVE MAGS FEED THE M870
TACTICAL AND WHAT’S MORE, THEY HAVE THE
LOCKING MECHANISM BUILT IN SO IF THEY BREAK,
YOU WON’T HAVE TO DISMANTLE THE ACTUAL GUN.
we are impressed by the build quality all
round. There’s a lot of metal components
(including the all important pump arms) unlike
the famously plastic Tokyo Marui springers.
Again in reference to Marui guns, this shotgun
is a lot more solid than the newer gas powered
multi-shot shotguns. It’s rigid and without
any flex, wobble or creakiness and it’s also
satisfyingly weighty!
As mentioned above, the 870 Tactical uses a
small box magazine. Instead of “plug in” shells
like the Tokyo Marui system that has been
adopted by other manufacturers cloning the
tri-shot system, this set-up uses a magazine that
is made to look like a shell loading port. It holds
about 20 BBs in total and spares are a very
reasonable £9 at the moment making it viable
to replace a lost magazine or carry several
for skirmish use. One of the coolest aspects of
the design is that the catch that holds the mag
into the gun is built in to the mag itself, rather
than in the gun meaning that any damage or
breakage will only cost you £9 in an additional
magazine and you won’t have to take the gun
apart to solve any issues.
PERFORMANCE
Classic Army’s 870 is a single shot springer
shotgun and as such your probably aren’t
going to be breaking any world performance
records with it. It is however, simple, reliable
and consistent and when the chips are down,
all your other guns have given up the ghost,
gas has leaked out and batteries are dead, it
will still be shooting BBs just like the day you
got it out the box.
The gun is pretty big and working the
action (which compresses the main spring
and holds the piston behind the trigger
sear) is quite tough. You don’t need to be a
strong-man to do it but it certainly requires
an assertive action, if not you’ll fins the
gun double feeds and gets jammed up quite
easily. Many users find this is the biggest
complaint with spring shotguns and unless
you want to run a very light main spring and
therefore a low muzzle velocity, there’s not
much you can do about it at all.
Unlike many single shot spring shotguns,
the Classic Army 870 is equipped with an
adjustable hop unit making it eminently more
practical in a skirmish situation. The hop is
adjusted via an allen headed grub screw that
threads in to the top of the barrel just ahead
of the receiver, it’s sized the same as a PTW
hop-up adjustment screw so you can either
use one of those tools or a traditional allen
key. You are able to apply a large amount of
hop adjustment to each shot and once set the
screw stays inlace for a very consistent output.
For a harder-hitting, longer range you can use
.28 or .30g ammo and hop it with ease.
WITH THE HOP COMPLETELY OFF YOU
CAN FIRE A .20G BB OUT AT NEARLY
400FPS BUT ONCE SET, AS YOU
WOULD USE IN GAME, THIS COMES
DOWN TO WELL UNDER 350FPS
MAKING IT SKIRMISH-FRIENDLY AT
PRETTY MUCH EVERY SITE IN THE UK,
WHICH IS GOOD NEWS.
WWW.FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK 033

ASG HAND ARMALITE
ON THE PUMP C L A S S I C A R M Y M 8 7 0
Springer shotguns can be difficult to take
apart and if you lose or break any internal
components it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be
able to easily locate and spares at all.
Based on the lack of sights shooting
accurately is more of an exercise in instinct
rather than a mechanical process. Since it’s
an airsoft gun and you can see the BB in flight
it isn’t really that much of a problem though
and the lack of anything obscuring your view
makes it easy to maintain awareness of your
surroundings. That said, long range targeting
is mostly guess work!
Can you skirmish with this gun as a primary
weapon? Without a doubt, yes, provided you
can do without the crutch of full auto. At tight
CQB sites you might find the length of the gun
restrictive when it comes to venturing inside
the confines of interiors, in these cases a
back-up pistol is pretty much the best option.
In any eventuality the CA M870 is not really
suitable to use as a back-up in this guise
(stockless, shorter versions are available
though). At just over £100 though, it’s simply
a nice piece to have in the collection and
certainly an improvement over the full plastic
spring shotguns you can get.
VITAL STATS
PRICE: £105
WEIGHT: 2.8kg
CONSTRUCTION: Mostly metal
MAG CAPACITY: 21/22 (£9 each)
HOP UP: Adjustable (top screw)
LENGTH: 1040mm
FPS AVERAGE: 340fps
PROS
✔ Low Price
✔ Solid Build
✔ Simple + Straightforward
CONS
✗ Limited Ammo
✗ No Sights
✗ High FPS
£105.00
GET YOURS FROM
GET YOURS FROM
FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK
034 WWW.FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK

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S I D E A R M S T O R A G E - T H
THE SERPA
W W W . B L A C K H A W K . C O M
THE BLACKHAWK! SERPA HOLSTER
SYSTEM AND THE MANY CLONES
OF THE DESIGN ARE SOME OF THE
MOST POPULAR HOLSTERS IN THE
BUSINESS. THEY ARE THE SUBJECT OF
SOME CONTROVERSY THOUGH, WITH
MANY REAL-STEEL US SHOOTERS AND
TRAINERS BANNING THEIR USAGE
OUTRIGHT. SO HOW CAN SOMETHING
BE SO POPULAR AND ALSO SO
MALIGNED AT THE SAME TIME?
The SERPA was, at the time, a pretty unique
idea. A moulded, form-fitting holster that
retained your weapon and released it at the
push of a button. The simplest SERPA holsters
can be threaded directly on to a trouser belt
or tucked in to the waistband using a paddle.
Optionally you can go for a one of the very techy
looking drop-leg platforms complete with a
multitude of straps and adjusters. Alternatively
there’s the MOLLE mount systems that allows
you to thread the holster on to a MOLLE/PALS
platform, either on a belt, chest-rig or plate
carrier. The latter was very popular for a period
of time after many UKSF and other Special
Forces troops were seen carrying their sidearms
like this in the mid-00s.
SIDEARM STORAGE
If the SERPA is good enough for those guys
on the ground, why has it been subject to
such controversy then? The answer is twofold.
Firstly, one of the main issues with the SERPA
system is the mechanical button that you
press to release the retention on the gun and
allow you to draw it out. The SERPA isn’t the
only design of holster that uses this system
and most similarly designed systems will
be susceptible to the same problems but, in
muddy or sandy conditions, the button that
needs depressing can get clogged up slowing
down your draw, or even completely unable
to draw the pistol without laborious cleaning.
Obviously in a life and death situation, neither
of these outcomes is going to be good news.
Secondly and with a few choice videos to
evidence the issue, with a few unfortunate
ingrained habits the SERPA system has
been found to encourage users to get their
finger on the trigger of the weapon before
the muzzle is on target. These premature/
negligent discharges have usually only ended
up injuring the shooter themselves and it
doesn’t seem that any have been fatal but
even so, it’s a pretty serious consideration.
Of course with the correct training
fundamentals in place, it’s perfectly possible
to safely use the SERPA holster without
incurring negligent discharges or shooting
yourself in the foot. The problem arises when,
under pressure, the shooter uses their trigger
finger to depress the release catch with the
tip, then, when drawing the same digit pushes
into the trigger guard and the sequence of
events concludes with a shot discharging.
When using the SERPA it’s best to train
towards getting the index finger straight out
and extended, pressing the release button
with the flat of the finger and extending it
outside the trigger guard, on the frame of the
pistol until the gun is safely on target.
036 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

E S E R P A - S I D E A R M S T O R A G E - T H E S E R P A
IN AIRSOFT
Of course all these considerations are based
in the real-steel world, often in situations of
life or death and the SERPA remains a very
popular holster on the airsoft scene. Is it
worth taking the above considerations in to
account and do they even apply? Of course
the consequences of a negligent discharge
aren’t going to result in a fatality and when
handling loaded airsoft guns, eye protection
should ensure safety for all involved. All that
should ever really be at risk is the pride of the
shooter and looking a bit of a berk in the heat
of the moment. Realism and simulation are
the names of the game though and not being
able to control the prospect of letting off a
round willy-nilly isn’t very realistic at all.
In an airsoft skirmish, rolling around and
crawling through mud and sand is part
and parcel of the game. Getting the button
jammed up and preventing a smooth draw
is something to be conscious of without a
doubt. If you have got that amount of much
on your sidearm though, you have to wonder
if the gas blowback mechanism of the pistol
would really be working anyway but then
again other, less prone pistol designs could
still suffer the same drawback. I’ve personally
never suffered from a jammed up holster but I
do know a couple of others that have.
As for getting your finger on the trigger too
early and potentially shooting yourself, the
same risk prevails. Obviously the outcome of the
problem isn’t going to be as serious but it just
isn’t very good practice. The great thing about
airsoft is that it gives us plenty of scope to train
and develop better habits, be it in game or at
home, dry-firing and practising.
Unless you are incredibly competitive and
can’t live with the idea your kit may fail you
once in a lifetime, meaning you couldn’t
draw your side-arm in time it is unlikely that
the drawbacks of the SERPA system make it
unviable as an airsoft gun holster. Yes, the
system certainly isn’t completely foolproof but it
does have a lot going for it. They are reasonably
priced, compact and lightweight holsters for
users of most mainstream weapon platforms.
Things get a little more restricted if you want
to use a weapon light (Blackhawk! only make
a version of the SERPA that is compatible with
their own Xiphos weapon light) or if you have
modifications elsewhere on your gun.
ALTERNATIVES
If for any reason you decide that the SERPA
is not for you or you require more features,
fantastic alternatives from IMI, Fobus and many
others including airsoft specific brands have
entered the marketplace. Most recently, custom
formed kydex thermoplastic holsters have
transitioned from being a cottage-industry, very
DIY product and have become fully professional,
mass produced product lines with numerous
options and customisations. These are available
in the UK and Europe from the likes of MLE Gear
and GM Tactical as well as some of the original
US-made brands such as Lead Farmer Industries
and Raven Concealment.
FOLLOW US
ON FACEBOOK!
@AMMODROP
01949 728 628
sales@ammodrop.co.uk
AMMODROP.CO.UK
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 037

AFFORDABLE COMMS
F R O M Z - T A C T I C A L
Z-TACTICAL
CT-5 PTT £21.00
COOL COMMS!
AFTER HAVING SOME TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES WITH
Z-TACTICAL HEADSETS, I HAD COMPLETELY SWORE
MYSELF OFF THE BRAND - BUT BECAUSE THERE WAS
SIMPLY NO OTHER OPTION AVAILABLE FOR A CT-5 PTT, I
WENT AGAINST MY WORD AND PICKED UP ONE OF THEIR
PTT SETS. SO FAR I HAVE BEEN PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.
Radio and comms gear looks cool and really
finishes off a load out and with the right
accessories and extras, you can take a kit that
looks good up to 11 and turn it onto something
amazing. If you read Airsoft International
Volume 13 Issue 2 you might have seen
our CTSFO load out. To put this together
we needed a CT-5 PTT. A real one would be
expensive and unlikely to be compatible with
any radios we would be using so the only
option was to go with the Z-Tactical offering.
Even if it didn’t even work it would be a decent
shell to strip out and transplant some working
“guts” into and at about £20 from Ebay, it’s
not going to break the bank… Begrudgingly I
went against what I swore myself never to do
again and paid for another Z-Tactical product.
I ordered from eBay from a Chinese seller
and was braced and ready to have to wait 6
weeks for the product to arrive but instead
of over a month, the PTT was in my hands
after just 6 days! I was amazed! It looks like
many eBay sellers are becoming increasingly
broad in when estimating their shipping times
in order to avoid come-back if something is
delayed, it makes sense really. This is all a bit
of a tangent though, back to the PTT.
The CT5 PTT is of course all plastic, it’s a
simple block with a bunch of strange rubber
tabs around the outside, a single downlead and
a port to connect your headset of choice, or not
as the case may be. There’s also two buttons,
one works as a 2-state toggle switch and the
other is a conventional “push to talk” button.
I wasn’t immediately sure if both buttons had
any real function or not but a bit of fiddling
revealed that they were both indeed very much
active for use and proved very handy.
In one mode the CT-5 works just like a normal
inline PTT, you press the button, your mic
opens up and you can speak through your
headset but if you hit the toggle switch the
whole things goes into a “fist mic” mode that
has a loud speaker and also a microphone that
is active completely negating the need for a
headset at all. Of course this mode isn’t as
stealthy but if your headset batteries die or you
simply want more situational awareness or a
less sweaty head, it’s a great choice.
You can pick up the Z-Tactical CT-5 with a
number of radio connector styles or “pin outs”,
I chose Kenwood as that is compatible with my
Baofeng radio but all the other “standards” for
civilian radios are available. The output plug
to lead to a headset is a mil-spec single pin
“fat jack”. The CT-5 attaches to your rig using
either a flat metal clip that peels off using a
velcro backing to allow you to attach the device
directly to any velcro loop field.
The wiring on the Z-Tactical PTT isn’t of the
highest quality and if it’s going to fail in the
near future we expect it will be because the
download wiring splits or comes unsoldered.
As long as this is kept in mind and no undue
stress or tension is placed on it, I hope to get
reasonable service out of the kit.
038 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

RUSSIAN
KIT!A FEW
ON THE FIELD
■ BUDGET FRIENDLY
■ BATTLE WORTHY
■ BADASS
MONTHS BACK WE EMBARKED ON A BIT OF
A CHALLENGE: TO BREAK FROM THE “NORM” AND
BUILD A SKIRMISH-READY RUSSIAN LOAD OUT
WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK. AFTER A BIT OF
RESEARCH AND MAKING A FEW TOUGH DECISIONS
WE HAVE COME UP WITH A PRACTICAL AND GREAT
LOOKING LOAD OUT WITH A FEW 'EXTRAS' IN!
Multicam, plate carriers, Ops-Core helmets… Yep, they are
everywhere. Not only have they been adopted as pretty much
the standard uniform for SF and even regular troopers in military
forces the world over, these staple bits of kit are also pretty
much the default airsoft load out. A few years ago this stuff was
considered a bit exotic but the shine has definitely worn off.
This doesn't mean the “standard” kit set up isn’t a great choice
though, quite the opposite, you can now get practical and great
looking gear for less money than ever thanks to the popularity.
It does mean it gets a bit, well, uninspiring though. This was why
we decided it was time to do something a bit different and mix
things up to see what was on offer and boy, did we get more than
we bargained for, all for less than we budgeted for!
040 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

WWW.AI-MAG.COM 041

RUSKY BUSINESS! M O T H E R R U S S I A ! - B U
GET IN UNIFORM!
There’s a massive amount of gear to choose from when it comes to Russian kit, some of it
rather dated and “historic”. This is because Russia has a huge military force with a massive
amount of divisions and subdivisions. The geography of Russia as a place is vast and varied
meaning no one camouflage pattern alone is even effective for interior security, let alone
use abroad. It's true, many of the more cutting edge Russian units ARE adopting Multicam,
Glocks and familiar western kit but we actively chose to ignore that. Instead we opted for a few
more characteristic and classic choices, saving a few quid along the way!
KLMK SUIT
The KLMK (which translates roughly to Camouflage Summer Deceptive
Coverall) suit itself comes in a number of colour/pattern variants
in itself, the oldest being the Berezka patterns. White and yellow
tinted versions of the Berezka pattern are used (amongst other
similar and more specialised variants) and despite it's “digital”
appearance it actually predates most pixellated displays by
quite some years. First fielded by the Soviet Union, the
Russian Federation forces still make use of this type of
suit, often used by snipers and also regular infantry so
you have justification to place this kit in any time
period between the cold war and the present day.
Firstly we picked up a KLMK suit. At $21 all in,
it's dirt cheap. It's not going to last a lifetime
because of the build-quality but you’ll get
a good summer’s use out of it and more if
you are careful The suit itself is basic and
rather thin but therein lies its versatility.
It can be worn as a cool, light layer in warm
temperatures which is useful because we
definitely found the GORKA top to be a bit too
hot for summertime use.
The KLMK suit we bought is a two piece affair
with basic elasticated cuffs, and waist. The top
is a full zippered “hoody” design with a simple
panel pocket on the left breast and zippered
“kangaroo” type hand pockets. The trousers also
feature cargo style pockets but they are simple
flat panels and not pleated or bellowed like more
advanced uniforms.
The material the suit is made from is quite thin,
as mentioned, this is because they are generally
to be used as a disposable item by
troops however with a little
care, there’s no reason
you won’t get a good few
games out of one. At the
price you can’t really
go too far wrong
though.
Some KLMK suits
are advertised
as reversible but
the one we have
here isn’t. The
camouflage pattern
is relatively (and
surprisingly) effective
in wooded areas and
the concealment on
offer can be enhanced
by going for an oversized
example, we’d advise this
as you’ll likely be wanting
you wear as an outer layer with
something more durable underneath.
PRICE $21.00
FROM RUFORYOU.COM
042 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

I L D I N G R U S S I A N G E A R O N A B U D G E T
GORKA-3 SUIT
As an alternative, especially for winter, to the KLMK suit, we chose a Gorka-3. The
suit is made from 100% cotton material for the mainstay, this is patterned in a
green “Digi Flora” design which makes for ideal concealment in verdant woodland
areas. Liberal reinforcement panels are also added throughout the suit in a
60/40 cotton polyester mix, these are coloured in an olive drab type tone.
The smock or jacket has numerous features, it is a large and baggy fit, perfect
for layering, with a large, spacious hood with a folding peak to keep rain and
dust off the face. The jacket features reinforced shoulders and a number
of pockets, including hand pockets and also bicep pockets. There’s also a
simple, flat internal pocket on the left hand side.
Although the suit is large and baggy the cuffs are
elasticated and there are also elasticated sections at
the midriff and also the forearms. This bunches the
material in to prevent snagging and flapping, another
novel feature that you might not be used to with
Western tactical gear.
Moving on to the trousers the materials are
identical. The waist is heavily elasticated
all the way round and there are wide belt
loops allowing you to run a tactical belt
through easily. In addition to this there
are also elasticated suspenders that can
be buttoned on to hold the trousers up.
You can easily detach these if you with
though and the ankle cuff feature flat
ribbon drawstrings with no annoying
bulky adjusters.
The trousers have regular
slash-type hand pockets, rear
seat pockets that close using a
flap and button and also regular
cargo-style pockets on the thighs.
These pockets are bellowed and
incorporate the same flap type
closure as the pockets on the
jacket. Much like the jacket,
the trousers also feature the
elasticated banding to gather
in the excess material around
the lower leg, making them
less prone to flapping and
‘swooshing” as you walk.
All told, for £42 you actually
get a hell of a lot of suit! Even
if you are not interested in
Russian kit specifically, you
get a great piece of kit that
gives you plenty of features
for use during winter and poor
weather. We tried using the
Gorka in the heat of the UK
summer and it is definitely too
hot for comfort, so be warned,
this is a 3-season choice at best!
PRICE $42.00
FROM RUFORYOU.COM
MOUNTAIN SUIT
The word “Gorka” originates from the Russian
word for “mountain” and this reflects the intended
purpose of the suits, think of it as a heavy duty
BDU set designed for the harsh climates in parts
of Russia. Gorka suits are large, more like a smock
and salopettes that are made to fit over body
armour and mid layers. There are several variants
of the Gorka suit, this being a Gorka 3.
WITH BOTH SUITS BEING A RELATIVELY CHEAP OPTION COMPARED TO
ALTERNATIVE CHOICES WE FELT LIKE WE HAD REALLY GOT A LOT FOR
OUR MONEY… BOTH A SUMMER AND A WINTER LOAD OUT, WITH THE
OPTION TO MIX AND MATCH TO SUIT THE CONDITIONS FOR NOT MUCH
MORE THAN £60. YOU REALLY CAN’T COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT!
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 043

RUSKY BUSINESS! M O T H E R
LOAD BEARING
With a uniform sorted out for both winter and
summer and all the in-betweens, we needed a
load bearing option. The budget option was of
course the classic Chi-Com chest rig.
The rig is made from simple canvas material
and is pretty loosely dyed green. This often fades
out to a khaki colour over time. Three individual
cells on the front of the rig are closed with a
wooden toggle that loops through a thin loop
of canvas, they are sized pretty much precisely
for AKMS magazines. Each side of these main
pouches you’ll find 2 smaller grenade and
utility pouches which are fairly useless for most
airsoft applications, unless you have replica or
realistically size airsoft munitions (there are
more and more of these becoming available,
from the likes of Enola Gaye and also TAG
Innovations). The straps are simple and actually
tie up around the back of the wearer. These rigs
are cheap, basic and uncomplicated but they are
lightweight and functional.
The more complex option, and therefore more
expensive, was the SSO Smersh. The Smersh was
a real eye-opener for us here, reintroducing us
to real-deal, modern military kit with a classic
and proven design beyond that of the plate
carrier or chest rig. The basis of the Smersh is a
belt pad through which a belt is threaded. Onto
the butt pad a number of utility pouches and
ammo pouches can be fitted, the whole thing is
supported by a shoulder harness. For more info
on the Smersh, check out our previous issue as
we covered it in comprehensive detail.
AS WE MENTIONED THE SMERSH
REMINDS US A LOT OF THE CLASSIC
USGI VIETNAM ERA WEBBING/BELT
SYSTEM AND AFTER HAVING A FEW
GAMES OUT IN IT, WE DECIDED WE
LOVED THIS STYLE SET-UP FOR
WOODLAND PATROLLING
TYPE GAMES AND IT HAS
BEEN PROMOTED ABOVE
PRETTY MUCH ALL OUR
OTHER KIT FOR GAMES
OF THIS TYPE...
SORRY PLATE
CARRIER, BACK
INTO THE KIT
LOCKER YOU GO!
044 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

R U S S I A ! - B U I L D I N G R U S S I A N G E A R
THE SSO/SPOSN SMERSH IS AVAILABLE IN:
KHAKI/OD, DIGI FLORA, BLACK, SPECTER, SPECTER
SKWO, MULTICAM AND ATACS FG. PRICED FROM $99
(SOME COLOURS $113) PLUS $28 FOR THE OPTIONAL VOG
POUCH. IT'S AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW FROM: GREY-SHOP.RU
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 045

RUSKY BUSINESS! M O T H E R R U S S I A ! - B U
WEAPONRY
We detailed why we chose the LCT AKMS
replica a few months back, it's just so
damned versatile and can be used not only
in a Russian context but in almost every
conflict setting from the 1950s onwards, with
or without Russian participation. Since then
we have invested in a few more genuine LCT
magazines thanks to Fire Support taking
more stock of them. Although they
are a little more expensive and a
lower capacity than the CYMA ones
we picked up form taiwangun.com, they
fit straight in the gun where as the CYMA ones
can require some adjustments, feed flawlessly
and don't cost that much more at about £11
a piece. Considering they are steel-shelled
magazines, that’s a good price!
We’ve completely dropped the
pretence of a side-arm simply
because it's not that easy to
carry one with this kit, it’s
an added expense and
with a reliable AEG as
a primary weapon
you rarely ever
need it.
THE AKMS
The AKMS is based on the AKM, the modernised
version of the AK47 that had a number of
manufacturing changes and refinements after the
original. Introduced into service in 1959, the AKMS
uses the stamped steel receiver construction of the
AKM but instead of the fixed wooden stock, it uses
an under-folding steel stock that was devised to
make the weapon more compact and portable.
Chambered in 7.62.39mm the weapon feeds
from the classic 30round steel AK magazines
and can also use drum magazines devised
for the RPK as well as newer bakerlite AK47
magazines. Characteristically the AKM and the
AKMS use the slant type muzzle break intended
to direct expanding gasses up and to the right to mitigate
the tendency to move off target in that direction due to the
recoil pattern of the weapon.
The AKMS continues to be used in service by some Russian
forces thanks to it being easy to suppress through the addition
of a PBS-1 silencer and the use of heavy, subsonic ammo.
PRICE $230.00
FROM FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK
046 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

I L D I N G R U S S I A N G E A R O N A B U D G E T
ARE WE HAPPY?
Everything from the uniform to the weapon used in this
load out was surprising good quality for the price it cost,
in fact, surprising good quality full stop… At just over £40
for the most expensive uniform, less than £100 for the
most expensive load bearing kit and under £250 for one
of the best AK AEGs you can get, you really aren’t cutting
any corners at all when it comes to this kit but compared
to other load outs where you will find yourself paying
over £100 just for a single “correct” pouch.
Of course this is just a “basic” load out. There
are hundreds of other, smaller details you
can get geared up with which will add to the
cost, probably weigh a ton and get more
uncomfortable. What you have here is more
than enough to play a skirmish game and
plenty to feel “part” of a themed event. As
self-confessed geardos, it was hard to move
away from the stuff that we knew and loved
but a few items we have come across here
have really changed out outlook and to be
honest, they have really helped us enjoy
some woodland games a lot more than we
used to. You can’t buy happiness and kit doesn't
make the player but if it makes things easier,
more comfortable and lets you focus on having
fun, it's gotta be worth the investment surely?
PRICE $99.00
FROM RUFORYOU.COM
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 047

SHARP SHOOTER R E A L S W O R D D R A G U N O V S V D
REAL SWORD DRAGUNOV SVD
REAL SWORD HAVE A FORMIDABLE REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENT QUALITY AND
UNSURPASSED REALISM IN THEIR RANGE OF WEAPONS. A LESSER COMPANY
MIGHT BE SATISFIED WITH LESS, NOT REAL SWORD. EVERYTHING THEY MAKE,
THEY MAKE “RIGHT”, TO THE POINT WHERE THE SAME MATERIALS AS THE REAL
WEAPON ARE USED AND DETAILS, HOWEVER INSIGNIFICANT OR HIDDEN, ARE
STILL INCLUDED. AT THE HEAD OF REAL SWORD’S FLEET IS THE SVD AND WE
ARE GOING TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT IT IN THIS MONTH’S REVIEW.
Until the addition of weapons like the Barrett
.50 and it’s variants, and the Cheytac M200
Intervention, few guns commanded an aura
of fear and respect on the skirmish field like
the SVD, or Dragunov as many know it. At a
monstrous 4ft long from muzzle break to stock
it’s an imposing weapon in terms of sheer size
alone and that’s at first glance. Also at first
glance, it’s quite easy to dismiss the SVD as
simply a lengthened, “sniperised” AK variant
and although it shares many design principles
and a host of it’s styling with the AK, it’s actually
rather different and the similarities are mostly
cosmetic. The SVD is actually an original rifle
design and despite its reputation on the airsoft
field as a “sniper’s rifle” it’s actually more of a
mass produced squad marksman’s rifle.
Warsaw Pact Forces employed a doctrine
that called for each squad to contain an
individual that was capable of delivering
effective fire at ranges beyond 600m, thus
the Dragunov or SVD was born. Instead
of equipping squads with expensive and
cumbersome bolt-action rifles, the SVD was
a cheap-to-produce, semi-automatic weapon
that got the job done, perhaps not with utmost
precision, but with one weapon per squad, the
weight of numbers compensated for that. With
a steel machined receiver compared to the
stamped AK design in use at the time, the SVD
had greater strength and precision and with
the longer barrel, higher muzzle velocities
were possible. Some compromises were made
with the barrel, compared to what would
be considered optimal for ranged accuracy,
to keep weight down and practicality up.
Remember, this was not a weapon designed to
be used by highly trained and dedicated sniper
teams, rather it was intended to be employed
within squads of infantry and it even still has a
bayonet lug present.
REAL SWORD’S SVD
Real Sword’s products are the stuff of legend.
Thanks to some awkwardly translated English
on the companies website, you can find
airsofters and owners talking feverishly about
them being made “from the same materials
050 WWW.AIRSOFTWORLD.NET

T Y P E 7 9 - W W W . A I R S O F T W O R L D . N E T
“HAVING HANDLED MORE THAN A FEW GENUINE
EX-SOVIET UNION PSO SCOPES WE’RE CONVINCED THAT THIS
IS NO REPLICA, REGARDLESS OF WHOSE NAME IS ON THE BOX.
SUPPLIED WITH A PROTECTIVE CARRY CASE, WITH SPARE
BULBS, CLEANING KIT, SCREWDRIVER AND INSTRUCTIONS
INCLUDED THIS IS THE ONLY SCOPE THAT SHOULD BE SEEN
ON A SVD RIFLE. BEAUTIFUL OPTICAL QUALITY, THE CORRECT
RANGEFINDING RETICULE, THE WHOLE PACKAGE BASICALLY…”
- AIRSOFT WORLD
as the real things” and being “constructed
in the Izmash factory” on many forums and
discussion boards. It’s true, Real Sword make
some fantastic products and they go to great
lengths to ensure they are as realistic in terms
of build and appearance, and also in operation
as is practically possible. Whether these guns
truly share so much of their manufacturing
process with the real steel counterparts is yet
to be revealed and certainly the marketing
blurb from Real Sword could be interpreted
openly, but one thing is for sure, the SVD is a
great piece to behold, regardless of how truly
realistic it may be.
There’s a lot to take in with the SVD simply
because nearly every aspect of the gun is
worthy of note, from the packaging to the
internals, it’s a little bit special compared to the
run of the mill guns. The box, although not as
flashy as some, does the job and the protective
liner keeps the gun safe from harm on it’s
journey by way of some decent black foam.
The gun itself is delicately laid in its cut out, as
are the peripherals, of which you get plenty.
On top is a hefty tome containing operating
instructions and diagrams in a selection of
languages, something often overlooked but
always welcome to find.
Before picking it up, it’s important to ensure
everyone around you is wearing eye protection
if the gun is fitted with a battery or not... At 4ft
long the risk of poking anyone in the room in
the eye is significantly increased and because
of the skeletal stock out the back of the gun,
the majority of the weight is at the front
making it feel a little unwieldy so a sling would
certainly be a welcome addition for practical
use. The main reason the gun has some heft to
it is because it’s made from no-expense-spared
steel. The tub shaped receiver is steel, the
barrel, all 2ft of it, is steel and the bits bolted to
them are steel or real wood. There’s no monkey
metal or cheap cast alloy in sight. Like most
Soviet-era weapons, the SVD is recognisable as
something made to be operated by a human,
but not entirely “ergonomic” as we understand
the term these days. “Agricultural” is the
term used to describe this extended family
of weapons and to be fair, they are certainly
machinery. Unless you’ve got hands as hard as
the hammer that crosses the sickle, you’ll find
the defined steel edges and keen edges of the
SVD will take nips at your knuckles. This could
all be construed as a negative against the gun,
but in terms of realism, it isn’t at all. Every real
AK I’ve ever fired has been just the same, even
down to a slightly wobbly receiver cover. I’ve
never fired an SVD, but this replica is consistent
with what I’d expect.
THE REAL SWORD
SVD IS DESIGNED TIP
TO TOE AS A DESIGNATED
MARKSMAN’S RIFLE AND
CARRIES A NUMBER OF UNIQUE
FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS.
WWW.AIRSOFTWORLD.NET 051

ASG SHARP ARMALITE SHOOTER R E A L S W O R D D R A G U N O V S V D
Overall, the gun is externally beautiful, in
that AK way. The wood has a deep lustre and
it is produced authentically. Perhaps the
only qualm is the flat grey-black finish on the
receiver and barrel parts. In the relatively
short time we have to review the gun, it still
looks very fresh. The steely, slightly polished
patina of a real weapon might shine through
after some more wear and handling.
INTERNALS
In case you weren’t aware, Real Sword really
know what they are doing when it comes to
AEGs, and they don’t hold back when it comes to
making exactly what they want to make. There’s
no compromise and no reusing of off-the-shelf
parts to spare expense. As such, the internals of
the SVD are as unique as the externals. Taking
the gun down, as guided by a full colour, A3
sheet complete with English translated captions
and photographic diagrams, is made easy. Not
only because of good accompanying literature,
but also because the design of the gun is
ingenious. It’s simple, it’s fast and it can be done
with very few tools. It’s almost a like Real Sword
carried the design principles of these Soviet Bloc
weapons through to their AEG replicas. Instead
of crazy spring loaded components that must be
stacked up perilously before you can close the
receiver up, the SVD takedown is smooth, calm
and pleasurable. It’s almost like stripping a real
weapon but without being covered in carbon
and CLP. It must be said at this point though that
Real Sword must have made some alteration to
the design of the SVD since the diagrams were
printed, as there is no barrel locking screw,
which foxed us for a few moments.
Once you take a few steps to strip down the
gun, the grey metal gearbox casing is revealed
and marked with Real Sword logos. It is a
bespoke, lengthened design. The cylinder is
also considerable longer than the standard
AEG model, meaning the stroke of the gearbox
can be longer, puffing enough air down the
690mm long inner barrel to ensure the BB is
well cleared before pressure drops. This kind of
up-scaling required bespoke components but
fortunately, the Real Sword factory parts are
more than sufficient. It’s rare you get an AEG
out of the box, especially one you would most
likely want to use for “sniping”, and think it
was 100% good to go, but here, we believe this
might be the closest we’ve ever found to such
a marvel. The gearbox itself contains not the
usual three, but four transmission gears that
convert the rotary force of the motor into the
linear motion of the cylinder. This results in an
amazing amount of torque compared to some
other guns, which is set to produce get some
great on-field performance.
Taking a closer looks at some of the parts
outside the gearbox, the hop unit and barrel
are also bespoke and very well supported by
the precision made steel outer barrel. The
hop itself is simple but rather effective, the
best way for them to be. Of course the inner
barrel is a custom component for this gun, at a
massive 690mm, there are few airsoft replicas
that can push that volume of air. The barrel
itself is brass, presumably because it’s easier
to machine than harder metals and whilst it
doesn’t look very fancy, it seems to do the
job. It’s great to be able to delve below the
surface of an airsoft replica and come away
with a feeling of reassurance that the gun is
not just all show and no go. The beauty of the
SVD seems to be more than skin deep, and as
somebody that spends a lot of time looking at
the inside of AEGs, take heed, this is certainly a
cut above the average.
052 WWW.AIRSOFTWORLD.NET

T Y P E 7 9 - W W W . A I R S O F T W O R L D . N E T
NORINCO TYPE 79
As with most Real Sword products, the SVD is actually based on the Chinese produced version of
the Soviet weapon. This was a common practice when political and military ties between the two
countries were tighter. Norinco, a Chinese company based in Beijing, have forged a business in
making firearms over the last few decades, some of which are proprietary designs, other are clones
of some of the most famous US-made weapons. It is alleged that Real Sword have some close ties
with Norinco. The differences between the Soviet SVD and the Norinco version are very slight, the
paint markings on the rear sight and the contours of the receiver cover are two superficial changes
along with a slight change in stock length. Even with these slight variances in the AEG, this is still
by far and away the best SVD you are going to get.
VITAL STATS
PRICE: £879.95 + £364.95 for scope
WEIGHT: 6.7kg with scope
CONSTRUCTION: Metal and wood
LENGTH: 1225mm
HOP UP: Adjustable
FPS AVERAGE: 430fps
MAG CAPACITY: 90 rounds
PROS
✔ Highly Authentic
✔ Dedicated DMR
✔ Legendary Performance
CONS
✗ Very Expensive
✗ Rather Heavy
✗ Ergonomically Awkward
£879.95
GET YOURS FROM
AIRSOFTWORLD.NET
EXTRAS
The gun itself is only part of the package with
Real Sword’s SVD, and you get a selection of
little extras to round out the package. First of
all, there’s the magazine. In this instance, you
only get a single Mid-Cap style offering. It’s
finished in the same manner as the rest of the
gun and comes wrapped in grease paper for
added authenticity. On paper it is rated at 80
round capacity, but when filling, we found it
took a little less than that and needed a little
breaking in. No biggie. Additionally, there’s a
removable, faux-leather covered cheek piece
that latches onto the stock to raise the cheek
weld when using a scope. Speaking of which,
the package we reviewed came complete with
a PSO-1 M2 scope. We can’t work out if this
scope is a replica or is actually a genuine article
appropriated by Real Sword and included in the
package, it’s that good. With a 4x magnification
and lamp illuminated reticule, the PSO-1 is
perfect for airsoft use and ranges and it’s
reticule clear and easy to adjust for windage
and elevation. The scope mounts solidly via
proprietary dovetail mount on the side of the
SVD receiver and when fitted, sits slightly to the
left of the receiver. The scope comes in a green
canvas bag and has a cleaning cloth, spare
illumination bulbs, adjustment screwdriver,
lens brush, and spare rubber gaskets and eye
pieces included. It all feels very authentic and
complete. You also get an iron sight adjustment
tool and an assembly wrench, (to tighten or
dismantle parts). Both are made from steel.
PERFORMANCE
All this authenticity and realism might as well
amount to nothing if the gun doesn’t shoot right,
so the last part of our review of this gun was to
give it some welly on the range. The first part of
getting the SVD to shoot was getting a battery
in it. Fortunately space is plentiful in the front
handguard, but because of the tight tolerances
the weapon is manufactured to, it takes a few
times through the process to loosen up the
parts enough to make it possible without some
form of assistance in the form of a lever. There’s
room enough for a large stick-shaped NiMh
battery but we decided to try things out with a
simple 7.4v LiPo at first, as per usual. The gun is
fitted with an automotive style blade fuse and a
Mini-Tamiya connector, ideally we’d like to see a
Deans connector, but that’s an easy fix.
Operation is much like an AK with the
magazine fitting into place “toe first” then
rocking back up to the catch. The catch has
a pretty powerful spring in place so the
magazine takes a little effort to seat, but once
it’s in there, it won’t come out unintentionally.
Again much like an AK, the SVD has a selector
lever on the right hand side of the gun but
instead of three positions, it only has two. Safe
and Semi Auto. Although the gun only shoots
on Semi automatic, in the rare event of a
lock-up, a switch inside the magazine well can
be used to release the tension, a great feature.
With the battery in place, we gave the gun a
couple of test cycles. Due to the high torque
gear configuration, the SVD cycles effortlessly,
even more so considering it’ll happily pull
the spring (good for nearly 430fps on a .20g
BB, on a paltry 7.4v). It can be said that some
higher-powered AEGs feel a little like they are
stretching the capabilities of the gearbox, the
SVD gives you no such impression. It feels like
everything is perfectly within balance. If your
average “DMR” was a souped up Vauxhall Corsa,
the SVD would be a Bentley Continental, built
for purpose and perfectly capable of handling
the power. It goes without saying that the range
and accuracy produced by the Real Sword SVD
is confidence inspiring. Given the gun is an
unwieldy length and not particularly ergonomic,
it just begs you to get out there and shoot it.
Real Sword have definitely designed the
SVD faithfully. It’s not only realistic in
looks and materials, but the design of it as
closely mimics the intended purpose of the
real weapon as closely as the medium of
airsoft allows. Too often a version 2 gearbox
is shoehorned into a shell that resembles
the weapon the product is intended to
replicate, giving at best generic performance
characteristics. Here we have something
made from the ground up to fulfil a certain
role, and it’s so much better for it.
WWW.AIRSOFTWORLD.NET 053

APPLIED KNOWLEDGE
SOLDIER
READING UP ON REAL-WORLD CQB
TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS IS A GREAT
PASTIME. IF YOU ARE ANYTHING LIKE
ME, READING THIS SORT OF STUFF
IS GREAT FUN IN ITSELF AND VERY
ENGAGING. TAKING IT OFF THE PAGE
AND APPLYING IT TO AIRSOFT CAN
BE A WHOLE DIFFERENT MATTER
THOUGH. HOW MUCH CAN YOU
ACTUALLY TAKE FROM THE BRUTAL
CUT AND THRUST OF REAL COMBAT
TO THE COMPARATIVELY TRIVIAL
GAME OF AIRSOFT? AS WE FIND OUT,
WHETHER YOU FANCY YOURSELF AS
IN TRAINING FOR A WORST-CASE
SCENARIO, OR SIMPLY WANT TO
HAVE THE COMPETITIVE EDGE AT A
WEEKEND SKIRMISH, PRETTY MUCH
EVERYTHING HAS SOME APPLICATION.
Inspiration for this month’s Soldier Skills
feature came from reading a list of Ten Most
Common Mistakes in CQB Training on the website
AmericanWarfighter.net. It sounds like awfully
heavy going stuff for a simple airsofter to be
taking in, but like many, I like to look to the next
opportunity to take my game to the next level. As I
read through the ten mistakes, I recognised many
of them from my own, albeit less life or death,
experiences with CQB airsoft games. The same
mistakes applied and sure, I was personally guilty
of many of them. In light of this, I’ll reproduce the
same list of mistakes and explain how they can
be avoided next time you are fighting through a
building because there is a huge amount to be
taken from this.
1 HESITATION
This mistake ran particularly true with
me and I’ve laboured the subject before.
Decisiveness and “hanging around” gives the
enemy the upper hand and being able to act fast
and make decisions on the spot is what makes
the difference. Of course it’s much easier to
not hesitate when the consequences are simply
calling hit and swallowing your pride, but that
doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
The only real solution to a hesitation is to train
and build experience as a group. Individual skills
help a CQB player but a group, all working at the
same goal together is generally an unstoppable
force. We’ve seen this at our Ai 5-Man events
and you can see it in motion with any solid and
cohesive team. Talk about drills and processes
and establish a “Standard Operating Procedure”
for all the details. If somebody is out of ammo,
grab a mag from the guy in front, establish who
will breach rooms and who will provide security
and do this ahead of time until it becomes
second nature. This means you can focus on the
bad guys and allow your brain to process the rest
of the details in the background.
2
FULL RAMBO MODE
Our American source called this
mistake “rabbiting” or “one man room
clearing” but we prefer to call it “Rambo’ing”…
Where one guy gets ahead of himself and
charges off, guns blazing, completely the
opposite to hesitating. This pace would be
great if the entire team could maintain it, but
practicality says that’s not going to happen. If
you are playing an in-depth game with Medic
rules, raging off alone is going to get you
slotted and your team Medic might not be able
to get to you. At the very simplest, you’ve taken
the biggest multiplier of your force and left it
behind because two (or more) guns is better
than one. Should you Rambo off into a room
and there are 2 bad guys in there, who’s going
to come off worst? There’s safety in numbers so
stick with your team and make it count.
3 COMPLACENCY
Airsoft is a terrible breeding ground
for complacency. It’s understandable
because the threat is far less than that of the
real world and the consequence of letting your
guard down isn’t anywhere near as dire, but
damn, it’s frustrating when you left your mind
slip away for a second and “boom” there’s a
bad guy round the corner.
The truth of the matter is, when you get hit
it’s usually from where you least expect it
to be from, so expect enemies everywhere.
Sure, you might look a bit OTT clearing
back through rooms some other guy has
just announced is “probably clear” but your
opposition is likely just as cunning as you. If
you’ve moved through a building and turned
your back on it for even a moment, there’s
a chance that it could have been reoccupied
so stay on point and never take anything for
granted. “Probably empty” is nothing like
“cleared” so be 100% certain and don’t take
any risks just because you think you are right.
SKILLS
4
ACT NOW, ARGUE LATER
In a team, each member has their job
to do, but if somebody drops the ball
or makes a mistake, don’t play the blame game
because if something isn’t done right, you all lose.
If you spot a teammate failing to check a corner
or missing his arc, don’t call him up on it and
argue about it then, fill the gap and be a team
mate. Airsoft teams can be a difficult dynamic
with a bunch of guys all amped up, so arguments
can quickly boil over. Don’t give the fire any fuel,
pick up the slack and make a mental note to raise
the point at a later date when you can properly
digest it and learn from it.
5
LOSING FOCUS
Staying “on task” is the most effective
way to complete an objective and most
skirmish games have an objective. Make sure you
all remember what that objective is and keep
sight of it. Mostly, don’t follow the rabbit down
the hole. If you have completed what you came to
do, get the hell out ASAP and don’t get suckered
in to another firefight that could have been
avoided. Get that objective back to base or haul
ass and regroup.
6
DON'T TURN TO TALK!
This is a great mistake and I’m sure
everyone has fallen foul of it once or
twice, literally or not. You can talk to each other
without making eye contact and if it’s your job
to watch a doorway or window, keep your eyes
on it. Turning round and engaging in a lengthy
conversation about what’s on TV later can wait,
or at least the chat can be conducted without
making eye contact. Likewise, if you are supposed
to be keeping watch on a corner, make sure you
are watching the corner and not fumbling around
in your utility pouch trying to fish out the last
boiled sweet. We’ve all been there, the moment
you avert your gaze is the moment the kid in a
hoodie runs round the corner and lights you all
up on auto.
7
DO WHAT WORKS
Did you see some John Woo movie where
some dude leapt through the window
with two pistols firing on auto? Damn right you
did and it probably looked really cool, but it ‘s
not something to integrate into your team tactics.
Just because that guy in the pub last week said,
when his mate was in the SAS they all shot with
their guns upside down to make reloading easier
doesn’t mean you should. Just because Chris Costa
shoots with his arm in the air at a funny angle
doesn’t automatically mean it will work for you.
054 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

By all means, find new techniques and try
them out, but unless there’s an obvious benefit
to using them, don’t adopt them as a team just
because you feel like it makes you look cool. You
know what looks coolest? Shooting everyone
else and walking out like badasses… Nobody
will remember how you were holding the gun.
Remember, if it looks stupid but it works out on
the field and gains you ground, it’s not stupid.
8
SLOW IS SMOOTH...
This old adage is fast attaining cliché
status, but it’s still true. Rushing
something will force mistakes but doing the
same task methodically will result in it working
first time… A bit like the tortoise and hare, if
they were having a gunfight. What the statement
doesn’t mean is do stuff slowly, it really means,
do it properly and work at YOUR pace. Speed will
come with practiced proficiency and it’s better
to do things slowly and make less mistakes.
High-speed show-boating will come with time and
practice and it doesn’t matter how fast you can
get a reload done if you can only do it one in ten
times without making a mistake.
9
IT'S NOT A RACE
I once got the opportunity to do some
training with a former-UKSF operative.
We covered approach and clearance of buildings
and compounds. One of the first things we were
called up on was running hell for leather to get
into a position. Naturally speed is security in
some instances, but there’s no point in going full
tilt when you don’t need to. Why run out of puff
before you really need it? Essentially, the enemy
often doesn’t know you are coming, so if your
approach is correct with plenty of interlocking
arcs of fire and cover, there’s no need to run.
Move slowly, deliberately and methodically. As
above, eventually greater speed will come in
time, but that’s a byproduct of proficiency.
10
NEVER FIGHT FAIR!
No, we don’t mean cheat, let’s clear
that up straight away. What we do mean
though, is don’t engage in a 50/50 firefight,
popping in and out of cover to take a shot. The
odds of you being the one that gets hit first in
that scenario are obviously about an even split,
no matter how many cool poses you know or
if you can transition shoulder to shoulder with
your rifle. You should be working as a team to
bring an unbeatable amount of force down upon
your enemy, so do what it takes to take him
out without a struggle. Outflank him. Frag him.
Dominate him. Move up on his position. Fall back
a bit and bait him out into the open, just don’t
engage in a tit-for-tat exchange of fire.
This isn’t a comprehensive guide to CQB, nor is it
an exhaustive list of mistakes you could make. We
just think its an applicable list of common errors
teams and individuals seem to make when playing
airsoft. Many out there might scoff at the thought
of taking things so seriously but at its most basic,
this stuff will make you a better airsoft player.
REMEMBER, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A BIG MIL-SIM TEAM WITH
MATCHING KIT THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE YOUR FAVOURITE SF GROUP.
YOU CAN BE AS RAG-TAG AS YOU LIKE - BUT PUTTING IN A LITTLE
WORK AS A GROUP WILL MAKE YOUR GAME A LOT TIGHTER. BEAR IT
IN MIND THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR “GAME ON!” AND GIVE IT A TRY!
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 055

SCORING HITS
I S I T B E T T E R T O G E T M O R E “ K
KILL OR BE KILLED
IS IT BETTER TO GET MORE
KILLS OR GET SHOT LESS?
EARLIER THIS MONTH, OUR ILLUSTRIOUS EDITOR POSED THIS INTERESTING
QUESTION TO ME AS WE MULLED OVER POSSIBLE IDEAS FOR THIS ISSUE’S
ARTICLE - ‘IS IT BETTER TO GET MORE “KILLS” OR GET SHOT LESS?’
That’s an intriguing proposition and to set
the tone I’ll open up with this little story.
Whilst attending a two day Mil-Sim held at the
renowned and now defunct airsoft site, UCAP:
The Sandpit, this particular moment serves as
a timely anecdote.
Our 20-odd strong group faced overwhelming
odds with an enemy force of over 100 ‘Russian’
troops replete in indigenous camouflage,
armour and weaponry including vehicles.
During the daytime, with their checkpoints and
forward fighting positions the advantage was
truly with them.
However, as the night fell and our small
company gathered in a recently abandoned
Forward Operating Base we poured over maps
under red lights and gathered intel to plan a
phase of kinetic night operations.
Broken down into three smaller groups, an
advance reconnaissance party, a fire support
element and demolitions team we stepped off
into the darkness under the green glow of our
night vision. As we dropped down from the
plateau into the tree-lined causeway running
along the southern shoreline of the AO’s
expansive reservoir, we stealthily moved deep
into enemy held territory cutting through wires
of ‘explosive’ traps secreted by foliage brought
down by heavy armour earlier in the day.
As we pushed forward our added advantage
offered through night vision put us in a good
position to knock out two enemy LUP’s and
their vehicles without taking a single ‘casualty’.
So, before proceeding into the sites former
industrial area to provide a distraction for our
‘EOD’ team to proceed up to higher ground
and knock out their communications we hastily
took cover as remnants of the Russian ambush
patrolled back to the safety of their patrol base.
I signalled to my small team to take cover in
the shadows of the ditches tall grass. We’ll never
be sure how but one of our number was spotted
by the patrol’s officer who’d since walked ahead
leaving him all alone. He drew his pistol and
began to explain he intended to capture our
apparently ‘alone’ team mate.
Peering through the darkness, our otherwise
invisible lasers danced across his torso whilst he
became infuriated with our boys refusal to yield
and surrender, at this juncture I whispered into
my headset ‘light him up!’
So, after nearly an entire twelve hours,
clambering, climbing and crawling through the
mud, wet and intermittently the dust and rock
spending hardly a single shot we’d waited until
the advantage was ours.
In this instance, in the pursuit of something
immersive and offering no end of ‘suspension
of disbelief’ it was truly worth avoiding ‘being
killed’ or rather as opposed to inflicting heavy
by andy
s23
attrition on the OpFor. But, ultimately as we’ll
discuss here, what style of Airsoft you’re
playing, or for that matter prefer, can really
switch this right around and on its head.
SKIRMISHES
At your local skirmish site you’ll usually be
pitted against an equal number. With a loose
objective to achieve or complete you’ll either
prefer, or be expected by virtue of game style
to dominate the opposition by ‘scoring hits’
and sending back to ‘re-spawn’ to see your
team to victory.
I’ve tried to employ an emphasis on tactics,
utilising the topography to out flank the
opposition, invariably it has put me in prime
position to score a well deserved ‘kill’ and whilst
rewarding it’s had little positive outcome on
effecting change or victory. Conversely, it has its
own rewards, as different people draw different
things from the participation in Airsoft.
ENVIRONMENT
Sometimes, regardless of wether it’s a skirmish,
Battle-Sim or Mil-Sim - and irrelevantly,
no matter duration, certain environments
will dictate tempo and emphasis on ‘kills or
survivability’.
A good example of this is CQB, here the very
close nature and frenetic pace of combat in
part drives you put that opposing player down.
Here the claustrophobic confines of fighting
either in built up areas or the tight confines of
a buildings interior will, ultimately drive you to
fight to survive.
058 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

I L L S ” O R G E T S H O T L E S S ? - S C O R I N G H I T S
“ SOMETIMES, REGARDLESS OF
WHETHER IT’S A SKIRMISH,
BATTLESIM OR MILSIM
- AND IRRELEVANTLY, NO
MATTER DURATION, CERTAIN
ENVIRONMENTS WILL DICTATE
TEMPO AND EMPHASIS ON ‘KILLS
OR SURVIVABILITY’...”
EQUIPMENT
To put it simply, the very blasters we choose,
ammo counts we choose to run, and perhaps
our roles either by choice or defined within our
team or the very event we attend will in part
influence wether it is better to up the body
count or survive and remain undetected.
Polar opposites, those who prefer the
role of sniper or a teams DMR will prefer to
circumnavigate through a game undetected,
and whilst not racking up vast, but no less
impressive numbers, they offer a great tactical
advantage in game.
However, as do ‘Support Gunners’
with vastly superior volume of fire and
ammunition in abundance they can not only
count immeasurably large figures of ‘kills’
they offer a distinct advantage to their
advancing team mates on the attack or single
handedly defend a fortified position even
against overwhelming odds.
ETHOS
All of this aside, sometimes altruistically it’s
perhaps worth considering and even balancing
the ‘kill vs survivability’ to help propel the
game, scenario or overall event.
Tailoring your playing style and weighing up
your options, tactics if you will can ultimately
effect quite dramatically yours and others
enjoyment, either positively or for the worse.
ULTIMATELY
Whilst the choice is yours, we perhaps have to
consider a few other all to relevant key stones.
The first being ammo counts, either
restricted by platform, the number of or type
of magazines you’re carrying or as dictated by
event rules.
Here your choice to go out in a blaze of glory,
to inflict no end of attrition on the OpFor could
invariably see you surrounded and out of ammo
- and perhaps possibly ruining the immersion
of others.
Likewise, stealthy stalking through enemy
lines could see you missing out on all the fast
paced action from a regular skirmish - no point
playing ‘Metal Gear’ when everyone else is up
for ‘Call of Duty’.
Still, this all hinges on one thing, integrity,
honesty by virtue of hit taking and ultimately
acknowledging that you’ve been bested.
Either way - the above ‘kill or be killed’ ethos is
otherwise redundant and, let’s not forget, above
all it’s about having fun.
s23
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 059

THE ULTIMATE AIRSOFT EXPERIENCE!
ONE OF THE LARGEST PERMANENT URBAN AIRSOFT SITES IS CLOSING THIS
SUMMER, SO WE HAVE HERE A SELECTION OF PHOTOS TO SHOW WHAT FUN WE
HAVE HAD ON THIS GREAT SITE OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU
THAT HAVE ATTENDED AND MADE THE SITE THE GREAT LOCATION IT HAS BEEN.
IT HAS BEEN A LOT OF HARD WORK, BUT ALSO VERY REWARDING RUNNING IT.
If you wish to still attend this 40 acre site with over 15 two storey building then see our
website for future game dates. www.urbanassault.org.uk
Bookings must be made for walk on or hire places. Other site visits by prior arrangement.
The site is packed full of perfect gaming features, numerous staircases to try and clear.
Small and large rooms everywhere you look. Large buildings, small buildings, courtyards,
alleyways, you name it, this site has all of it!
Check our website or email for dates and details
WWW.URBANASSAULT.ORG.UK
■ NORTH CAMBS LOCATION (PE26).
■ BURGER VAN ON SITE.
■ TOILET FACILITIES.
■ 40 ACRES OF IN AND OUTSIDE GAMING.
■ NEARLY 20 TWO-STOREY BUILDINGS.
■ 300+ ROOMS TO CLEAR.
■ 345 FPS AEG’S ( FULL AUTO SITE).
■ 400 FPS SNIPER ( LIMITATIONS APPLY).
■ SITE ONLY PYRO TO BE USED.
■ £25 WALK ON FEE.
■ £50 HIRE GUN PACKAGES.
■ AMMO, GAS AND PYRO ALL
AVAILABLE ON SITE.
■ SHOP ORDERS FROM
FIRESUPPORT CAN
BE DELIVERED
TO GAME DAYS.
WWW.FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK
Emailing to book walk-on places is essential
SALES@FIRE-SUPPORT.CO.UK
Hire bookings must be made
in advance by telephone
01733 247171
BOOK!
FULL DAY
HIRE GUN
PACKAGES
FROM
£50
WWW.URBANASSAULT.ORG.UK

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THE POUCHES THEMSELVES
ARE UNMATCHED SO FAR...
BESIDES, COMPARED
TO MOST OF THE OTHER
POUCH OPTIONS THAT ARE
CURRENTLY OUT THERE, THESE
ACTUALLY REPRESENT ONE OF
THE CHEAPER OPTIONS.
GET YOUR ESSTAC KYWI MAG
POUCHES WORKING WITH
YOUR ASG CZ SCORPION
EVO 3 A1 TODAY BY TAKING
YOURSELF OVER TO WWW.
TACTICAL-KIT.CO.UK
£34.99
WWW.TACTICAL-KIT.CO.UK
ASG CZ SCORPION EVO
3 A1 MAG POUCHES!
ASG’S FULLY LICENSED CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 IS A PHENOMENAL GUN
AND HAS GAINED A FANATICAL FOLLOWING. UNFORTUNATELY, TRYING
TO SOURCE RELIABLE, HIGH-SPEED RETENTION POUCHES HAS PROVEN
TO BE A BIT OF A STICKING POINT. ESSTAC NOW HAS A TOP-TIER
SOLUTION FOR ALL YOU SCORPION USERS OUT THERE.
SCORPION WINS
The Scorpion EVO is a 9mm submachine gun in
real-steel form but ASG worked tirelessly with
CZ to produce as closely as possible, a 1:1 scale
exact replica of the weapon in airsoft form and
they succeeded. As such the EVO doesn’t use
the ubiquitous 5.56mm or STANAG compatible
magazine, it uses its own.
In themselves the ASG EVO magazines are
an engineering marvel being made of very few
components and balancing both durability and
a light weight, of course they are smaller than
your usual “assault rifle” magazine but also a
little larger than your average MP5 or other
sub-gun magazine. That makes stowing them
securely and also in a “tactically accessible”
fashion difficult. Although there are a number
of reputable US based manufacturers making
competition style kydex magazine holders
and also some custom shops sewing up some
great nylon products, the Esstac KYWI brings
some proven designs onto the market, adapted
specifically to work with the EVO.
And internal kydex “clip” hold the magazine
tightly inside the simple but durable textile
portion of the pouch. The whole pouch can be
fitted to a MOLLE/PALS platform using the two
MALICE clips supplied with the pouch itself.
Available in Black, Multicam, Coyote and Ranger
Green there’s an option for everyone to run, no
matter what their style or load out preference.
Several versions of the pouch are available
directly from Esstac, however Tactical Kit, the
UK supplier is currently only importing the
mid-height double pouch, which holds 2 mags.
Esstac’s KYWI pouches are design to hold and
retain the weight of a full 9mm-filled magazine
so they do grip the magazine itself quite tightly.
There’s no worry about them actually breaking
the ASG magazine however for ease of use in
an airsoft scenario, some users like to slacken
off the tension in the kydex inserts. This can be
done by gently heating them to relax the plastic
and smooth out the curves inside the pouch, or
even by cutting a little away to reprofile them.
062 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

POWER UP
A S G C H A R G I N G S O L U T I O N S
ASG
DIGITAL
BATTERY
CHARGER
FEATURES
■ LiHV, LiPo, LiFe, LiIo, NiMh, NiCd and Pb.
■ Special Lithium charge programs:
Balance/Storage/Fast/Standard/Discharge.
■ All battery types can be Cyclic charged.
■ Data can be stored.
■ Input: 11-18 volt DC and 100-240 volt AC.
■ USB to PC connection for control and
data upload to ‘Chargemaster’ program.
■ Comes with a universal charging lead
with 6 different plugs.
■ Customizable voltage output, to get the
most out of the batteries (expert users).
■ Program for the 4.35volt LiPo (standard
LiPo is 4.20volt).
■ Nixx Repeak program gives you the
ability to push your batteries even further.
■ Integrated LiPo test function.
■ Powerfull: Charges up to 6 Ampere and
Discharges with 2 Amperes.
TECHNICAL DATA:
■ Net Weight: 310g
■ Input Voltage: AC100-240V
■ Charge Circuit Power Max: 60W
■ Discharge Circuit Power: 10W
■ Charge Current Range: 0.1-6A
■ Discharge Current Range: 0.1-2A
■ Current Drian for Balancing Port:
Max 200mA/cell
■ Trickle Charging: 50mA-300mA and OFF
■ LiPo/LiFe/Lilon/LiHV Battery Cell:s: 2-4S
■ NiMH/NiCd Battery Cell Count: 6-8S
■ Pb Battery Voltage: 6-12V
£44.95
FROM ASG STOCKISTS
ONE THING TO
CHARGE THEM ALL!
MOST AIRSOFTERS WILL USE AT LEAST ONE AEG AND THAT MEANS THEY
WILL NEED AT LEAST ONE BATTERY. BATTERIES COME IN MANY DIFFERENT
SHAPES, SIZES AND TYPES BUT THEY ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON,
THEY NEED CHARGING UP. ASG’S DIGITAL MULTIFUNCTIONAL BATTERY
CHARGER HAS ALMOST EVERY EVENTUALITY COVERED.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL
Many guns will come with a basic charger, just a
power adaptor with a connector lead on it and
if you are lucky an LED that changes from red to
green at some point. Due to the infamously poor
documentation that accompanies many airsoft
guns and accessories, charging your battery can
be guesswork at best, absolute pot luck at the
worst. We’ve seen it a million times, players rock
up to their first game, stick a battery in their
gun and fire a few shots only for the telltale slow
cycling of a depleted battery to rear its head.
“I only charged it last week!” They exclaim.
AEG’s are thirsty monsters and require quite
a lot of juice especially these days now that
electronics and high-torque motors are rife. It’s
rare that one battery will last the day and even
the temperature can effect battery performance
so it’s always best to have 2 or even 3 fully
charged batteries on hand.
ASG’s Digital Multifunctional Battery Charger
has everything under wraps. You will have
nothing to worry about ever again with this
bad boy sat on your workbench pumping those
sweet, sweet electrons into your cells. it’s not
a complicated piece of kit, in fact it’s quite
straight forward with only 4 buttons to poke
at and a simple menu system to work through.
You can charge, discharge, balance and fast
charge NiHm, LiPo, LiFe, NiCad and even Pb
rechargeable batteries of all shapes, sizes and
capacities. The charger comes with an adaptor
loom that includes large Tamiya, mini Tamiya,
Deans and JST connectors, along with bullet
type connectors. This unfortunately doesn’t
include a mini Deans connector but it’s not too
difficult to knock up an adaptor.
You can also monitor battery status and
see how much juice remains in each cell and
you can even program the charge cycles via
a desktop PC application and a USB link!
Unfortunately as a Mac user, I’ve not been
able to harness this option so far as the
application is incompatible with the OSX
system. The charger uses a simple AC adaptor
and ASG provide one with the correct plug on
the end for UK use.
As with all chargers, read the manual before
use as improperly setting battery charge
programs can cause dangerous overloads
in cells, but the ASG charger takes all the
guesswork out of getting your batteries juiced
up and ready to go. If you are stuck using a
“dumb” charger you are wasting precious time.
Upgrade as soon as you can.
“This Digital multifunctional charger can
charge all current battery types in the market,
including the new generation LiPo 4.35V
batteries (standard LiPo is 4.2 V).
What makes it even more advanced than other
chargers, is the wide range of unique features,
which places this charger on a completely new
level, it can be used as Lithium Battery Meter
and Battery Internal Resistance Meter.
There are Automatic Charging Current
Limit, Capacity Limit, Temperature Threshold
and Processing Time Limit, which makes
the charger safe to use. Of course, all these
features are controllable via PC with the
Chargemaster program and Smartphone
via the available app. It is even prepared
for the future by being ready for firmware
upgrade. Standard UK plug.”
W W W . A I - M A G . C O M 063

M U S T H A V E S F R O M V I P E R T A C T I C
VIPER
TACTICAL
ELITE JACKET
The Elite model brings more features and improved
£59.95
styling to the ‘Shell jacket’ line-up. Featuring a
water-resistant microshell primary material
the jacket includes a stow-away, adjustable
peaked hood, strategically placed external
pockets and a two-way main zipper.
The arms feature easy to reach utility
pockets and the cuffs are elasticated
and fully sealable with a velcro tab
system. Temperature regulating
under-arm zippers and a drawstring
waist keep wind and drafts out.
■ Water resistant micro shell.
■ Adjustable peaked hood.
■ 5x External pockets.
■ 2-way YKK zip.
■ 3x Utility pockets on the arms.
■ Underarm zipped vents.
■ Elasticated cuffs with velcro.
■ Bungee adjustable waist.
■ Available in vcam colour.
■ Sizes small to XXL.
MUST
HAVES!
ELITE TROUSERS
It’s not difficult to see where the
inspiration for these new Viper Tactical
Elite combat trousers comes from and
although not the first company to use
the influence of Crye Precision’s combat
pants in their design, Viper Tactical
come through with great quality at a low
price. With a velcro sealed and zippered
fly and elasticated waist size adjusters,
the fit is easily adjusted and the position
of the internally slotted, hard shell
kneepads can be tweaked to perfection.
A multitude of practically sized pockets
provides storage and reinforcement
areas add strength where it’s needed
and reduce bulk where it isn’t.
■ Velcro and zipped fly.
■ Elasticated waist adjustment.
■ 2x Regular thigh pockets.
■ 2x Buttoned back pockets.
■ 2x Deep cargo pockets.
■ 2x Ankle utility pockets.
■ Velcro knee retention strap.
■ Velcro ankle fastner.
■ Internal knee pad adjusters located
in front 2 pockets.
■ Abs removable knee pads.
■ Re-enforced seat, drawstring bottoms.
■ Available in vcam colour.
■ Sizes 28” to 42”.
£42.95
TACTICAL T-SHIRT
Viper Tactical’s T-Shirt gives you the
features you need from a regular
under-armour shirt by way of velcro
fields on the biceps and also
storage pockets but in a package
that’s more suited to hot weather
use. Solidly built from heavyweight
material and cut long in the body to
facilitate tacking in to your trousers, this
shirt is popular with the whole Ai team and
many of our readers.
■ Made from super heavyweight materials.
■ 220 gsm cotton.
■ Ideal for hot weather skirmishing.
■ 2x Sleeve pockets with velcro.
■ Also available in black, green and coyote.
■ Available in sizes from small to XXXL
we recommend!
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
£22.95
064 WWW.VIPERKIT.CO.UK

A L - M U S T H A V E S F R O M V I P E R T A C T I C A L
BDU TROUSERS
Built-in knee pads aren’t for
everyone and if you need something
light, cool airy and simple, Viper
Tactical’s new BDU trousers are
ideal. Perfect for hot-weather use or
where a quick-drying, no-nonsense
pair of trousers is required you can’t go
wrong with this proven set of features
and classic design, especially not at the
price point they are positioned at. Once
again Viper Tactical come through with
a product that is nigh unbeatable!
■ 4-button fly.
■ Sliding waist adjusters.
■ 2x Regular thigh pockets.
■ 2x Buttoned back pockets.
■ 2x Deep cargo pockets.
■ Re-enforced seat.
■ Drawstring bottoms.
■ Ripstop polycotton material.
■ Available in VCAM colour.
■ Sizes 28” to 42”.
VIPER TACTICAL HAVE
EXPLODED OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS AND A LOT
OF AIRSOFTERS HAVE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT KIT
THAT BOASTS THE RIGHT LOOK
AT A VERY AFFORDABLE PRICE.
THIS MONTH WE ROUND UP
A COUPLE OF OUR FAVOURITE
CLOTHING ITEMS.
£25.95
CONTRACTOR PANTS
Featuring a more casual styling and a
more fashionable cut, Viper Tactical’s
Contractor Pants cut it on the field
and also during day-to-day. Whether
you’re on your commute to work or just
nipping tot eh shops, sleek pockets and
neatly tapered legs balance a smart and
casual look perfectly. On top of this they
are highly comfortable and practical
for simply getting around or getting
involved in more active tasks. Desipe
looking unassuming on the outside
Viper Tactical’s Contractor pants hide
some neat features that you will really
appreciate when in use. These have to
be one of the stand-out products in the
Viper range today.
■ 2x Deep bellow cargo pockets with
inner felt lined utility compartments.
■ 2x Handwarmer pockets.
■ 2x Rear set pockets.
■ Knee pad compartment (pads not included).
■ Elasticated waist panel on rear.
■ Gusseted crotch.
■ Re-enforced pocket lip.
■ YKK Zip Fly with button.
■ Drawstring tie bottoms.
■ Material: Ripstop Polycotton.
■ Sizes: UK 28”-42”.
■ Available in Black, Coyote or Titanium.
£39.95
VIPER TACTICAL PONCHO
Viper Tactical’s Nylon Poncho provides protection from rain,
snow and wind in a compact and affordable package. Whether
you are laying up in wait for an ambush on your enemy or
lumped with a guard duty outside of shelter, this poncho
can be thrown on to protect you and your kit
underneath. With taped seams and an adjustable
hood the poncho can be worn or strung up
using metal eyelets to provide a temporary
shelter in a fixed spot.
■ Rip-stop waterproof nylon.
■ Taped seams.
■ Press studs either side.
■ Cord for hood fully adjustable.
■ Metal eyelets on edges for tying.
■ Drawstring carry pouch.
■ Height 102cm (not including hood).
■ Width 140cm.
£25.95
W W W . V I P E R - K I T . C O . U K 065

ALL TALK
A I R S O F T A P P L I C A T I O N S T H I S I S M
"THIS IS MY RIFLE...
WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A
DOUBT (EYE PROTECTION
NOTWITHSTANDING), YOUR
MAIN WEAPON IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ITEM YOU CAN
CARRY IN-GAME. WITHOUT
IT… WELL, YOU WON’T BE
ABLE TO SHOOT, SLIGHTLY
DEFEATING THE PURPOSE OF
TURNING UP TO A GAME DAY
IN THE FIRST PLACE. I’VE BEEN
ASKED COUNTLESS TIMES
ABOUT MY CHOSEN RIF, AND
HOW I HAVE IT SET UP TO
WORK FOR ME, SO I THOUGHT
I WOULD USE THE COLUMN
THIS MONTH TO GIVE THE
LOW-DOWN ON MY SET-UP.
Over the time I’ve played, I’ve tried
various makes and models of blaster
with differing degrees of success. I’ve
tried M4 platforms, I’ve tried HK and AK
platforms; I’ve tried AEGs, GBBRs, recoil
AEGs and even briefly flirted with the
idea of a HPA setup.
However, after several years of
experimentation and testing, I think I’ve
struck gold: PTW. For the last 19 months
(the longest time I’ve ever owned a
single weapon), my go-to “BBWarZ”
bang-stick has been a training weapon.
Although not one of the instantly
recognisable Systema variety, it has
given me the best bang for my buck of
any weapon I’ve ever handled, and even
now succeeds in putting a smile on my
face whenever I pull the trigger.
Second hand (and extremely
well-used) when I got it back in January
of 2016, it has been a stalwart, which
is now barely recognisable. Based on a
G&D DTW, I have had a lot of work done
internally (alongside much external
work to increase my ‘Opr8r points’) to
turn it into the machine it currently is.
All the Gucci externals in the world, however,
would be useless without a capable internal
system to throw BBs around sites. Therefore,
the first thing I did was to upgrade some of the
essential components of the weapon. Unlike
a standard AEG, or ERG which is mechanical;
the PTW system (be it Systema, Celsius, G&D
or any other brand’s interpretation) is an
electronic system using computerised boards
to control the firing of the gun. The stock
G&D electrics in my gun were on their way
out. They had been used by several owners
before me, and although entirely functional,
benefitted from being retired rather than
run into the ground. I decided that the best
option for replacing them (shy of buying a full
Systema set) was ETiny’s offering. The smaller,
more compact MOSFET created more space
in the buffer tube, and the upgraded circuit
meant the gun felt much snappier as soon as
the set was installed.
Soon after the electronics had been sorted,
the stock pinion gear on the motor stripped.
Sadly, one design flaw with the G&D motors
is that, due to the pinion being press-fitted
rather than screwed to the motor shaft,
eventually the glue wears and the gear slips on
the shaft. When this happens, the gear jams
WRITTEN BY
JACOB MILLER
...THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT..."
and is crushed by the other, bigger gears in
the gearbox as it moves freely on the motor
shaft. When I experienced this, I upgraded
to an ETiny pinion gear, using a screw-on
design, which has since held up to the tens of
thousands of rounds I have put through the
gun since the upgrade.
It’s worth mentioning at this point, that
PTWs are, in a word, ‘finicky’. It takes someone
who has a great deal of knowledge about the
ins-and-outs of the system to be able to work
on them. All the work done on my gun has been
carried out by the guys at Land Warrior Airsoft
- and has been completed at reasonable cost
and to the highest standards every time.
Now that the lower receiver of the gun
was in tip-top shape and performing well, I
only had to look at the innards of the upper
receiver. Being a training weapon, and not
having a conventional gearbox system, the
cylinder assembly of the gun is in a separate,
self-contained unit from the gears and
electronics. This allows for a realistic ‘field
strip’ procedure, and lets the user change
cylinders quickly if they need to alter their FPS
(for example, playing at a woodland site one
weekend and a CQB site with lower limits the
next). However, I had encountered some issues
066 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

Y R I F L E - T H I S I S M Y G U N - M Y R I F L E
with the stock G&D cylinders, so I quickly
made the change to a Systema cylinder, and
I’ve never looked back. The previous owner
had already installed a Systema hop and
barrel set to the gun, so the Systema cylinder
(specifically the nozzle component) eliminated
a few minor feeding issues I had been having.
Although this did add some cost to the
overall price of the unit, it meant that I had a
solid-performing gun, which I could rely on to
spit plastic exactly where I wanted it to… well,
in the general direction of where it needed to
be - that may be more to do with my aim than
my gun though! Now all I had to do was set the
gun up externally in a manner that I liked. I
inherited the gun with a Daniel Defence RISII,
AKA the Mk18 rail system. Being one of my
favourite rail systems on the market, this was
ideal for me. I immediately added my favoured
foregrip - an MFT ‘React’ vertical grip, which
had been on every gun I’d used for some time
beforehand (and still is!). Although I mainly use
this as a handstop, it is comfortable and makes
a great index point when I manipulate the rifle.
After that, I added an optic. Some months
before, a good friend had given me a T1 red
dot sight which I loved dearly. It went straight
on the gun and was zeroed perfectly… and
was fine, until about six weeks ago when it
had a disagreement with some BBs at a local
CQB site. I’ve since replaced it with a replica
EoTech 552 which has (touch wood) survived
so far. Next to be added to the forward rail
system was a PEQ box. After I took a step
into the world of night vision, I realised that I
would need an IR laser system in order to aim
effectively when using nods. I went for the
Invisiblesight PEQ15; which has since stood
up to being almost broken in half, trodden
on, dropped from a height, smashed against
walls and trees… and continues to function
flawlessly! Although an expensive laser, it has
been a rock solid addition to my blaster. I run
this to a pressure pad, which sits between the
top and left side RIS on the rail system.
Although I love my night vision, sometimes
there is no substitute for bright white light. To
that end, I added the Solarforce L2 torch and
pressure pad combination to the right side rail,
with the pressure pad secured along the top
rail, so it can easily be activated when I use my
favoured modified c-clamp type grip.
Although I opted to retain the standard bird
cage style flash-hider, it’s since been covered
with a PTS Griffin Arms QD suppressor- adding
a few extra inches at the front which I found
helps me to push back from cover when
rounding corners in CQB.
After all the accessories were clamped onto
the gun, I added a lick of paint (using several
shades of Krylon, as well as some skrim netting
and leaves to add texture), which has since
been allowed to naturally wear down with use.
Personally I much prefer this look to artificial
wear, as I feel it has more depth and character
than something done with sandpaper.
All I had to add after the bolt-ons was a sling.
After experimenting with various options, I
settled on the outstanding Ferro Concepts
Slingster - easily the best sling that I’ve had
the chance to test.
That’s about it! After tens of thousands of shots
and a lot more abuse than any toy should have
to stand or go through, my blaster is still going,
stronger than it was when I first got it. As for
its layout, I’ve followed one simple mantra:
Keep It Simple, Stupid.
AIRSOFT
FINDER!
FROM AIRSOFT INTERNATIONAL
PUT YOUR BUSINESS
ON THE MAP!!
FIND SITES, SHOPS AND
TECH SERVICES IN YOUR
AREA, NO MATTER WHERE
YOU ARE IN THE WORLD!
ADD YOUR BUSINESS FOR
FREE AND REACH OVER
500,000 AIRSOFTERS!
VISIT 'WWW.AI-MAG.
COM/AIRSOFT-FINDER'
TO FIND OUT MORE...
FACEBOOK.COM/AIRSOFTINT 067

I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H W W W . M
FIRST TACTICAL
AFTER LAUNCHING BACK IN 2016, FIRST TACTICAL HAS BEEN GAINING MOMENTUM AND IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK
VIA MILITARY 1ST. FOUNDED BY THE PROPRIETORS OF NONE OTHER THAN 5.11 TACTICAL, FIRST TACTICAL HAS A GREAT
HERITAGE BEHIND IT AND WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT WILL DEVELOP INTO A SERIOUS TACTICAL/DUTY POWERHOUSE.
First Tactical’s developing line includes some “classic” garments and products that are real
staples in the tactical and duty world, meaning they are ideal for airsofter enthusiasts and those
that enjoy a bit pf practical functionality and dependable durability in everyday life. Moving away
from entirely militarised styling, First Tactical kit offers a low-profile, unobtrusive option that
doesn’t scream “gun guy” but will be recognisable to those “in the know”.
Many of these featured products and more are available from Military 1st. Based in the UK, Military 1st are easy to browse and order from thanks to their
outstanding website, plus their reliable and speeding shipping process is second to none. If you need it fast, you can rely on Military 1st!
MEN’S TACTIX SERIES
LONG SLEEVE BDU SHIRT
Look no further. The Tactix BDU Shirt has
it all, from a modern stretch fabric and fit
- to concealed zipper, pockets, and vents.
This shirt works with you in every way.
■ DOUBLE RIPSTOP STRETCH FABRIC
WITH TEFLON® SHIELD+ FINISH
The specialised polyester/cotton blend
used is both flexible and durable, with
stain repellent Teflon® Shield+ treatment.
Innovative weaving technique creates a
2-way stretch, double ripstop fabric - the
optimal material for tactical shirts that
hold up to everyday stress tests.
■ CONCEALED ZIP FRONT
A tough YKK® zipper and melamine
buttons offer a quick, clean closure.
Minimal but premium hardware fastens
securely and produces a tidy profile.
■ LONGER BODY WITH SHIRTTAILS
The Tactix’s longer body and shirttails
make for a neat tuck that stays put.
WOMEN’S TACTIX SERIES
LONG SLEEVE BDU SHIRT
Designed for a woman’s torso, curved
and tapered just where it needs to be. No
more baggy or constricting spots. With
narrower shoulders, a roomier chest,
and slimmer sleeves, this shirt keeps you
moving freely and comfortably.
■ DOUBLE RIPSTOP STRETCH FABRIC
WITH TEFLON® SHIELD+ FINISH
The specialised polyester/cotton blend
used is both flexible and durable,
with stain repellent Teflon® Shield+
treatment. Innovative weaving technique
creates a 2-way stretch, double ripstop
fabric — the optimal material for tactical
shirts that hold up to the stress tests of
everyday wear.
■ CONCEALED ZIP FRONT
With a tough YKK® zipper and superior
melamine buttons, this shirt offers quick,
clean closure. Minimal but premium
hardware fastens securely and produces
a tidy, professional profile.
MEN’S TACTIX BDU PANTS
You won’t find a more reliable pair of
tactical pants than the Tactix Series BDU
Pants, combining a modern fit and stretch
fabric with the durability you need.
■ 2-WAY STRETCH MATERIAL
Move and bend to the full extent of your
job’s requirements without fear of wear
and tear with a strong, flexible fabric that
won’t hold you back or inhibit movement.
■ FORTIFIED BELT LOOPS
Three reinforced belt loops, located
on sides and center back, stay strong
under demanding loads of tactical or law
enforcement gear.
■ ADVANCED FIT WITH BDU STYLING
The Advanced Fit tactical pant provides
a modern fit that sits slightly lower on
the waist. The ‘no-droop’ crotch allows
for ease of movement and comfort. The
durable double seat BDU design gives
you all the performance you need to give
the job your all.
£69.95 £69.95 £64.95
070 WWW.MILITARY1ST.CO.UK

I L I T A R Y 1 S T . C O . U K - F I R S T T A C T I C A L
THE RECOIL RANGE BAG
Carry your pistols and ammunition safety and securely in First Tactical’s Recoil Range Bag.
Designed with tough 600D polyester and closed foam padding to keep your reserve organised
while on the go. Specialised internal pockets and compartments suit all your storage needs
in this first class tactical bag.
£79.95
■ PULL OUT CARRIER WITH DIVIDERS
Stiff padded dividers compartmentalise your pull out for superior organisation.
Complete with 2 pistol pockets with 10 pistol mag pockets are outlined on the
carrier front to keep your shooting simple.
■ CLEANING POCKET WITH TOOL STORAGE
Specialised compartment for storage of tactical cleaning tools. The pocket flap
unzips and folds down to reveal an oil resistant lining made for your tools.
■ LOCKING MAIN COMPARTMENT
Depending on your needs, the main compartment has a hook/loop flap, which
opens the zipper loop allowing the zipper sliders to overlap for easy locking.
WOMEN’S TACTIX PANTS
Uniquely constructed for women, the
contoured cut curves for an ideal fit
around the hips and upper leg, and a
self-adjusting, flex action waistband
facilitates maximum movement and
comfort in active scenarios. Durable
double-seat design for traditional and
attractive BDU styling.
■ 2-WAY STRETCH MATERIAL
Move and bend to the full extent of your
job’s requirements without fear of wear
and tear with our strong, flexible fabric
that won’t hold you back or ever inhibit
your movement.
■ FORTIFIED BELT LOOPS
Three reinforced belt loops, located
on sides and centre back, stay strong
under demanding loads of tactical or
law enforcement gear. Durable webbing
inserts, triple topstitching, and bartacks
at key stress points eliminate concerns
of ripping under force, while maximising
strength and security.
MEN’S PERFORMANCE
SHORT SLEEVE POLO
This versatile tactical polo, with superior
fabric, fit, and features is the go-to shirt
for active professionals. First Tactical’s
Performance Short Sleeve Polo works as
hard as you do, while maintaining a great
look that will hold up under all conditions.
■ FADE, SHRINK, SNAG, RESISTANT
100% polyester jersey is extremely tough
yet soft and naturally wicking, with an
antimicrobial finish that will give you a
fresh, professional appearance.
■ BREATHABLE SIDE GUSSETS
Integrated mesh underarm panels
promote ventilation, while the side,
shoulder, and sleeve articulations
facilitate easy movement.
■ PERFECT FIT FEATURES
Featuring a natural, tapered fit while
straight cut sides provide a smooth
tuck-in. No roll collar with integrated
collar stays won’t lose its shape.
SPECIALIST HALF-DAY
BACKPACK
Dual density shoulder straps, double
layered bottom, internal hook/loop
mounting system, and a reliable external
web platform compatible with MOLLE/
PALS set this tactical pack apart from
others in strength, function, and
comfort. With ample space for your
essential gear, superior organisational
features, and featuring First Tactical’s
new Hook & Hang Thru System, the
Specialist 0.5-Day backpack is the best
choice for quick trips or EDC.
■ DUAL DENSITY SHOULDER STRAPS
Mesh lined dual density closed cell foam
shoulder straps and back panel provide
optimal comfort and greater durability.
■ GREATER MAIN COMPARTMENT
The main compartment opens to a single
mesh pocket and 2 interior drop pockets
with hook/loop cinch. On the back, a
hook/loop organisation platform allows
for ultimate customisation.
£69.95 £29.95 £79.95
W W W . M I L I T A R Y 1 S T . C O . U K 071

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T H E D E V I L ’ S I N T H E D E T A I L
D O I T Y O U R S E L F
SHORT
STROKE
YOUR AEG
THESE DAYS AEG PERFORMANCE IS ALL
ABOUT TRIGGER RESPONSE AND RATE OF
FIRE. TRIGGER RESPONSE, THE TIME DELAY
BETWEEN YOU PULLING THE TRIGGER
AND THE GUN FIRING A BB, AND RATE OF
FIRE, THE AMOUNT OF BBS FIRED BY THE
GUN IN ANY GIVEN PERIOD OF TIME OF
FULL AUTO, CAN BOTH BE IMPROVED BY
“SHORT-STROKING”. THIS MONTH WE
WILL BE LOOKING AT THIS TECHNIQUE IN
DETAIL AND THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INFO
HERE FOR YOU TO CARRY OUT YOUR OWN
SHORT-STROKE MODIFICATION.
An AEG works by using the series of gears within to
pull the piston back a certain amount. Contrary to
popular and incorrect beliefs, the piston ALWAYS
gets retracted a certain amount. This is dictated
by the teeth on the sector gear and the teeth on
the corresponding rack on the underside of the
piston. Unless this gear mesh fails, the piston can
only be released when the sector gear has rotated
round to its last tooth. This system, thanks to the
anti-reversal latch that stops the gear train from
spinning backwards, ensures a consistent output
with each and every shot.
You might not notice it as much with today’s
high-powered LiPo battery technology, but there’s
a delay between you pulling the trigger, the motor
spinning and retracting the piston back inside the
gearbox.
Short-stroking is the act of reducing the distance
that the piston moves backwards, thus reducing the
period of time between the initial trigger pull and
the forward release of the piston. This also reduces
the period of time between “cycles” or shots fired,
which increases the rate of fire. The downside of
this shorter cycling time is that the piston doesn’t
compress as much air for each cycle, therefore,
the velocity generated by any given spring will be
lessened. This can be compensated for by utilising
a heavier, more powerful spring to achieve the
desired velocity.
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 075

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
NORMAL FULL STROKE
1
START POSITION
We’ve stripped this gearbox shell back to show you what happens
inside your AEG when the piston starts to be pulled back. This is
roughly the position your sector gear and piston will be in as you begin
to fire a shot. Notice how the sector gear teeth and the piston teeth are
beginning to mesh.
SHORT-STROKE YOUR AEG
STEP 1
With the gearbox stripped down and ready to work on as pictured above,
we’ve lined the piston and sector gear up. We want to remove 4 whole
teeth so with the gear in position, the 4 teeth have been marked with red
paint. It’s important to take teeth away from the FRONT of the sector gear
in order to preserve the timing of the tappet plate and loading nozzle.
Ensure this is correct by removing the teeth that first hit the piston when
rotating the sector gear counter-clockwise.
2
END POSITION
This in the position of the components in your gearbox at the
point of piston release. The piston is pushed back all the way
and the spring is under full compression. Notice how the full force of the
spring is resting on one, final tooth on the piston rack.
STEP 2
After removing the gear from the gearbox and marking the teeth clearly,
we clamped it in a vice and fired up our rotary tool. Using a cut-off disk we
ground away the teeth carefully. As you can see, this is why marking the
teeth is a good idea. Be very careful not to damage the surrounding teeth
and only remove the four as marked.
3
THE SHORTENED STROKE
The idea behind short-stoking your gearbox is to cause the piston
to be released sooner, without being drawn back such a distance.
Here’s roughly where we want to have the piston released which is 4
whole teeth sooner than a full-stroke set-up. Let’s go through the steps...
STEP 3
When you have removed as much material as you can from the teeth with
the rotary tool, it;s best to neaten up the job with a hand file as small
cutting tools make it all too easy to take away too much material. Once
you are done, thoroughly clean and remove any filings from the gear.
076 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
Your finished
short-stroked
gear with 4
teeth removed
should now
look something
like this...
SHORT-STROKE YOUR AEG
STEP 5
If you are an absolute wizard with a rotary tool and a craft knife, it is
possible to chop away polymer teeth in the piston and slide the final metal
tooth back correspondingly. This requires high-precision, patience and a
good deal of skill…
STEP 4
With the gear fitted into the gearbox again, you can see that the release
position of the gearbox is now in the desired spot. There is still work to be
done though.
STEP 6
…a far simpler option is to replace the piston with one that has sufficient
metal teeth to deal with having some removed. This ASG Ultimate piston
has 10 metal teeth, more than enough to ensure the final release tooth in
our short-stroked set-up can handle the strain.
As mentioned earlier, the final release tooth on the piston needs to be
toughened to take the strain of the compressed spring. Now we have
short-stroked the sector gear, the last tooth on the piston is now a normal
plastic/nylon finer one as opposed to the tougher metal tooth that nearly
all modern pistons are fitted with.
STEP 7
Slide the rack of teeth out of the polymer body of the piston. You might
need a lever to do this as they are a tight fit.
WWW.AI-MAG.COM 077

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
STEP 8
Mark up the piston rack teeth just like the sector gear teeth. Make sure it’s
the same amount, in this case 4 and make sure they are the last teeth on
the rack, the ones that go closest to the piston head.
SHORT-STROKE YOUR AEG
STEP 10
Carefully slide the rack of teeth back into the piston body and refit the
piston head.
STEP 9
It’s once again time to get busy with the cutting tool and remove the 4
teeth from the metal rack. As with the sector gear, go steady with the tool
and don’t damage the surrounding teeth or the structure of the rack itself.
Once you are done, clean up with a hand file as with the sector gear.
SHORT-STROKED SET-UP
START POSITION
As you can see the short-stroked set-up start position is largely the
same as the full-stroked position except the sector gear can rotate a
full 4 teeth further round before it starts picking up the piston and
compressing the spring.
END POSITION
The end position is where the real changes are made. you can see the
piston is released a lot sooner than previously giving you a short-stroked
set-up! Once you have completed these steps, you can simply rebuild
your gearbox, not forgetting that you will probably need a more powerful
spring to compensate for the lost compression.
The finished
rack should look
similar to this, once
the teeth are removed.
SHORT STROKE, NOT SHORT CUT!
It might seem like it is possible to remove just the teeth from the piston
to achieve a short-stroked effect, however if you do, you run the risk of
“pre-engagement”. Pre-engagement is where teeth on the sector gear
start to mesh with the piston at the wrong point in time. as you can see
here, the trailing teeth on the sector gear are likely to foul the teeth on
the piston as it moves forward at speed. This could cause extreme wear
and gearbox failure, so it’s best to use the process outlined above and
remove teeth from both components.
078 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

NEW SOFT GOODS
F R O M E N O L A G A Y E
GLOVES!
FUG LIFE
£19.95
WHEN IT COMES TO ENOLA GAYE PRODUCTS WE ARE USED TO SEEING OUR
MONEY GOING UP IN SMOKE, LITERALLY, THEY MAKE A GREAT LINE OF SMOKE
GRENADES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS PYRO THAT ENHANCE OUR SKIRMISHING
EXPERIENCE! THAT’S CHANGING NOW AS THE INFAMOUS COMPANY HAS NOW
STARTED TO BOLSTER THEIR SOFT GOODS LINE-UP.
Enola Gaye aren’t about reproduction military kit or “Mil-Sim”… They are about playing
airsoft for the game that it is and this is reflected in their soft gods, packed with
attitude and full of features made to make the practicalities of airsoft easier? You’re
never going to get medi-vac’d out of a burning vehicle whilst under enemy machine
gun fire so you probably don’t need a load rated rescue harness, but you might need
to stop your hands getting torn up on undergrowth, obstacles and terrain. Enola
Games FUG gloves don’t come with a triple armoured hard knuckle casing to help you
bust insurgent teeth in because, well, when was the last time you needed to do that?
What they come with is plenty of sass and some cool branding because after all, isn’t
this supposed to be fun?
The FUGs are build around a reinforced synthetic palm with a dual layering and thin
padding on the base of the hand, the bit you are most likely to injure if you take a tumble.
The rest of the palm is a single, simple later of material giving you grip and dexterity without
bunched seams and fussy details that make it feel like you have a handful of bath towel.
Flipped over the FUGs have an airy and lightweight mesh forming the back of the hand. This
provides ventilation and a mechanical stretch for comfort and there’s nothing more that’s required.
Simple and effective!
The gloves are finished off with a branded rubber closure that uses a velcro panel to pull the
elasticated wrist cuff together. Additionally you get a grip enhancing rubberised Enola Gaye screen
printed logo on the palm and the index and middle finger feature a cool pistol and crosshair logo…
I guess that makes them good for, erm… finger… banging?
Priced From £19.95 and available from all good Enola Gaye suppliers.
W W W . E N O L A G A Y E . C O M 079

OUT OF THE BLUE
G E R B E R ’ S S H A R K B E L L Y - I
SHARKBELLY FOLDING KNIFE
W W W . T H O M A S J A C K S . C O . U K
WHEN IT COMES TO FOLDING KNIVES YOU ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE WITH
GERBER GEAR’S MASSIVE RANGE. ONE OF THE LATEST ADDITIONS IS THE
NEW, LIGHTWEIGHT, SIMPLISTIC AND VERY COST-EFFECTIVE SHARKBELLY
FOLDER, AVAILABLE IN TWO VARIANTS, WE’VE HAD ONE ON HAND FOR THE
LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE MAIN RELEASE.
Folding knives are a misunderstood area in
the UK. The law states that the blade length
must be under 3” otherwise they must not
be carried without good reason. Under the
context of an outdoor activity like airsoft and
when transported with common sense and
sensitivity there’s no reason one can’t be
used as part of a “serious” airsoft load out.
The SharkBelly is a very interesting
prospect as instead of being as heavily
built as possible, it’s actually half plastic
(fibreglass reinforced nylon). This means that
instead of a bulky, weighty and ultimately
more expensive knife, you get a lightweight,
cost-effective and very slimline piece of kit.
With an overall length of 7.75” when
unfolded and a blade length of 3.25”,
the SharkBelly comes in both a partially
serrated and a full fine edge version, we
have been testing the later although the
serrated version has “flat top” serrations
for ease of resharpening, a critical aspect of
knife ownership. Both versions weigh in at
a paltry 2.3oz a piece making them barely
noticeable in the carry position.
The blade style is a sheep’s foot or
“modern drop point” which we agree
is aesthetically pleasing and also very
practical for cutting and chopping, tasks
that you will generally be looking to do with
an EDC knife, (This isn’t a “fighting” knife
and stabbing and piecing is not the aim
of the game). The blade is deep along the
full length as opposed to coming to a find
point which can prove to be a weak spot.
The handle features directional texturing
like that of a shark’s underside, to give the
blade a solid and positive feel in the hand.
The contour of the handle gives positive
safe control and texturing on the back edge
of the handle (part of the lock mechanism)
adds to the feeling of security when in use.
Speaking if the locking mechanism, the
SharkBelly uses a solid and secure spring
loaded lever inside the one piece handle
that pivots around a pin to fix the blade in
the open position. The lever spring is heavy
enough to require deliberate action to
unfold and fold the knife between positions
and a spring detent gives the knife a little
082 WWW.THOMASJACKS.CO.UK

N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H T H O M A S J A C K S . C O . U K
$39.00
VITAL STATS
Blade Length: 3.25”
Overall Length: 7.75”
Weight: 2.3 oz.
Blade Style: Modern Drop Point
Handle Material: Glass-Filled Nylon
Lock Type: Lock Back
Thumb Hole: Ambidextrous
Scratch-Resistant Pocket Clip
Lanyard Hole
Limited lifetime warranty
Made in USA
If you’re interested in buying Gerber
Gear equipment or want to find out more
information, contact your local dealer.
To purchase call 01789 264100 or visit...
W W W . T H O M A S J A C K S . C O . U K
resistance to prevent losing control
of the blade during this motion.
Given the slimline nature of the knife
and the composite materials used,
the SharkBelly is remarkably solid
in all direction at the hinge where we
initially expected quite a bit of flex.
Other features include a wire clip to
carry the blade securely in a tip-down
position. The clip is lightweight, low profile,
will minimise damage to upholstery and
furniture and is also very friendly to the
edge of your pockets, where some knives will
eat away at the fabric quickly. The Sharkbelly
also features an enlarged thumbhole on the
blade to assist in opening in all conditions
and also a hole in the handle allows for a
thin lanyard to be connected.
With an RRP of just $39 the Sharkbelly
is astoundingly cost effective, especially
considering it is made in the USA. On top
of this, it’s actually remarkably robust for
something so lightweight and slimline…
Clever use of materials means that cheap
doesn’t have to mean a compromise!
As with all Gerber Gear blades, the
SharksBelly comes with a razor sharp factory
edge. Sharpening should be a simple affair
thanks to the 420HC steel blade with a satin
finish, this will ensure that the knife will stay
effective and presentable even when used
consistently and continually over time.
The SharkBelly isn’t an exclusive, collector’s
blade destined to stay in the drawer or on
the shelf. it’s designed to be used, in the
mud, rain and grittiness of the outdoors and
it’s made to be taken home, cleaned down,
sharpened up and taken back for more. If you
want an inexpensive but dependable working
tool, this is a folding knife that’s well worth
a second look. You won’t even be able to feel
the light weight of it in your carry pocket but
when you need it, you’ll be glad it is there.
“An update to the classic everyday carry
pocket knife: the SharkBelly. This smartly
designed knife offers lightweight utility,
proudly made in the USA. The SharkSkin
Grip succeeds in function and aesthetics
with unidirectional scales that provide
additional traction when in hand. The
420HC sheepsfoot blade is easily deployed
with a sizable thumb hole, revealing a
full fine edge blade that is practical and
effective for daily use.”
W W W . T H O M A S J A C K S . C O . U K 083

TAG YOU’RE IT
A N E W B R E E D O F P Y R O
NEW PYRO!
TAG INNOVATIONS
A NEW BREED!
AIRSOFT PYROTECHNICS ARE USED TO SIMULATE GRENADES OF VARIOUS
KINDS, INCLUDING SMOKE AND FRAGMENTATION DEVICES. IN THE PAST THEY USED
TO BE RATHER RUDIMENTARY, NOT PARTICULARLY REALISTIC AND AWKWARDLY
SHAPED BUT A NEW GENERATION HAS ARRIVED THAT CHANGES ALL THAT…
Tag Innovations hail all the way from Russia
and their products are reportedly made in a
Kalashnikov factory. They are perhaps most
famed for the Reaper, Archangel and other
40mm shells for a grenade launcher system
but here we are looking at some manually
deployed examples. We sourced a small
selection of their products from Airsoft World
who are one of a few stores that import them
into the United Kingdom.
The TAG-67 is a realistically sized and shaped
ball-grenade meaning that it will fit into many
purpose designed pouches, great news for
those that run “real deal” kit. They are made
form lightweight PU foam with a plastic fly-off
lever which isn’t intended to be thrown at your
target. The grenade works like you expects
(realistically) and only arms once you have
removed the pin and released the fly off lever.
Once this has happened you have 3.5 seconds
of delay fuse time before the grenade bursts
with a report roughly equivalent to a Mk7.
Roughly 200 BB fragments will be ejected
showering an area of around 8-10m wide.
The FBG-6 is a “stun” or distraction device
shaped roughly like a real-world “flashbang”.
In works in an almost identical fashion to the
TAG-67, you pull the pin, please the fly-off
lever and then use the 3.5 second fuse to
deploy the grenade. The difference is that
the FBG-6 has a much louder report than
the TAG-67 and has no projectiles inside. It
is not recommended for use without hearing
protection for all involved parties.
The TAG-67 and the FBG-6 cost £8.50 and
£8.95 respectively which is pretty damned
expensive for a single use pyrotechnic but
not disproportionate high compared to other
similar products. The great news is that they
are easy to carry and won’t “self ignite” like
some striker ignited pyro can when you lug
them around as a bundle. If you are heading
to a Mil-Sim event and want to notch up the
realism, these make a great little treat but
they are a little too rich for our blood to use
at regular game days.
086 WWW.AI-MAG.COM

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