Saturday, December 21, 2013

Merry Christmas!

This is Padre' from the Airsoft Ikaika Warriors. The team and I want to wish you and yours, a

Wonderful and Blessed Christmas...

In the seven months since this blog was created, we have had 1,998 unique visitors from 54 different countries - thank you all for your loyal readership!

Remember in all you do, that

Jesus IS the reason for the season!

John Lu and Airsoft

Today The Warrior Blog is pleased to present an interview with Mr John Lu O.L.C.M.S.S. (Operation Lion Claws Military Simulation Series)

Can you share with us how OLCMSS came in to being?
OLCMSS began as a DARE and JOKE at a luncheon with friends. After I lost all my business as a result of post-911 mismanagement. Airsoft Elite founder, James Tai, and his assistant at the time, Mr. Walter Chang, (yes, current CEO of Airsoft GI) chatted over the possibility of having well known military VIPs to lead men and women in Airsoft battles. My initial reaction was "Hell No!" I wasn't going to ask real military heroes to "play soldier". But after a careful study at the potential benefit to USAREC, I approached Col. McKnight (Black Hawk Down) and my mentor/uncle/friend Sgt. Kenn Miller (a Vietnam LRRP legend)and that's how LC was born. I nearly lost my shirt over LC-1 if it wasn't for Alvin of former Infinity Airsoft who stepped up financially. We had 79 players total, most didn't believe I could deliver Col. McKnight as by then there had been a couple of large airsoft events but were both "over promised and under delivered" so folks were skeptical..."Who the hell are you? And, right, YOU know Col. McKnight...sure...." In addition, 12.5 years ago there was no ready websites, no fields, Paintball was still God which all compounded my challenges. After LC-I words spread, LC-II drew 150 pax, and IRENE was born the same

What is "MilSim?"

At some point, everyone has heard the term "Milsim" thrown around at an airsoft game, but what does it really mean? Some would say its the accessories that you mount on your replica - see Tacticool, others might suggest that it is having the "right look" to have the same load-out as the Navy Seals or the 82nd Airborne. OR (cough, cough, gag) training up your skills? by playing COD or BF4.

MilSim Airsoft

What is MilSim
Weapons
Who plays MilSim
What about PTSD and Airsoft MilSim?
Where to play MilSim
What’s required to play MilSim
What types of MilSim are there

Reenactment
Simulation

What is MilSim?
MilSim most often falls into two different categories: reenactment and simulation. Reenactments focus on a particular event in history and aim to provide the most accurate representation of the time period, events, and outcomes of the historical event. Simulation, however, may only focus on a particular time period and representation of which course a particular situation may have taken in history. In most cases a simulation event includes fictitious characters, groups, and political situations MilSim is simply an abbreviation for

Tactical Question - Shooting from a moving platform

Every so often I will be re-posting one of the "Questions of the week" that I have previously posted on the page https://www.facebook.com/groups/AirSplatArmyPuyallup/. Whether you shoot airsoft guns or real steel, there are situations and the laws of physics AND gravity that apply to both. This gives you chance to test your knowledge and perhaps learn new skills.

When shooting from a moving platform such as a helicopter or vehicle at a stationary target that is 30 meters away, moving parallel to the target, on a windless day, you should:

1) Shoot directly at the target
2) Shoot above the target
3) Shoot to the leading / closing side of the target
4) Shoot to the following / trailing side of the target
5) None of the above

Now for the answer:

Christmas shopping for your Airsofter? - The top accessory suggestions.

Looking for Christmas shopping ideas for the Airsofter in the family? Lets look at some of the top airsoft accessory suggestions that have been sent in

Below was hands down my favorite Christmas Shopping List!!!!

"Although I have everything I have needed/wanted Airsoft related I will put together a good medium budget loadout.

Primary weapon: A&K LR300
Secondary weapon: WE glock 17 or WE HiCapa 5.1 both good out of but upgradeable.
Armor: Lancer Tactical assault vest
BDU: Marpat
Boots: Oakley assaulter boots or Rocky S2V
Accessories: 9.6 brick type, 3 m4 mags, 2 pistol mags, mesh eye pro, bravo mesh lower, dead rag, condor tactical ball cap or Boonie, 2 cans green gas 3 bags .25 non bio bbs.
And a partridge in a pear tree!"

While your airsofter may already have that replica that does the job, some accessories can help to improve their skills and heighten their airsofting experience while others just make them look tacticool. This is a list of some airsoft accessories that you might not have thought of for

Airsoft Batteries

Powering that Pew, Pew-Beast with the Airsoft battery.

Most airsoft replicas that you purchase don't include a battery or a charger and those that do, you are more often than not, better off not using them....

Sooooo.... now you need to purchase a new battery and charger, where do you start?

You'll find that there are many different types of Airsoft batteries available for the AEG. They come in different shapes and sizes, volts and milliamp hour (mAh) ratings. What you may not know, is that it is not just the fit and price that you should look at but that those voltages and mAh ratings are important to pay attention to as well. The voltage and mAh have a huge affect on the performance of your gun.

First, I would like to clear up the common myth about upgrading to larger voltage batteries: THEY WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR FPS. So don't think that if you're currently running a small 8.4V battery and you bump up to a 12V battery that you're going to see an increase in the velocity of your rifle.

Voltage
More voltage equals faster trigger response and a higher rate of fire (ROF) when using full-auto. Higher voltage is also needed in high-torque setups like DMR rifles in order to give the motor enough power to pull back the heavy spring.There is also a tradeoff though as with the higher voltage, electrically it can cause the trigger contacts and motor to burn out faster and as the overall rate of fire increases, it can lead to faster and more catastrophic failures in the gearbox.

A good example is found in the Masada that I just purchased. It was run with an 11.1 V Lipo battery - the very first time that the kid took the new toy out! The result? He stripped the teeth off not only the piston but off one of the gears as well, turning his gun into a $249.99

Radios for Airsoft

~Please note that the author of this post is licensed by the FCC as a General Class Amateur Radio Operator~

The purpose of this post is to lift some of the cloud that surrounds the radios that we use for airsoft and what features that they have. So as radios are often a requirement for playing airsoft games and are used by teams and commanders as a way to communicate, we ask the question, "which radio should you choose?"

To start out it is important for you to decide how you are going to use the radio before going out and buying, such as will you be using it in open terrain or lots of hills? Will you be using it indoors or outdoors of a combination of both? Will your radios need to be long range or used within a small team? What type of headset will you need? All of these considerations are important and should be figured out when deciding which radio to use. Depending on your needs, radios can start out for as little as $25.00 including the battery and charger and can easily go up into the hundreds of dollars or more.... So let me start by discussing some of the radios that are available that are well suited for airsoft as well as radios that you should stay away from and why. My personal radio choice is the Motorolla T5500 and the MR350R as the have great battery life and are compatable with most single pin headsets.

Family Radio Service or FRS (1-3 mile range)

FRS or Family Radio Service are the most cost effective radios available on the market. They are more compact and come with small non-removable antennas, lower powers, and operate on the FM service of fourteen channels. They are compatible with a range of microphones such as throat mics and headsets and they do not require a license to operate. The better ones also include features such as sub-tones also known as "privacy tones", National Weather Service reception, frequency scan, led lights and even in the very high end models, GPS. However, as their signals are low powered and
have small antennas, they often have difficulty penetrating forest and buildings and their effective range can be significantly shorter than quoted*. In airsoft, FRS radios work well within a unit, but with their limited range they are not always suitable for command. *Ranges advertised my the manufactures are for perfect conditions such as over water with no obstructions such as buildings, trees or even your own body.
http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/family/

Bounding / Leapfrogging

I'm going to assume that you all have played the game "Leapfrog" at some point in your life. You start out by one person getting "set" in a position then the person that is moving forward places their hands on the first persons back and 'leapfrogging" over. That person now gets in the "set" position and the first person repeats the steps of 'leapfrogging over. This simple motion repeats over and over until you have reached your goal.... If either person tries to move before the other is ready, the whole "leapfrog' fails! Much is the same in the movement called Bounding or Leapfrogging.

Bounding / Leapfrogging requires dividing the attacking element into two parts. This can be as little as two people total or as many as ten (it becomes difficult but not impossible with more). For this discussion we will call the elements "Alpha" and "Bravo". There are a number of things that have to work together for any bounding to be successful.

What is the agreed on objective.
How are you going to communicate with each other. (Radio, Hand signals, Both?)
Bounding distances.
Execution....

The Goal or Objective can be as simple as "the other side of the field" or as as challenging as moving your unit to a specific point at a specific time as a part of a co-originated attack. The simple command "COVER ME" doesn't work, if you have no idea what to cover the person from or what direction he is moving, - you need to have some degree of planning.

Communication. You will need to agree on signals, radio communication or both. For existing units, the signals are most often preset and practiced but if

Review of the KWA KM4-A1 CQB Carbine by: “Iceman”

Today we are sharing with you a review of the KWA KM4-A1 CQB Carbine by “Iceman” of Airsoft Ikaika Warriors...

http://www.airsplat.com/Items/ER-KWA-M4A1-CQB.htm

Specifications:

-330 FPS with .20g BBs (Perfect speed for indoor and CQB fields)

-Barrel length: 10 inches (25cm)

-Overall length: 25-29 inches (Depending on stock position)

-Magazine capacity: 360 rounds

Features:

-Full metal construction

-Standard A2 Upper sights

-KWA trademarks including unique serial number

-Lipo ready out of the box

-Battery and charger not included

-Manufactured in Taiwan

Pros:

-Extremely durable metal body
-Lipo ready out of the box
-Very high rate of fire
-Good trigger response

The unique serial number etched on the left side of the mag-well, along with KWA trademarks

Cons:

-Limited effective range

-Minimal rail space

Airsoft & MilSim, Claymores, Mines and Alarms

In this short video, I have put together some of the different types of "other" munitions that can be added in an Airsoft Game to increase the level of realism. As you will see, I break it down to three of the many categories that you could add, Claymores, Trip Mines and Alarms.

First off for safety, I always use heavy weight clear sewing thread. You want the tripwires to be able to break if they have enough force on the to trip someone! Never ever, ever use fishline to make your tripwire as it can and will lead to injuries as it is designed to NOT BREAK...

Claymores:

These can be purchased at most airsoft suppliers and even such places as E-Bay or Amazon and can also be made by you if you have a few basic tools and time. They are triggered by remote control, tripwire and there are even a few models that can be set off by motion sensors and lasers. The commercially made ones are designed to shoot up to 200+ BB's up to a distance of 120 or more feet. These are a bit on the

Lords of War VII - END GAME!

This is a MilSim game in St. Paul Oregon that the Ikaika Warriors participated in on October 26th 2013 that was hosted by Riddick and Airsoft Pacific.

https://www.facebook.com/airsoftpacific, http://airsoftpacific.com

This MilSim as usual for a event that is put on by Riddick was outstanding! This wasn't all force on force (although there was plenty of action) but included several missions throughout the day that tested the abilities of everyone involved. These included, Missions and Objectives, Sector control, Reconnaissance, working within a Command Structure and Props that played a vital roll in the win or loss of the battle. This field is one of the more physically challenging that you can go to as it has heavy brush and forest cover, steep slopes off the hills that drop into the streams, trenches, sandbag

Review of the Classic Army FN Herstal licensed SCAR-L Sportline by "Archangel"

Classic Army FN Herstal licensed SCAR-L Sportline

http://www.airsplat.com/Items/ER-CA-SCAR-027B.htm

Specifications:
- Velocity: 400 FPS (0.2 g BB) / Range 190-200 Feet
- Barrel Length: 17 inches / 43 cm
- Magazine Capacity: 300 Rounds

Features:
- Integrated Rail System
- Side Folding Adjustable Stock
- Front & Rear Flip Up Sights
- Licensed FN Herstal Trademarks
- Battery and Charger Not Included
- Made in Hong Kong

Pros

- Lightweight durable Polymer body.

- High rate of fire out of the box using a 8.6v battery

- FN Herstal trademarks.

- Collapsible stock.

Cons

- Polymer Upper receiver, potential development of stress fractures.

- Battery Compartment not field friendly.

- Polymer rails.

Gun Review of the Well MB-02 / VSR-10 by Padre'

WELL MB-02 / VSR-10 Spring Airsoft Sniper Rifle

http://www.airsplat.com/items/AR-WELL-MB02-BK.htm

Specifications:- 400 fps (0.2 g BB) / Range 200-250 feet
- Barrel Length: 17.5 inches
- Overall length: 39.5 Inches
- Weight 6.8 pounds
- Magazine Capacity: 30 Rounds

Features:- Integrated top and front rails
- Adjustable Hop-Up
- Bipod and Scope included
- Made in China

Pros: Full stock that was well finished (only had one small rough spot). Good quality scope that included the mounts. The bipod that is included was much heavier duty than I had expected, it folds down easily and quietly and expands with a twist of the shaft. It includes one 30 round magazine that snaps firmly into the bottom of the stock. This has a mounted front and rear sling loop for the included sling. Rail on the top is nice and long and mounted solidly and will accept other optics. The short rail on the bottom is just long enough to but the bipod and another small accessory such as a laser. After the initial setup of the rifle, I found that it shot about 396 fps. Ungrade kit and extra magazines are readily available. The box also included a un-jamming

Gun review of the Boyi DBoys AK74 by "Mad Max"

From Max aka "Mad Max" of the Ikaika Warriors, the Boyi DBoys AK74

Boyi DBoys AK74 Airsoft AEG RK02

http://www.airsplat.com/Items/ERM-BI-74-RK02.htm

Specifications:
- Velocity: 380 FPS (0.2 gBB) / Range 160-180 Feet
- Barrel Length: 16 Inches / 41 cm
- Magazine Capacity: 600 Rounds

Features:
- Steel Body and Receiver
- Metal Side Folding Stock
- Metal Front & Rear Sling Mount
- Battery & Charger Included (Small)
- Made in China

Pros:
Full metal receiver, stock, outer barrel assembly, and attached un-jamming rod. Includes a decent battery and wall charger for beginner players. Strong sling included. This has adjustable front and rear sights. Attached AK scope mount on left side of receiver. Car fuse included. Decent rate of fire with included battery and as reviewed, shoots ~390 fps. Full

OPERATION WHITE JINDO 5; The Final Offensive (MILSIM)

This is from one of the many MILSIM events that the Airsoft Ikaika Warriors participates in throughout the year...

The War continues...

Praetorian Guard Airsoft presents:

Operation White Jindo 5; The Final Offensive

"Northern Forces closes in the southern city of Pusan. Southern Forces dug in the southern perimeter and buys time by holding the City of Pusan. United States looks for diplomatic solution as Japan and South Korea resist the idea of Korea Unification under China's ideology. Will history repeat itself? Only you playing the role as commanders can determine the faith of the Korean peninsula!!"

Padre' out...

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Gun Review of the ECHO 1 MTC3 by "Mad Max"

From Max aka "Mad Max" of the Ikaika Warriors, the ECHO 1 MTC3.

Echo1 Modular Tactical Carbine MTC3 Airsoft AEG Rifle
http://www.airsplat.com/Items/ER-E1-MTC-JP70.htm

Specifications:
- Velocity: 400 FPS (0.2 g BB) / Range 200-210 Feet
- Barrel Length: 11.5 inches / 29 cm
- Magazine Capacity: 300 Rounds
- Overall Length: 28 inches Collapsed / 32 inches Extended

Features:
- Full Length Integrated Rail System & Forend
- Accepts M4 Magazines
- Battery and Charger Included (Small)
- Ambidextrous Fire Control
- SL-86 Style Adjustable Fixed Stock

Airsoft Ikaika Warriors Spotlight: Callsign: Apollo

Meet one of our Ikaika Warriors

Name: Paolo

Callsign: Apollo

Age: 20

Primary Weapon: G&G Top Tech TR4-18

Secondary: WE XDm Compact

Practical Weapon Stance and Movement

The purpose of today's post in the Warriors Blog is to address some of the basics or not so basics of rifle moving and shooting and why we do it. First of all I am not an expert on these things but have picked up some basic "rights" and "wrongs" over the years from both military and police trainers.

I want you to take a moment and look at the photo below.... Now ask yourself, "How many of the four people below are ready to actively engage the target?"

If you came up with two, then both you and I are on the same page.....

Moving With Your Weapon
If you're doing it right, the only time your sights are lined up is when you have a target you're actively engaging. When moving with the weapon, newer players will often walk looking down the gun-sight or scope in an constant state of alertness. (As shown in the photo below) Walking around with the gun sighted is not only inefficient, but it can be dangerous. To sight down your sights, you need to be focused, this can make you unaware of your surroundings, other than that is in front of you - you develop what is called tunnel vision. When this happens, you become unaware of the "bigger picture" and this can lead to accidental trips and falls.