Modify One-Piece Hop Unit

Stolen from the Airsoft GI website, this looks pretty impressive for anyone who wants a finely adjustable, high quality hopup unit...

Item details:

Description:
There has been many Hop up units to claim that they are the best hop up unit to date, but Modify’s new hop up unit may actually fit that bill. The Modify Hop-up unit features a one piece, metal unit which is perfectly cast and does not display any seam lines, burrs or any other casting defects. Next we move onto the actual hop up adjustment gears, Modify constructed their gears with metal sleeve inserts which are secured with O-rings to ensure little to no lateral movement. Modify redesigned the hop up arm to be wider then most and features gearing inside to allow for finer tuning and to ensure that the arm does not move and being properly set. The unit comes with two hop up arms as well, the other arm differs by the hop up nub being built into the arm which is advantageous because the nub cannot shift, move, flex or change shape which provides more consistent results. Simply put, the Modify M4/M16 1-Piece Metal Hop Up will provide the user with extremely consistent hop up and might just be the best hop up on the market.

Specifactions:
Manufacteror: Modify
Model: 1-Piece Metal Hop Up
Design: M4/M16

Features:
One piece metal construction
High quality adjustment gears
Redesigned hop up arms

Somebody picked the wrong diner...

11th in Google.co.uk 'Airsoft Blog' results...

I'm pretty happy with that, considering all of those above me (with the exception of Everything Airsoft are affiliated to shops or airsoft sites. Not sure I should have given EA a link there either...

Travis Haley Talks FN SCAR

Not a huge fan of the FN SCAR (although it does depend on what mood I'm in), but this is certainly interesting stuff.

SHTF Urban Survival Vest

Had to share this, thanks Alex. Originally from the Survive2Day.com blog.

Kydex Holsters

Been thinking recently about holsters. I recently bought a railed Marui SIG 226 and an Army Detonics .45 Combat Master. The SIG is pretty easy to accomodate holster-wise until you get the M3 torch on it, then it becomes a pain in the arse. Unless you want to spend top dollar on a holster, which I don't really as I rarely use a handgun on the airsoft field. You also have to consider the difference in the width of the Marui SIG's slide compared to the real thing, especially when buying Kydex holsters, there is always the chance that they just won't fit.

The Detonics is similarly difficult to holster because of the placement of the nearsight. Lots of US manufacturers make holsters to suit the Detonics fans but again, you have to spend a lot of money to get a good one.

The alternative is to make your own holster. Kydex looks like a pretty easy material to work with and is relatively cheap. For a holster that costs around the $80-100 mark, which, by the time you've factored in shipping to the US and the inevitable customs charges, you are going to be paying around the same in £Sterling, which is too much cash for something that will be rarely used other than to just hold a sidearm that never gets pulled on the airsoft field.

In my search for the wisdom of the Kydex holster masters, I've found some pretty good info on the net. I started out looking at the high end Kydex holsters and found Raven Concealement. Raven's gear is used by Chris Costa and features quite heavily in the Magpul training videos. Their stuff looks top notch with a wide variety of choice of styles and supported weapons platforms. this site is my benchmark for determining whether it is actually worth investing in time, tools and materials to try and make the holster. Let's see how that works out. Sometimes the cost is not so important as the challenge and the learning of new skills (this is still the justification for the amount of time and money I've poured into my L119A1 when I could have just sent it to Fire Support and got them to do it).

As far as obtaining the materials, I found a couple of sites in the US. KnifeKits.com, as the name suggests, supplies kits, materials and tools for making knives and sheaths and the like, inlcuding Kydex sheets. ParacordSecrets.com don't actually supply kydex sheets, but have a bunch of kits for sale (knives and magazine carriers rather than holsters) and a load of interesting articles and bits of hardware for sale.

By and large, so far, the most informative article I've come across is this one on the 1911 Forum giving a step by step set of instructions on making a really professional looking kydex holster. Now the guy who wrote this tutorial has a fully equipped workshop with some awesome power tools, but nothing that could not be achieved with a normal drill and toolbox and a bit of care and attention.

Now I need to get some kydex sheets. Watch this space...

Military History: Top Sniper II TV Series

I have no idea if this has been shown in the UK but from the first ten minutes, it looks excellent. Looks like most episodes are available on YouTube too. Enjoy.

RMJ Tactical Warhammer

Dear Santa,

I know it's a bit late in the day, but if you're passing through Chattanooga on the way to my house, could you pop into RMJ Tactical and pick me up some of their goodies, specifically their incredibly bad-ass warhammer (as seen on MilitaryTimes.com). I fully expect the zombie apocalypse to happen soon, so supplying me with this bad boy is practically a public service. Oh, and a tomahawk and kydex holster would also be cool.

Love,
David

Navy Seals for the 21st Century?

An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure. Act of Valor takes audiences deep into the secretive world of the most elite, highly trained group of warriors in the modern world. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the valiant men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home. Each time they accomplish their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the deadly terror plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia. The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track the terrorist ring to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they engage in an epic firefight with an outcome that has potentially unimaginable consequences for the future of America.



More info about Act of Valor on IMDB

$7 for this? Seriously?

The Tourniquet Retainer from Mayflower costs $7. A good idea, but is it worth the money? It would take longer to set up the sewing machine than it would to actually make one of these. Seven dollars plus shipping for two short pieces of webbing and a few inches of shock cord? Come on.

Lost the screws from your SERPA eh?

Fear not. If you have a junior hacksaw or Dremel tool or something like that, pop along to your local Screwfix store. These screws will serve as replacements for the three that hold your SERPA holster to the MOLLE or belt attachment.

Rawl BZP Machine Screws Pan Head M4x20mm (Pk25)

Part No 97740-0025

£1.52

As mentioned above, youll need something to cut them down as these are 20mm long anf they only need to be about 8mm. No big deal considering the screws were only £1.52. I hate to think how much Blackhawk would rush you for some replacement screws, but a pack of five 25mm bolts with nuts in B&Q was £6.08.

EDIT: disregard the above, it's rubbish. When I got home and tried the screws properly, it turns out they are the correct size but have the wrong thread - only screwing in a couple of turns. Back to the drawing board.

Travis Hayley Talks Airsoft

Travis Hayley of Hayley Strategic Partners talks about the benefits of live-ammunition shooters cross training with airsoft guns for safety, confidence-building and cost-effectiveness reasons.

The Raid

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building's lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the 6th floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. Director Gareth Evans (Merantau) and rising martial arts star Iko Uwais reunite in this adrenaline-fueled action film.

5.11 Select Carry Pack

Just killing some time before I go out looking for Zombies, I was surfing the net for MP5K carry solutions when I came across this from 5.11. Unfortunately, it costs £105 without the optional pistol pouch, which is way too rich for me for something I would only use very occasionally, but is way cool all the same. More info on the 5.11 website.

FPSRussia: Dragon M-50

Shit, here they come, they've got a fifty cal, let's hide behind this reinforced concrete. Err, no.

Tactical Double-Barrelled Shotgun

Yet another vital tool for the impending Zombie apocalypse, this time, a tactical double-barrelled shotgun. Full length Picatinny rails, high-visibility iron sights, sweet.

Brought to my attention via Tactical Gear Magazine's Facebook page.

Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer

Hell. Yeah.

Wasn't sold on this until now.

EDC: Everyday-Carry.com

Everyday Carry, or EDC, generally refers to small items or gadgets worn, carried, or made available in pockets, holsters, or bags on a daily basis to manage common tasks or for use in unexpected situations or emergencies. In a broader sense, it is a lifestyle, discipline, or philosophy of preparedness.

This is a nice simple little website featuring the contents of people's pockets with regards to preparedness equipment. Usually a ' knife/multitool/torch/keyring/wallet' sort of affair, but interesting nonetheless.

Everyday-Carry.com can be found here.

Hornady Anti-Zombie Ammunition

Even serious ammunition manufacturers are getting in on the zombie apocalypse thing. Hornady, a well respected US ammunition manufacturer has started advertising a range of Zombie Max ammunition, preparing you for the zombie apocalypse.

Be PREPARED -- supply yourself for the Zombie Apocalypse with Zombie Max™ ammunition from Hornady®! Loaded with PROVEN Z-Max™ bullets...yes PROVEN Z-Max™ bullets (have you seen a Zombie?). Make sure your "bug out bag" is ready with nothing but the best!

WARNING: THIS IS LIVE AMMUNITION. THIS IS NOT A TOY.

Disclaimer: Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is NOT a toy (IT IS LIVE AMMUNITION), but is intended only to be used on...ZOMBIES, also known as the living dead, undead, etc. No human being, plant, animal, vegetable or mineral should ever be shot with Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition. Again, we repeat, Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is for use on ZOMBIES ONLY, and that's not a nickname, phrase or cute way of referring to anybody, place or thing. When we say Zombies, we mean...ZOMBIES!



The original article can be found at The Firearm Blog and more information on Hornady ammunition and the Zombie Max range can be found at the hornady website. Check out the advert below.

Ares Armour RAD Pack

This is fricken' awesome. I've just seen this on the Airsoft international Facebook page. More info can be found on the Ares website.

"The Patents Pending Ares Armor R.A.D. (Rapid Armor Deployment) Pack is the next level of concealed weapon carry. If your enemy brings a gun to the fight, One up him with a full armor system and a weapon of your own."

"You can go from being an average unnoticed citizen and in under 2 seconds deploy a full armor system with a weapon giving you an unexpected advantage in an active shooter situation."

Badass of the Week: Dwight Johnson

Nothing better than a good war story. There is also little as entertaining as the Badass of the Week website. Here is an article that encompasses both. Ladies and gentlemen, the story of Medal of Honour recipient, Dwight Johnson.

Handguns

With the exception of my Western Arms ParaOrdnance 14-45 Compact (which was in the loft at the time of taking these photos), this is my current handgun collection. Not much of a collection, I know, but with this pair, I think less is more. WE Colt 1911 and Army Detonics .45 Combat Master.

New FPS Russia Vid

Wait until the end of this one...

New From Tokyo Marui

Tokyo Marui have been displaying their next batch of releases at the All Japan Model and Hobby Show. There's a bunch of pictures on this site. It's all in Japanese but the pictures explain it all. Out of all of them, I'm really liking the SCAR-H recoil version.

Here is the same site through Google Translate.

G&P Stoner 63A

Let's get one thing straight. I love this gun. I'd be happy with it if it just sat on a shelf somewhere and did nothing else. I have wanted a Stoner since they were announced by G&P over a year ago. Every time I've had the money for one, they've been out of stock in this country. This time round, I was lucky enough to get a good deal on a second hand one. Unfortunately, I've not been able to use it yet as the FPS quoted by the seller (around 330fps) turned out to be 348-349 fps when chronoed at Urban Assault last weekend, making it 3-4 fps over the site limit. As a result of this, I've not had a chance to use it in anger yet, that will have to wait for the next outing at Fireball. Until then, I'm happy to just take it out of the box every now and then.

This thing is solid. I had heard rumours of fragile stocks and external parts. I have found quite the contrary, it is weighty and feels up to the quality that you expect from G&P products. Thst'a all I'm going to say about it here. I may add some more when I've used it, but if you Google the phrase 'G&P Stoner review' there are thousands of words out there on t'internet extolling the virtues of this gun. All I will add are some slightly below par photos.









If you're into Stoners and the whole Vietnam vibe, I would also like to take this opportunity to recommend the work of Darryl Young and his book The Element of Surprise. It covers the first tour of duty of SEAL Team 1's Juliet Platoon member Darryl Young. Not only is this book endearing and exciting, it is incredibly detailed, going into the equipment and weapons that each man carried on operations. not only that, but this man carried a Stoner, and boy, did he love that gun. Well worth a read. More information on Darryl Young can be found here.

Gearbox Challenge

Last night, for the first time, I opened up a V2 gearbox, had a nose around and then closed it up again. I've never done this before, mostly out of fear, but as I had a spare V2 gearbox (from my Marui XM177), there was very little to lose from having a go. As it turned out, it was pretty straightforward. Undo the screws, keep track of which one goes where as they vary in length, have a dig around inside, reset the gears to where they should be and stick it all back together again.





The only problem I ran into was the 'reset the gears to where they should be' bit. In the course of fumbling around getting it to fit back together again, the pin on the sector gear that moves the tappet plate got stuck underneath the plate rather than being in a position to push it back, this meant that the two halves of the gearbox shell wouldn't fit together properly. After a bit of head scratching, I realised what the problem was and sorted it, gearbox back in one piece.



I've probably posted this before, but it's very useful if you don't know how the inner workings of an AEG gearbox do what they do.

V2 Gearbox Disassembly Guide

Here more for my own reference, but glad if it helps anyone else out. I will be attempting to take a gearbox apart tonight for the first time.

Warbelts

Over the last 12-18 months I have branched out into the worlds of Vietnam airsoft and M14 ownership, I have also expanded the amount of gear I own in an attempt to support these two new areas as well as updating some existing gear.

Whilst building these belts, I've been faced with some interesting dilemmas:

1. How do I carry everything I need to carry?
2. How do I carry everything I need to carry without overloading the belt with unnecessary crap?
3. How do I make the belt versatile enough to support more than one weapons platform?

All of these belts were required to carry the following:

• Magazine pouches for at least eight rifle magazines.
• Magazine pouches for at least two pistol magazines.
• Space for at least one 1-litre water bottle or canteen.
• Space for at least 1000 spare rounds (0.2g BBs).
• A handgun holster.

More or less all of the above criteria has been met in the three belt kits I am presenting here. The Vietnam-era belt kit will carry eight 30-round M4 magazines (four in each pouch), but only four M14 magazines (two in each pouch) which requires me to carry the rest of the magazines in a Claymore bag or pockets or some such. Adding a third magazine pouch will probably require e to move the pistol magazine pouch to the webbing strap or something, but that is a problem for
another day. MOLLE, in the case of the modern M4 belt, allows you to stack pouches, as in the case of the triple pistol magazine pouch on top of the double M4 shingle, which makes better use of belt real-estate and the stacked warrior utility pouches allows space for a canteen, ammo or SAW pouch and batteries and presents much less of a problem when faced with the requirements that I placed on the equipment, in fact the only real change to this belt compared to when I originally posted it here is the larger Warrior utility pouch to allow the belt to carry a 1-litre canteen if required.

This belt doesn't conform to the magazine requirements as it will always be worn with a chest rig (currently either the Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV or the 5.11 mini chest rig).

The belt that I had most trouble with was the M14 rig. As this is designed as a stand alone rig, unlike the M4 belt, and will not be worn with an accompanying chest rig or plate carrier and as a result has to carry four large magazine pouches which take up most of the belt. The belt is currently supported by a USGI load bearing vest, but I'm not keen on this and the additional pouches serve very little use when carrying an M14. Ideally, I would like a MOLLE version of this load bearing vest, but there is no real MOLLE analogue. The FLC comes close but features a built in belt and is not available in OD. If I can find a cheap coyote FLC I may give it a try, until then, this will suffice. Once I have equipped the M56 belt with a more appropriate harness, the LC2 suspenders will find there way back onto this belt. The pistol magazine pouch will also get swapped out at some point for one in OD.

The one thing I'm really not happy with on this belt is the SAW pouch. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not quite right. I think a large Tactical Tailor utility pouch may replace it in the near future.

With all that in mind, I bring you the 2011 Autumn warbelt range.

The M1956-based Warbelt

Still a work in progress, this belt consists of mostly M1956 webbing (pistol and rifle ammo pouches, belt & compass pouch) and also features a pair of later M1967 water bottle pouches and a 1963 dated leather 1911 holster.

Unfortunately, this is currently all held up with LC2 suspenders until I can get hold of a pair of long M1956 or '67 suspenders but will do for now. Other stuff I'd like to put on this includes a third rifle magazine pouch and a jungle first aid kit (if I can find the space) and maybe a couple of period carabiners.

This is intended for use with my M14 and also the Stoner, although this renders the magazine pouches redundent as they are too small for a Stoner ammo box. Plans are also brewing for either a G&P CAR-15 or XM-177, not decided yet.






The M14 Warbelt

Another work in progress. This is waiting on another pair of Tactical Tailor M14 pouches to replace the cheap and nasty Pantac quad magazine pouch. I would also like to change the Flyye SAW pouch but this comes in useful for the spare box mag when carrying the Stoner.






The Contemporary M4 Shooter Warbelt

Not much else to say about this fella. It's been used a few times in this configuration and I'm pretty much 100% satisfied with it.

Friday Motivation

...and you don't need much more motivation than three miniguns.

Firearms Filmed with High Speed Camera

Found this just now on The Firearm Blog. This footage was shot by Insight Visual Media Productions to test a new high speed camera ...

Heavy Artillery In Slow Motion from Insight Visual Media Productions on Vimeo.

Link to original article

Shooting Drills

Just some stuff I found while cruising YouTube that I thought were worth sharing:

US Marine speed reload...



David Sevigny competition shooting demonstration...



The fastest pistol reload I've ever seen...

Most Tactical Loadout Ever...

Best bit is about 1:50 in. This dude is so cool, I wanna be just like him.



Edit: had to edit this after I'd posted it to add the guys other video - MTAR: Most Tactial AR-15. Brilliant.

Angled Rail Adaptor: Why has no-one thought of this before?

Such a simple idea, but so cool. Why has no-one thought of an angled rail adaptor before?

Firing a Minigun the 'Professional Russian' Way

Wait for the glowing barrel part. Have nice day.

Handguns Fired Underwater

More good stuff from the guys at Smarter Every Day is this video of them test firing a Ruger P95-DC and a revolver in a glass tank filled with water, capturing this on a camera running at 2,200 frames per second. Today's phrase of the day is 'Toroidal Vortex'.

Enjoy!

Dragon's Breath Rounds

Now, you've probably seen the FPSRussia dragon's breath video (if not, here's a link. If you have, and want more, try this video, care of the Smarter Every Day YouTube channel. It's a selection of footage of a guy firing off some DB rounds in the woods at night, shot from various angles with a bunch of different cameras. Pretty spectacular.

Vietnam Airsoft

A couple of weeks ago, I went airsofting at Fireball Squadron. Nothing really new there to report, slow news day, I hear you cry? Not so. I've recently been investing in some Vietnam gear, the airsoft craze that seems to be sweeping the nation. Everyone is doing it, lots of sites are running Vietnam themed events from Gunman to Combat South. I have a bunch of mates who have been doing the whole Vietnam thing for a while and are pretty serious about it, so I thought I'd join in. I already had an M14, an XM177 and a 1911 so most of the expense of changing themes was covered.

After a visit to Soldier of Fortune, eBay and some private purchases, I was ready to go. Toger stripe fatigues, a combination of 56 and 67 pattern webbing, jungle boots, claymore bag and my favourite guns of the moment, my Marui M14 and WE 1911.

I had been wondering why there was so much interest in VN airsoft recently. There have been a few tasty releases by G&P, notably the XM177, CAR15 and the awesome Stoner LMG (currently riding at the top of my wishlist), but no new Vietnam movies, not like the Ranger/Delta craze that went round following Blackhawk Down or the interest in Seal jungle ops with the advent of Tears of the Sun, oh no. So where has this upsurge come from.

Unfortunately, I have no answer. My theory is that it takes airsoft and the tactics involved therein right back to basics. No fancy optics, no bolt-on grippy bits, no Magpul accessories, just you, some basic web gear, your rifle and it's iron sights. All the trappings of modern day airsoft are stripped away taking you back to a time close to that experienced when you started playing. When you had only an AEG and some basic (probably DPM or Flecktarn) clothing and a couple of pouches. Vietnam era airsoft is a distillation of airsoft, forcing you to only go out with what you need, not what the latest magazine, website or training video tells you you need. It is a thing of real beauty.

When playing airsoft, you very rarely need to carry all of the equipment that you take with you. Obviously, there are exceptions, like weekend milsim events, but even then, I could have supplemented what I used at Fireball with a rucksack and that would have sufficed, even for an entire weekend.

I still love my two Armalite rifles, even if they are a little overburdened with accessories, but the purity of fun I got out of playing lo-fi airsoft was refreshing, to say the least.

XM177E2 Upgrade

Last night I stripped and rebuilt my old Marui XM177E2 in the space of a couple of hours. It was the first electric airsoft gun I bought, second hand from a friend and served me well for a couple of years before I upgraded to an M4RIS. It's a great little gun and has been sitting in the loft for far too long now. As I have completely rebuilt the M4 now, I had an EG1000 motor and M4 gearbox spare so I decided to take the XM apart, give it a clean and rebuild it with the superior M4 internals.

Being plastic, it was a bit fiddly and delicate and, despite all my best intentions, I managed to snap off one of the receiver lugs (unsurprisingly as they're the Achilles heel of the plastic bodied Armalite) although this didn't affect the feel of it when reassembled. Couldn't believe that it only had an EG650 motor inside. might be a bit closer to competitive on the skirmish field now. old photo, but nothing on the outside has changed. See you at the Fireball Vietnam day in September.

Now with Added Google+

I've managed to post to Facebook via Twitter from Google+. Let's see what happens with a Blogger entry.

Intelligent Armour MACH Helmets

Just had an email from Alex at Intelligent Armour about their new range of ballistic helmets. I'm no expert on ballistic helmets so I'll let this excerpt from the website explain:

The MACH range is aimed at the Military and Police special tactical units and close protection teams, Intelligent Armour have upgraded our standard Military Advanced Combat Helmet MACH 1 and added Ops-Core 2010 ACH-ARC Kit & Ops-Core VAS Shroud to enhance compatibility with all NVG and communication systems.

The Ops-Core rail system will be familiar to anyone intently following the changes of equipment that UKSF units are going through. The American Ops-Core rail system featuring heavily on the FAST ballistic helmets now believed to be in use by Tier 1 UK Special Forces, as well as their US counterparts, a range very similar to Intelligent Armour's MACH helmets.

As well as the MACH+Ops-Core range, there are more traditional MICH/ACH and PASGT style lines to choose from. Each of the helmets in the range has a downloadable PDF fact sheet with a full description and specification, like this one for the MACH1+Ops-Core helmet.

If you want even more reassurance of the quality of these helmets, there is also a ballistic test report from Wiltshire Ballistic Services Ltd outlining the MACH1, 2 and 3 helmet's ability to defeat 9mm FMJ rounds to NIJ 0108.01 level IIIA.

As I said, I'm no expert and this doesn't mean a great deal to me, but sounds very impressive. Email the guys at Intelligent Armour or phone them on +44 (0) 1453 700574 for more information.

Intelligent Armour are also on Twitter and Facebook if you want to keep up to date with future products and services.

Tuesday Gun Porn: Shooting Range Action

Care of my gun loving buddies on Facebook. Johnny Cash + assault weapons = pure enjoyment.

Blah, blah, blah, Zombies. Blah, blah, blah, shotgun.

Survival kit shotgun anyone?

Tuesday Gun Porn: The AA-12 Shotgun

Never Have I Craved a Shovel Quite so Much...

...but I crave this, the ultimate zombie fighting shovel, or Crovel, as it's correctly titled. Get your own Crovel Shovel here for a mere $98.99 plus shipping.

Gun Porn From Surefire Promoting Hi-Cap STANAG Magazines

Surefire have started shipping their 60 and 100 round 5.56 STANAG magazines to dealers. Click here for the promotional video on their youtube channel.

Worst Idea Ever

It's an umbrella that looks like it has a gun hidden inside. How to get shot by the police in one easy purchase, it's a Gunbrella!

The Iron Curtain Countermeasures System

Iron Curtain is an Active Protection system (APS) that defeats many of the most challenging armored vehicle threats.

How Iron Curtain Works

(1) A C-band radar detects and tracks an incoming round, alerting the system and switching it from armed-ready to an armed state. (2) At close range, a distributed optical sensor classifies the threat to select aimpoint and determine which countermeasure (CM) to fire. (3) The CM acts straight down, killing the threat with minimal collateral damage to personnel in close proximity.

More info at the Artis website.

FN SCAR Mini

I'm not a huge fan of the FN SCAR, but the SCAR mini PDW looks pretty fricken' sweet.

NV Contact Lenses: Truth or BS?

BS or not, sounds sort of plausable and cool as hell. Apparently, the SeALs who took Bin Laden down were wearing these. Or the helmets with the peripheral-view PVS-15's also mentioned in the article. Either way, who cares.

Read the article at Kit Up.

Battle Mug

Battle Mugs. One of these is definitely missing from my life.

Official Zombie Preparedness from the CDC

Do they know something we don't know? Is the zombie apocalypse impending or is it just a case of a US Federal Agency having a sense of humour. It's all here in this CDC Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness page.

One Shot by FreddieW

More excellent YouTube work from FreddieW, this time with added Eliza Dushku...

Hobo Stove Part Two: If It's Going to be Hobo, It's Got to be Strongbow

Here we have my first attempt at a hobo spirit burner. Made in about half an hour with the help of a Mora knife, drill and scissors. I dar say, with a good knife and something pointy to make the holes, one of these could be knocked up in the wild without to much adoo, not that it's hard to find empty cans lying around. I'd recommend a decent pair of gloves though, 'cos the edges of cut cans are bloody sharp.





Once build, I ran this for about five minutes on three fills of methylated spirits (one fill being enough to fill the depression in the top of the can). It was a bit tricky to get it lit as it was pretty windy and the burner could probably do with being a bit smaller so that the meths heats and pressurises quicker, but with the help of a little more meths in the bottom of an old tuna can and about 20 matches, the burner was soon going strong. When it's a little less windy, I'll get the rest of the stove out and try rustling up a cup of tea. Cheers!

The World's First Zombie-Proof House

This is so awesome, I can hardly find the words to describe it, so I'll just drop a link to this, the world's first zombie-proof house.

More Bolt-On Crap You Don't Need

I've just seen this in the Airsoft International Facebook feed. It's a product made by LaRue Tactical which has already been cloned by the Chinese and is up for sale at ebAirsoft. It's called the POD (Prone Optimization Device) and apparently 'Converts your Magpul CTR into a precision-rifle stock'. Really? Surely it's just another piece of bolt on crap that people will buy to make their rifle look cooler. I know that's where it'll hit the airsoft market, definitely. For US$89 for the original and US$15.48 for the Chinese repro version, plus the cost of the Magpul CTR stock you'll have to have to fit it, will it make a significant improvement?

A couple of years ago, someone said to me that I had too much tech bolted on my rifle. I couldn't agree more now. Since then, all but one of my airsoft guns have undergone a pairing back process where I am slowly removing all un-necessary bolted on tat. My M14, even though it only had a scope rail has had that removed. My L119A1 has been rear-wired, removing the necessity for a PEQ box to put the battery in. Only the 10" CQB M4 still has a whole mess of tat attached, hopefully, I can do something about that in the near future too.

I get the whole accessorisation thing. It appeals to the geek in me. More stuff on your gun = cool gun? Not necessarily. There's a fine line between having loads of cool stuff on your gun and having loads of crap bolted onto your gun that you don't need. The POD is a prime example of this. Many moons ago when I rode and lived for BMX, the bike company GT produced a whole range of freestyle accessories and marketed them under the tagline 'bolt-on is better'. I fell for this hook, line and sinker much to the chagrin of my mates who renamed this marketing ploy 'bolt-on is bigger'. The same can definitely be said of much of the airsoft and active/tactical shooter market at the moment.

Ray Mears Extreme Survival: Military Survival

I've seen most of Ray Mears' TV shows but this one must've slipped past me somehow. I found this whilst browsing the wonderfully informative and beautifully named MungoSaysBah.com bushcraft blog.

Hobo Stove

Having been reading about these on the internet for a while now on places like Zombie Squad and Practical Survivor, I decided to have a go at making one myself. One of the best examples I've seen so far is the one in the video below.



I wanted something a bit bigger than that so my hobo stove consists of a baby milk can and a sugar tin with lid. I have a small half litre kettle (currently in the loft so I have yet to see if my theory pans out) that should also sit neatly on the top of the milk can.



I started by marking a length of tape with 8 marks 1.5 inches apart for the large half inch ventilation holes around the bottom, this tape was wrapped around the bottom of the can. I then marked up four strips of tape with marks one inch apart for the smaller holes. These were placed vertically on the can with the bottom mark overlaying every other large hole mark so that the strips were a couple of inches apart. I then drilled a pilot hole in each mark before drilling half inch and quarter inch holes.



Having drilled these holes, I gave each one a few tap with a hammer to flatten the burrs out and cut the rectangular hole in the front with a Dremel (this was done over the course of two days, but like the iPhone advert, steps have been removed to shorten the sequence).



The pot rest is made from a couple of lengths of wire coat hanger which I will replace with a couple of old tent pegs when I can get to the camping gear in the loft. The wire coat hanger sections are okay but not very sturdy. On top of them, I've used a PC fan grill that was lying around. You can get these off eBay for about £2.50. I had to cut the screw holes off so it would fit in the milk can, but then it fitted perfectly.

Two holes were drilled in the sugar can to allow the attachment of the wire coat hanger handle as well as a hole in the lid for the knob. The only things missing are a small bag for tinder and firelighting gear, a tin for some hexi blocks and perhaps a steel mug with a folding handle to nest inside and a meths burner to give it a true multi-fuel capability. Oh, and a pouch (preferably suede or leather) to keep it in. All in all, this probably took me about two hours once I had all the parts together. Job done.

Eotech 552 (Chinese Knockoff)

This just arrived from China in 7 days. How does this happen when Royal Mail/Parcel Force often struggle to deliver in that time, anyhoo...

Cheap 552 replica from KHMountain. Looks the part but the buttons don't do what the instructions say they do and the reticle is blurred, good job it's only airsoft. Let's see how I get on with the 552 and I'll maybe think about buying a decent one, can't complain too much for just over £30.

The L119A1 Project: Yet Another Rebuild

Yeah, you heard. Another rebuild of the albatross of a gun that is my L119A1. All that is left of the original Tokyo Marui M4RIS is the motor base plate, stock tube and stock. The rest has been completely replaaced with custom parts that I have spent hours hunting over the last five years or so. Can't believe I've spent that long and that amount of money on a gun which is yet to prove useful but them's the breaks. Here's the latest set of pictures showing the installation of the MadBull tight barrel, G&P 8mm Bearing Gearbox and G&P M120 motor. As you can see, I got the whole thing together before realising I'd forgot to install the forward assist. Oh how I laughed.

Knowing my luck, it will now be over the limit at every site I play at, that would be sod's law, but I'll have to wait and see.

All that is left now is to fit the stock magazine pouch and dummy magazine a tidily finish off the rear wiring. Wish me luck.

MiliDroid: Tactical Apps for Android Phones

Screw you Apple, why should you have all the fun. Here's a tactical information site for Android phone featuring tactical phone applications such as a ballistics calculator and a range estimation calculator. There is also some snacky multicam wallpaper for all you multicam fags out there. Check out MiliDroid for more.

Helikon Tactical Gear

Being six foot two with a 34 inch inside leg, it gets pretty tricky to find combat trousers long enough without having to import them from the US. Most UK retailers I've tried seem to think that 31 1/2 inch inside leg is normal, I disagree. When I discovered Helikon Tactical gear, I was very pleased to see that they tailor for people like me as well as folks with regular and short legs and don't charge a premium price for it.

The first Helikon item I bought was from Military 1st who have a huge range of Helikon gear in all shapes, sizes and colours (well, OD, coyote and black, if you want to be specific). The Classic Army Fleece in olive arrived in no time - Military 1st's delivery times are among the best I've encountered, both times I've used them, the item has arrived the following day - and I was far from disappointed. The material is a good quality, as is the stitching. There are three pockets, a hip pocket on either side and a chest pocket, all with zips. The shoulders and elbows are reinforced with a windproof material giving the garment a bit of extra weatherproofing. The cuffs have an adjustable velcro fastening and the collar and waist benefit from an adjustable shock cord to keep the weather out that little bit more. The description on the website reads as follows:

Comfortable and warm Classic Army fleece made of quality and strong polyester. It fastens with a sturdy two-way zipper and features high collar which can be fastened to the neck, two side pockets and one chest pocket, all with zippers, reinforced elbows and shoulders as well as adjustable waist with drawstring and adjustable wrists.

* Front zipper
* High collar
* 2 side pockets
* Chest pocket
* Reinforced elbows and shoulders
* Adjustable waist with drawstring
* Adjustable wrists with Velcro
* Material: 100% Polyester
* Manufacturer: Helikon

I've worn the item quite regularly over the last month or so and have found it to be very comfortable. My only gripe would be the sizing. On the Military 1st website, the XXL is recommended for a chest size of 44-47 inches. I'm about a 45 chest, and being six foot two have pretty long monkey arms, so I went for the bigger size. It fits nicely, but is a touch on the big size, which is fine for everday use but if I was going to wear this for airsoft games when it's a bit chilly or as a mid layer under a jacket, I would want a smaller size. I tried it on under a Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV and there is a lot of excess fabric sticking out. I'd like to try an XL and may well get another of these fleeces in black, at £32.99, it's not out of the price range of most people who take their outdoor gear seriously, and it certainly compares and performs favourably against similar North Face gear I own. I have no experience of similar garments on the market that this item is directly competing with, such as 5.11 and Blackhawk as well as the classic US issued Peckham fleece (which the design is very similar to), but the price alone should make it a competitor. For anybody wanting more 'big-boy' features, the next model up in the range, the Liberty model, benefits from double-layered fabric, armpit zips, sleeve pockets and cordura shoulder and elbow reinforcements, all for a very tidy £44.99.

The Helikon SFU Trousers NyCo Ripstop trousers are a similarly nice quality, roomy and long in the leg (if you buy the long leg length, obviously) with sizeable and plentiful pockets, reinforced seat and reinforced knees with a double layer closed with velcro to allow the use of some sort of kneepad, although I could not find any such thing on the Military 1st website. Cutting some rollmat to fit would more than suffice. The official description reads thus:

These quality, heavy wearing and comfortable Special Forces Uniform (SFU) cargo trousers features 9 pockets, double layer on the knee and on the backside as well as pockets with Velcro closure on each knee for padding. Suitable for general forces personnel and cadets. Ideal for airsoft and paintball enthusiasts or fishing and hunting.

* Button fly
* Two regular front hand pockets
* Two rear pockets with Velcro
* Two roomy cargo style pockets with Velcro flaps
* Two smaller pockets at the front
* Small knife pocket with Velcro on the right leg
* Reinforced seat for longer wear
* Knee patch reinforcements
* Two Velcro slots for knee pads
* Side waist adjusters
* Internal drawstring tie bottoms
* Belt loops
* Material: NyCo Ripstop (50% nylon, 50% cotton)
* Manufacturer: Helikon
* Brand new

As you'd expect of any combat-type trouser, there are two hip pockets, two back pockets and two big thigh pockets. In addition, there is a calf pocket with a two-column row of elastic and a two-column row of PALS webbing stitched on three sides to afford a place to keep items like cyalume sticks or similar without fear of them falling out. The calf pocket itself is about the size of a STANAG magazine, probably designed for a field dressing or two. The other extra pockets sit over the hip pockets and again, are around the size of a STANAG rifle magazine, although putting one in this pocket, it sticks out the top of the pocket about an inch or so and would probably be at risk of falling out when in a crouching position, but it gives you an idea of the size, these pockets are probably better suited for soft objects to avoid the contents digging in. The rear and thigh pockets have velcro closure rather than buttons, which is a bit of a shame as I would have preferred buttons, but each to their own, it is a minor personal preference. Whilst browsing the Military 1st website, I did notice that the Helikon BDU trousers have button pockets and their M65 trousers have popper fasteners rather than velcro so there is plenty of choice if, like me, you find velcro pockets a but unwieldy. At £25.99 a pair, I can't really moan too much though.

Check out the full range of Helikon gear at Military 1st.

The L119A1 Project: Final Phase?

What's the point of having a really pretty gun that's had a lot of money spent on it that only fires at about 215fps and sits in a bag under my bed all the time?

The (hopefully) final phase of the L119A1 project has been put into motion with the purchase of a G&P gearbox (from Land Warrior Airsoft, G&P m120 motor (from eHobbyAsia and a MadBull Black Python tight bore barrel and new hop rubber (from Fire Support all to the tune of about £190. Watch this space for more pics, swearing, scuffed knuckles and a blow by blow rebuild monologue.

Old School M14 Rig

In my search for a load bearing solution fr my M14, I decided to eschew the normal MOLLE route and throw together a few bits I already had lying around. Add a couple of Tactical Tailor 7.62 magazine pouches (okay, almost eschewing MOLLE) and you have the results below. It could do with another one or two magazine pouches (Tactical-Kit.co.uk only had two OD pouches in stock, more due in soon) but apart from that, I'm pretty happy with it. The HSGI holster may stay or go, possibly in favour of a USGI belt mounted model. It's 90% there I reckon.

More info on ALICE gear can be found on Wikipedia here.