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. 

1. What is the agreed on objective.
2. How are you going to communicate with each other. (Radio, Hand signals, Both?)
3. Bounding distances. 
4. 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