After having a few discussions today, I’ve come back to a point that I’ve often been at. Most of us would argue that a gun with a greater effective range is better, and in a real life-and-death situation, that would be true. In fact there are very few instances where a weapon with greater range would be left in the armoury over one with shorter range.

The key point in this statement is the fact we are talking about real situations, where soldiers end up in harms way. Now, whatever we may think or immerse ourselves in when playing airsoft, we are always plainly aware that we are playing for fun. An adrenaline rush and maybe a bit of fresh air. It’s all about fun, entertainment and forgetting your 9-5 job…

Part of the fun for me is the unpredictability of airsoft, the unexpected opposition you have unwittingly managed to take by surprise, or visa versa… Generally getting stuck in. I’m fairly sure that if you had as much range as you desired, a huge portion of the fun of the game would be lost… What do you think?

Sometimes something really odd drops into your inbox… This was one of those times.

SOCOMGEAR licensed Barrett M82A2 prototype sneak peek!
Will be released in 2011. Possibly GBB version.
The M82A2 is a rare version of the M82 and only a few been sold to the
public. We are very lucky to be able to check out one of the M82A2 and
produce the Airsoft replicas!

All our rifles are closely 1:1 external dimensions. The internal dimensions
are fully modified to fit gear box and Airsoft components.

About M82A2:
The least-known member of the Barrett .50 family is the 27-pound M82A2
conceived in 1987, reportedly for use against helicopters in Afghanistan. It
is an M82Al gun, “semi-bullpupped” and reconfigured for firing “over the
shoulder” like a rocket launcher. It has a forward pistol grip and two
perforations in the top of the muzzle brake to counteract recoil jump.

This is primarily a quick-reaction weapon for standing or kneeling
positions, and is accordingly fitted with a red dot sight for rapid
acquisition and engagement of fast-moving targets. Very few of these rifles
have been sold, but their operational applications are just now being
formalized. This alone might indicate that the sales were to the military
for testing and not to the general public.

As a result, the U.S. Marines are reexamining the M82A2, and a number of
foreign orders are now in the offing. Ideas for wider application include
using this rifle as a helicopter gun to provide local defense during
resupply, and it could also be a more versatile option than the M82A1 for
guarding strategic installations.

Ronnie Barrett has understandably shot a great deal of ammunition through
the M82A2, and can lay down a withering rapid-fire barrage with it. “I found
it balances very well, and the red dot sight is great for snap-shooting.
When we tried this gun in the desert some years before, a helicopter
temptingly flew across my front, but I decided to spare it.”]

As you all know, Local Loadouts is a regular feature in Ai, which incidentally has a new issue on sale today, if you subscribed it’d be sitting on your doormat! In Local Loadouts you get to showcase your actual loadout, from the boots you wear, to the guns you use. You get to tell us in your own words exactly why you use each bit of kit you have.

If it sounds like something you want to be part of, check out a recent issue and follow the instructions to submitting your own Local Loadout.

To give you a bit of extra inspiration, I’ve done a quick run down of what I’ll be wearing to my upcoming games. Now you know who to gun for! (Wearing your warface is entirely optional!)

If you choose to send your pictures in, looking like a doofus is entirely optional, you don’t have to follow my lead.

Outer Wear:


Begadi Tan Softshell: See the current issue for a review on this, it’s a cracking bit of kit and is really well priced. Available from Action Hobbies.


Dickies Tan Workpants: I got these quite some time ago, and I’ve never found another pair of trousers quite so comfy and hardwearing.

Magnum Tan Desert Boots: My favourite pair of boots to date, by a long way. Tough but lightweight, these things feel like a pair of trainers. You can wear them all day long without any trouble. They can be a little narrow in the fit though, so bear that in mind if you fancy a pair. They are also not waterproof.

Extras: 


Mechanix Gloves: I love these thin and tactile gloves from Mechanix, and the tan backs go really well with the rest of my kit. At around £20 a pair, they won’t break the bank but they have lasted really well. Available from Tactical Kit.

Tan Shemagh: Great for all kinds of things… I basically use this as a utility towel and I feel naked if I skirmish without it! Avaiable from most good surplus stores and tactical retailers.

Revision Sawfly Glasses: These are the first clear glasses I have got on well with. Lightweight, comfortable and adjustable to fit. They even come with a retaining band.

Highlander Kneepads: I’m only wearing one here, because I tend only use them on the knee I use to take up a firing position. Bad kneepads can be incredibly annoying, but these Highlander offerings have a special double strap system to keep them in place.

Protec Helmet: My trusty custom painted helmet, bought on eBay from an extreme sports retailer.

Load Carrying:


Warrior RICAS: Pretty much the go to choice for a heavier type rig, I can’t fault this RICAS. Acres of room to put pouches of all sorts. Available exclusively from UK Tactical.

BLACKHAWK! Belt: Great to add a few more accessories and capacity to your loadout, the BLACKHAWK! padded MOLLE belt gives me plenty of room to hang my side arm from, along with stow grenades and dump pouches. Available from Tactical Kit.

Weapons:


Magpul PTS Masada: As soon as I touched my first PTS Masada, I had to have one. Perfect performance out of the box, awesome ergonomics and great looks. What’s not to like? This one came from Fire Support and I’ve given it a custom paint job.

Tokyo Marui Glock 18C: I love this gun almost as much as my Masada, and with a Tan Guarder slide, it looks the business and feels amazing. I got this from Fire Support too, and fitted the tan slide myself, which was a little awkward and required a small amount of adjustment.

Between retailers, forums, eBay and any other place you can buy stuff from, there’s a huge range of airsoft accessories you can buy under the banner of “Magpul”, but what exactly does that mean?

A Magpul PTS AFG bearing the “training use only” markings, along with other official trademarks.

A Magpul PTS AFG and CTR stock

Hot Shots will be a 32 page publication (initially bound into the December edition) which will celebrate photography in Airsoft. The never seen before imagery will be made up exclusively pf reader of Ai

Founder and publisher of Ai (Paul Monaf) said
“I am excited about this new publication and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing this quality publication turn into a book in its own right There’s a lot of good budding photographers out there in the Airoft world and this publication will showcase the very best of them”

“Madbull Airsoft are to produce their fully licensed SA80 RIS for the UK MoD & also for ICS, G&G, and Army Armament SA80 (L85) AEGs.

MadBull fully licensed SA80 (L85) rail system. MadBull SA80 RIS is the only licensed and true 1:1 scale Daniel Defense rail system.

Daniel Defense was awarded the contract for the SA80 RIS by the UK MOD (Ministry of Defence) and is currently the sole producer for the UK MOD.

Ive recently had a bit of a revalation, it’s personal to me, and it’s in no way advice or a recommendation, but I wanted to share it none the less.

The last game I played, a milsim event, I used my newest gun, my Magpul PTS Masada, which I was over the moon with. I’d decided to travel light, just 6 mags, a speedloader and my pistol sidearm all mounted on a belt, which is in stark contrast to the full RICAS I was using before.

Now I’d started with 6 mags, but malfuntions and poor feeding in the new gun (from some King Arms M4 mags) meant that after the first while I was down to 3 120rnd E-Mags. You’d think that was nowhere near enough, and previously, I would have passed out at the though of going out with so little ammo.

Strangely though, this time, I barely even noticed they weren’t there, and not just because of the weight. The combined factors of a decent, accurate gun, and being light enough to get my way into effective positions meant I was still notching up the kills, and still not spending all afternoon loading mags. Sure I had to whip the speedloader out a couple of times, and at one point, I even reverted to my side arm, but isn’t that what it’s there for?

Try it out next time… Have a go at a game with a “less is more” approach… It really cut my BB budget for the day too!

Tactical Kit, purveyor of the finest, erm, tactical kit in the land has something a little special in stock, something that’s it’s highly unlikely you will be able to get elsewhere.

Blackhawk! have specially produced a limited run of coyote tan Glock 17/22 holsters as pictured below. Now these will fit many airsoft Glocks, but won’t fit the Marui Glock 17 and 18C without a little modification. KSC and other brand Glocks should slot right in though. If you fancy one, you can pick them up online here, go quickly though, as numbers are limited.

Exclusive and limited Blackhawk! Coyote Tan SERPA holster

Ai 5 man team competition in Association with Urban Assault
• 20 teams of 5 people will compete for the first ever Ai 5 man UK championship
• Professional Opfor
• League play off consisting of 4 games
• Shooting skill and combat missions
• Fps limit will be 345
• Only standard or mid cap magazines on aegs will be allowed .
• Min Age 17.
• Each player will receive an Ai goodie Bag
League Stage
The Highest scoring team and runner up achieving the most points from all 4 games will progress through to the next round.

Round 2
The 6 teams in round 2 will be separated in to 2 leagues
Each team will play 2 combat missions the teams with the most points from both games will progress through to the final.

Finals
Each team will play 2 combat missions
The winning team will be the team that have achieved the most points from the final set of games.

There will be opportunity for teams with spare time to compete (friendly) against each other and also practice their shooting skills in preparation

Urban Assault has been running airsoft urban games for over 5 years and has amassed a wealth of experience. Their staff has played at most of the urban sites in the UK and know how to challenge players at their own award winning urban arena
Date
2nd April 2011
Location
RAF Upwood urban assault
The site is a large challenging arena comprising of some 20 or so buildings spread over 20 acres. Buildings all have multiple entry points
For more site information please see www.urbanassault.org.uk

The cost is £50 per player and 1 member of the team should book in and pay at one time for all 5 players. Booking is now open and you should call Fire support directly on 01733 247171 to make your booking.
Places are limited to only 20 teams.
Sponsors
• Ai
• Revision
• Viper
• Fire support
• KWA
• Tactical Tailor
• Umerax
• Magnum
• Pro Force
• Edgar Brothers
• Magpul PTS

Prizes
Pistols
Rifles
Tactical Gear
Gun Cases
Boots

Ai Goodie bag for each player
Pistol lanyard
D ring
Revision Sawflys
Glow stick
Copy of Raider Magazine

Monday morning, after a good days skirmish on Saturday and the bruises are starting to show up. They even start showing up in places I didn’t even know I’d been shot! It’s amazing isn’t it? In the heat of the action, you kinda don’t notice the sting… I’m not talking about not taking your hits, just how quickly it slips your mind. I’m not much of a “score keeper” so keeping tabs on how many times I’ve walked back to the dead zone easily gets forgotten.

Even though I did get shot in my ear this weekend, the “tragus” or that nobbly bit in front of the earhole, to the layman, I had a great time with my new toy, My PTS Masada.

I should explain really, I decided after having a go on fellow Ai Staff Member, Ben Dickie’s Masada, I had to have one… I had a go on the A&K variant, but it just didn’t cut it. I had to get the real deal PTS one, and nothing else would do… Boy, was it worth it. I think I’ve finally found an AEG that I’m totally comfortable with. Stay tuned to find out more about my plans with the Masada.