Airsoft Action - March 2020

armoury
G&G COBALT BAMF
its time on test with me, the mag has only
landed on carpet - and carpet is a lot more
forgiving than the concrete or stone you
might find at a skirmish.
I can’t see any securing mechanism
for the base plate - other than sliding it
on until you feel a slight click - but that’s
so light I can guarantee it will come away
again. It’s a matter of when - not if -
whether it snags on your pouch, sling or
clothing. The mag will still be functional,
but the exposed inner body is shiny black
plastic that’s unlikely to withstand torture
treatment.
The drop-free system operates flawlessly
and genuinely brings something new to
the market. But this magazine is literally
designed from the ground up to hit the
ground on the way down, so you’d think
they’d make the base plate like the bumper
from a Hummer that could withstand the
apocalypse.
TURN ON OR TURN OFF?
Happily, you can turn off the drop-free
functionality by flicking a small switch on
the top of the
mag. Now you
can play out any
skirmish as if
you were using
a conventional
mag, with reloads
working exactly
as you’d expect.
You can also use
your usual AEG
STANAG mag
with the BAMF.
We’ve tried EPMs
and high caps
alike without
problems and
that’s probably
the option we’d
go for.
And if you
want to use the
new drop-free
mags in other
STANAG AEGs?
Sure - go for it!
Now you can
have insta-drop
combined with
any old M4-alike.
It’s funny that -
gorgeous build
aside - one of the
BAMF’s Unique
Selling Points is
more to do with
the mag than the
RIF itself. It’s just a
shame that unique
mechanism comes
with a follower
you need to pop
back into place every time you reload, like
rejiggling your gentleman back into a pair
of baggy old Y-fronts.
TIME SPENT ALONE VS FUN
WITH FRIENDS
Before packing our bags for the frontline,
we spent some time with the BAMF on the
range and found that it performed well.
Averaging 317FPS, it cycles with a brisk
snap even though it’s well below UK site
limits of 350. It feels sharp and focused.
The BAMF barely breaks a sweat hitting
cans at 25m and torso-sized targets from
40m, with shot after shot landing on point.
We’d expect nothing less given its race rifle
roots, but we’re still happy to find it excels
in this area.
Once you get past the safe zone cooes
of “Oooh! What’s that?” - and who
could blame them! - the BAMF operates
much like any other AR. For a wellmatched
sidearm that combines outright
performance with zero mil-score, ASG’s
recent race pistol, the CZ Shadow 2, would
be its perfect counterpart.
Self-proclaimed shadows - no pun
intended - will opine that the BAMF is just
too shiny to be practical, but what do they
know? Of course, it isn’t a sniper rifle, but
then it also isn’t limited in terms of Rate
of Fire or Minimum Engagement Distance.
With the range that was apparent even
as standard, the BAMF might just make
a great basis for a very sexy Designated
Marksman Rifle.
A HAPPY ENDING
Most airsoft manufacturers seem content
to ride the M4 treadmill, rinse and repeat.
Kudos to G&G for bringing something new
to the table here. If you can work around
real-world wobbly bits like the mag release,
base, and handguard, you’ll find the BAMF
is every bit the sci-fi superstar it looks. If
you’re looking for a distinctive and highly
capable AR with real sex appeal then, as
Jean-Luc might say, “Make it so!” AA
G&G Cobalt Kinetics BAMF TEAM
Price: £499.99
Weight: 3,592g
Length: 940mm
Inner barrel length: 430mm
FPS: 317 avge (Tested)
Hop: Adjustable
Construction: Billet aluminium
Full auto: Y
Recoil: N
Power source: Battery
Gearbox: G2 (V2)
Magazine type: Metal/polymer
Capacity: 90 rounds
“OF COURSE, IT ISN’T A SNIPER RIFLE, BUT THEN IT ALSO ISN’T LIMITED IN TERMS
OF RATE OF FIRE OR MINIMUM ENGAGEMENT DISTANCE. WITH THE RANGE THAT WAS
APPARENT EVEN AS STANDARD, THE BAMF MIGHT JUST MAKE A GREAT BASIS FOR A
VERY SEXY DESIGNATED MARKSMAN RIFLE.”
14
MARCH 2020