The Airsoft BB Militia

How Many Guns For Airsoft?

2019-12-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

How many guns for Airsoft?

Prieto 3D Lithium Ion Battery: The Ideal Battery For The Here and Now?

2017-12-25T03:57:00.000-08:00

While batteries offering ultra-fast charging and higher capacity still await millions in crowdfunding capital, is the Prieto 3D lithium ion battery the ideal Airsoft battery for the here and now?

By Ringo Bones

Ever noticed why those ultrafast charging and very high capacity rechargeable batteries exhibited during the 2015 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas are still not available to the consumer market in 2017? Well, those batteries require manufacturing plants that are radically different from existing ones that are currently manufacturing your run-of-the-mill lithium ion batteries currently used in cars, laptops and smartphones. They are probably still waiting millions in crowdfunding dollars to be able to make those batteries available to consumers at a reasonable cost while making themselves a tidy profit. But is there a way to increase the power capacity of lithium ion batteries in an evolutionary – rater than a revolutionary manner – i.e. using existing manufacturing facilities and off-the-shelf materials thus making it ideal for current Airsoft use?

Dr. Amy Prieto, CEO of Prieto Battery in which she founded back in 2009, has a way to make existing lithium ion batteries better while using current battery manufacturing plants. All it takes is a clever use of existing materials and on the way they are fabricated. Prieto is poised to commercialize a battery that will deliver transformational performance – as in higher power density, longer life cycle, safe and much greater energy density than existing lithium ion batteries. It is called the Prieto 3D Lithium Ion Battery.

The Prieto 3D Lithium Ion Battery uses a copper foam substrate electrode which provides higher electrode surface area and a shorter ion diffusion path that results in a five-fold increase in power density. It has a copper antimonide for a three-fold increase in volumetric energy capacity and the proprietary anode deposition eliminates the need of lithium dendrites. Its solid polymer electrolyte results in a safer, nonflammable battery and also increases its lifecycle. And while using standard industry available cathode materials, it is easier to customize the cell voltage and capacity and with its water-based process during electroplating results in a lower cost when it comes to scaling up in its manufacture.

Can Augmented Reality Improve Your Airsoft Gaming Experience?

2016-12-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Given the recent success of Pokémon GO, can augmented reality improve or at least make a more interesting airsoft gaming experience?

By: Ringo Bones

With the recent success of Pokémon GO, augmented reality gaming seems to be the in thing at the moment if you own an advanced enough smart-phone. And given the relative ubiquity of advanced smart-phones, can augmented reality elements be introduced to airsoft gaming to make it more interesting? But first, an introduction to what is this augmented reality business….

Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than being augmented), by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one. Augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements, such as sports scores on TV during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer vision and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and can be digitally manipulated. Artificial information about the environment and its objects can be overlaid on the real world.

With the proper creative application of augmented reality, airsoft gamers would soon be closer to playing in a gaming environment closely resembling to that of James Cameron’s Avatar or those exotic extraterrestrial locales of the Halo computer gaming series and even a passable World War II, Vietnam War, and the recent Gulf conflict of the Call of Duty gaming series. It seems that augmented reality applications for airsoft will only be limited by the gamers’ imagination.

Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery: The Future of Airsoft Rechargeable Batteries?

2015-04-29T06:03:00.001-07:00

With several competing “futuristic” ultrafast-charging rechargeable batteries, is Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery poised to be the future of rechargeable batteries?

By: Ringo Bones

Technology experts recently quipped that if the advances made in rechargeable battery technology during the past 60 years mirrored that of semiconductors, we would have today rechargeable batteries that could power a mobile phone for a million years on a single charge. Sadly, such technology is still beyond the reach of the current major consumer electronic manufacturers, but recently, prototypes of ultrafast-charging rechargeable batteries that with a minutes worth of charging could either power a mobile phone for a day or drive an electric car for 300 miles are now a prototypical reality.

Lithium ion batteries have been a boon for the modern world in that they’ve replaced the heavier single-use alkaline type batteries in everything from wristwatches to the power supplies of flight control systems in late-model jumbo jets. Unfortunately, these rechargeable cells are already struggling to keep up with our ever increasing energy needs. But a new type of aluminum-ion battery recently developed by graduate students and their professor at Stanford University is not only less prone to bursting into flames than current lithium-ion types - something often demonstrated via You Tube videos posted in online Airsoft gaming sites and forums - but can also be built at a fraction of the price and recharges completely in just over a minute. Best of all, “our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it” says Stanford University chemistry professor Hongjie Dai.

According to its developers, the Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery uses a graphite cathode, an aluminum anode and an ionic liquid electrolyte inside a polymer-coated pouch. “The electrolyte is basically a salt that is liquid at room temperature, so it’s very safe” said Stanford University graduate student Ming Gong, co-author of the study recently published in the science journal Nature.

Unlike earlier rechargeable aluminum-ion battery prototypes which generally fails after only about 100 recharge cycles, Stanford’s prototype Advanced Aluminum Battery are composed of aluminum-ion cells that can cycle more than 7,500 times without any capacity loss – that’s 7.5 times longer than your average lithium-ion rechargeable battery in current production. Sadly, Stanford University’s aluminum-ion cell isn’t perfect, yet, as it can produce only about 2 volts per cell – far less than the 3.6 volts per cell that current lithium-ion cells can muster. Plus aluminum-ion cells, at the moment, can only carry 40-watts of electricity per kilogram compared to lithium-ion’s 100 to 206 watts per kilogram power density.

“Improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage output and energy density” says Dai. “Otherwise, our battery has everything else you’d dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days, It’s quite interesting.”

Unlike other competing prototypes, Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery that has the ability to be charged for 1 minute and yet could store enough charge to power a mobile phone for 24 hours was entirely made possible by a group of graduate students and their professor without a single cent of corporate backing whatsoever. Despite of this feat, Tesla electric car company founder Elon Musk is currently skeptical of the Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery on whether it will ever be as good – or become even better than – as those ultrafast-charging lithium ion types in current development. Hmm, if only Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk would put his money where his mouth is…Or maybe Airsoft electric gun manufacturers should check out Stanford University’s Advanced Aluminum Battery for potential Airsoft gaming applications.

StoreDot’s Fast Charging FlashBatteries: The Future Of Rechargeable Airsoft Batteries?

2015-03-31T02:31:00.000-07:00

With the ability to recharge in 60 seconds to power a mobile phone or allow an electric vehicle to travel 300 miles with a 5 minute charge is StorDot’s FlashBattery represent the future of rechargeable battery technology?

By: Ringo Bones

During the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show – CES – in Las Vegas, Nevada, an Israeli firm called StoreDot demonstrated a newfangled battery technology that can power a mobile phone with just a 60-second charge and a bigger version that could drive an electric vehicle for 300 miles (480 kilometers) on a 5 minute charge. With such capability, StoreDot’s FlashBattery technology could represent the future of rechargeable battery technology where battery recharging of electric cars and other electric vehicles could be as fast as the time it takes to fill up with gasoline in your local gasoline filling station. Just imagine what it could do to the weekend Airsoft gamer who forgot during the whole working week to recharge his or her own batteries for AEG Airsoft gun use.

According to StoreDot, their newfangled FlashBattery represents an evolutionary step forward of the current ubiquitous lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries have been traditionally used for powering most portable devices and electric vehicles. While exhibiting relatively slow charging and discharging capabilities, over time, these chemical processes reduce the lithium battery’s ability to retain energy. Yet StoreDot has succeeded in isolating and maximizing the charge transfer rate and has enhanced it to heighten the superior characteristics of the FlashBattery.

Lithium ion batteries contain inorganic compounds in the battery’s cathode, typically comprising metal oxides or polyanions which are continuously recharged by the insertion of lithium ions. This process limits ionic conductivity, thereby reducing the power density and shortening the battery’s life expectancy. Moreover, the electrolyte used in lithium ion batteries is highly volatile and flammable, posing a severe risk to consumers, critical especially in electric cars.

StoreDot’s groundbreaking solution for their FlashBattery design is a hybrid architecture using a unique hybrid multifunction electrode (MFE), StoreDot’s FlashBattery combine two types of energy storage solutions, incorporating the high-power rapid-charging capability of current super capacitor technology with the high energy storage ability and low self-discharge rate of current lithium ion batteries.

This optimized charging ability is achieved through an innovative electrode structure containing proprietary organic polymers with legacy lithium metal oxide components on the cathode end that trigger reduction-oxidation chemical reactions. This solution causes ions to flow from a modified anode to a modified cathode at a speed that could not be attained through existing lithium ion battery technologies. Together with a proprietary separator and electrolyte, this new architecture delivers a high current and low internal resistance with enhanced energy density and a prolonged battery life.

While some battery manufacturers were able to improve only one of the following properties – either an increase in capacity, fast charging or extended battery life – StoreDot’s novel technology has optimized all three simultaneously, in addition to enhancing its safety. StoreDot’s organic compounds and newfangled proprietary battery architecture provide 4 times more charge / discharge cycles compared to any existing rechargeable battery, increasing the number of cycles from 500 to 2,000. Using compounds that are less likely to metalize during these cycles, StoreDot’s FlashBattery eliminates the risk of an internal electrical short almost entirely, which significantly prolongs battery life expectancy.

Specially designed for high current charging, StoreDot’s FlashBattery contains, in addition to lithium, non-flammable organic compounds encased in multi-layer safety-protection structure that prevents over voltage and heating and is therefore considerably safer than traditional lithium ion batteries. Containing their proprietary electrolyte which is an ecologically-friendly material, the FlashBattery meshes polymers and metal oxide together, resulting in an increased electrode stability and SEI performance at high temperatures.

Comprising carefully engineered organic molecules with high chemical stability, FlashBattery compounds can be tuned to match a variety of applications. The FlashBattery demonstrates rapid reduction-oxidation activity optimized compounds that increase the absorption of lithium ions and their counter-ions. In contrast to other batteries that contain toxic polluting heavy metals like cadmium, lead or mercury, StoreDot’s materials leave a minimal environmental footprint. And from a manufacturing engineer’s standpoint, StoreDot’s organic and polymer electrode’s raw materials are readily available thus reducing the overall cost of the battery.

Anode-Less Rechargeable Batteries: The Future of Airsoft Batteries?

2015-03-29T04:40:00.001-07:00

Even though it is an integral part of a rechargeable batteries construction for proper operation, could eliminating the anode improve current rechargeable batteries performance for Airsoft use by leaps and bounds?

By: Ringo Bones

Though not quite anode-less yet but a rechargeable battery manufacturing company called Solid Energy Systems is currently developing a nearly anode-less lithium ion rechargeable battery and has recently exhibited a working prototype during the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Given the already widespread acceptance of the lithium ion rechargeable battery in mobile phone and hybrid / electric vehicle applications, Solid Energy System’s concept takes the strengths of the current technology much further by reducing the space taken up by the anode since it takes up most of the space in current lithium ion rechargeable battery configuration. This means more compact - as in smaller - Airsoft batteries with similar or more powerful than - the ones currently available.

Solid Energy System’s nearly anode-less rechargeable battery concept could last twice as long as current lithium ion rechargeable batteries, while offering a 1,200 watt-hour per liter energy density. Designed with an ultra-thin metal anode, this configuration improves the cell-level energy density by 50-percent over current designs using graphite anodes and 30-percent improvement over silicon-composite anodes. Once marketed and used on current mobile devices, it could make them operate twice as long between recharging times.

According to Solid Energy Systems, the “secret” in boosting energy storage lies in swapping the conventional electrode material – graphite – for a thin sheet of lithium metal foil, which can store more lithium ions. Other battery manufacturers have been trying to use lithium-metal electrodes in rechargeable lithium ion batteries for decades with only a limited success. Solid Energy seems to have solved a couple of key problems which have caused such batteries to either stop working after a few charges or burst into flames. Current carbon anode cell energy density is at 600 watt-hour per liter while silicon anode cells offer energy densities of around 800 watt-hour per liter, while Solid Energy Systems’ near anode-less cell offer energy densities of around 1,200 watt-hour per liter.

Solid Energy Systems’ solution to make nearly anode-less rechargeable batteries to be as reliable as current lithium ion rechargeable cells without dying only a few recharge cycles or suddenly bursting to flames is via the use of both solid electrolyte and a liquid one. The solid electrolyte is applied to the lithium-metal foil, the ions don’t have to travel through this thin material, so it doesn’t matter that they are moving relatively slowly.

Solid Energy Systems’ prototype nearly anode-less battery can be recharged 300 times while retaining 80 percent of its original storage capacity – closer to what you would need in portable electronics. It also works at room temperatures whereas competing lithium-metal battery prototypes operate at temperatures too hot to be practical. As of late, most other companies investing in Solid Energy Systems’ newfangled batteries to become an economically viable commercial product are electric car / hybrid car companies with plans to use the newfangled rechargeable battery design in their electric cars.

The Tamir Rice Airsoft Gun Case: A Blow To Airsoft Gaming?

2015-03-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Will the apparent accidental shooting death of Tamir Rice by Cleveland police place stricter laws against Airsoft replica gun ownership?

By: Ringo Bones

The shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old African American boy occurred on November 22, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio. Two police officers, 26 year old Timothy Loehmann and 46 year old Frank Garmback responded after receiving a police dispatch call “of a male sitting on a swing and pointing a gun at people” in a city park. A caller reported that a male was pointing “a pistol” at random people in Cudell Recreational Center. The caller stated twice that the gun was: “probably fake.” Toward the end of the 2 minute 17 second 911 call, the caller stated “he is probably juvenile.” The officers reported that upon arrival, Rice reached towards a gun in his waistband. Loehmann fired two shots within two seconds on arriving in the scene, hitting Rice once on the torso.

Rice’s gun was later found to be an Airsoft replica, though lacking the orange safety feature signifying that the gun is not real. Rice died on the day after the shooting. His death has been ruled a homicide by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner. The tragic incident has yet to raise the question of the safety of Airsoft gun ownership in the United States.

In the United States under federal law, Airsoft guns are not classified as firearms and are legal for all ages. Although persons under 18 years of age are not permitted to purchase Airsoft guns over the counter in stores, however a person of any age may use one. But there are selected local requirements. Some cities in the state of Illinois consider shipping or distributing Airsoft guns illegal. Enforcement of local laws with regards to Airsoft replica gun bans is often intermittent. There are many fields and stores in operation and sporting goods stores regularly carry Airsoft replica guns. However a man was arrested back in 2013 for firing a replica gun / Airsoft gun in his own backyard.

Does the M1915 Villar-Perosa Submachine Gun Make A Good Airsoft Gun?

2014-09-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

Given that the “vintage Airsoft model / replica guns” has its own sizable cult following, would an Airsoft version of the M1915 Villar-Perosa submachine gun make a good Airsoft gun?

By: Ringo Bones

Photos of this seminal submachine gun may give the impression that it may be too awkward and too unwieldy to use one in battlefield conditions, but a recent documentary about old guns has shown that a gun enthusiast was quite delighted after firing a still working 1915 Villar-Perosa submachine gun – like the one displayed in the Austrian Army Museum in Vienna and the Russian Museum of Artillery in St. Petersburg – even assessing that the gun will be manageable in battlefield use despite being slightly heavier in comparison of contemporary 9-mm submachine guns. Does this make the 1915 Villar-Perosa a good Airsoft gun for the “vintage gun” enthusiast?

Even though I have yet to see one displayed in our local Airsoft shop, the Villar-Perosa submachine gun originally has two variants that was more-or-less fielded near the end of World War I. The twin-barreled M1915 model (actually two submachine guns in a “Siamese-Twin” configuration) was originally designed in 1914 and was originally intended by the famous Italian small arms designer Bethel Abiel Revelli for use in World War I era biplanes. Though it’s 3,000 rounds per minute rate of fire can make a short shrift of any biplane that comes in front of it, the 9-mm Glisenti ammunition – similar in size to the modern 9-mm X 19-mm Parabellum cartridge – proved to be low powered and too limited in range for practical use as an aircraft machine gun. The 9-mm Glisenti ammunition is even “weaker” than its contemporary – the 9mm X 19-mm Luger pistol round.

The manufacturing company Officine Villar Perosa (OVP for short) eventually made a “stripped-down variant of the M1915 Villar-Perosa submachine gun, the OVP M1918 “automatic carbine” with half the rate of fire of its predecessor. Its rather rapid rate of fire was primarily caused by lightweight bolt being paired with a powerful spring. Both guns operate in the open-bolt configuration with a delayed blowback action. Fed from a 25-round box magazine, the submachine guns very high rate of fire and rather short range only makes it suitable for close quarter battle / CQB situations. Though it could look very kick ass to the unfamiliar, even in its Airsoft version firing 6-mm plastic 0.2-gram mineral-filled polypropylene pellets travelling at 400 feet per second.

Can Airsoft Improve The General Public’s Gun Safety Consciousness?

2014-09-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

With the tragic shooting accident that resulted in a shooting instructor being shot in the head by a 9-year-old girl, could Airsoft guns serve as a “much safer” way to promote gun safety consciousness to the general public?

By: Ringo Bones

The accidental shooting death of gun instructor Charles Vacca involving a 9-year-old girl with an Uzi back in August 27, 2014 raised yet again the subject of gun safety concerns in America. Gun instructor Vacca got accidentally shot in the head in a routine instructional demo at a gun range in Arizona that caters to Las Vegas tourists. The 9-year-old girl who was allowed to shoot with an Uzi lost control of the gun when it was set to fire in full-auto mode in an uncontrolled muzzle rise that resulted in gun instructor Vacca getting shot at least once in the head. Even though the “gun experts” from the NRA says the 9-year-old girl should have been started on a single-shot .22 caliber weapons system, will it be much safer if younger shooters should have been introduced to an Airsoft replica gun first for basic gun safety instruction?

Even though gun instructor Charles Vacca had his right hand on the 9-yer-old girl’s back and his left hand under her right arm when he was shot, it proves to be still quite an “awkward” position to control the Uzi’s muzzle climb of an inexperienced first time shooter due to the fact that the Uzi’s telescoping bolt design and an “awkward” center-of-gravity proved it to be an unwieldy weapon to handle and relegates it only to close-quarters combat or CQB engagement. Given the “unwieldy nature” of the Uzi, I sometimes wonder how much training time the Israel Defense Force devotes to their conscripts before being allowed to handle the Uzi submachine gun in either of its 9-mm and .45 caliber variants.

Even though quite a number of “gun accidents” that result to a shooting death incident have happened before the recent 9-year-old girl Uzi shooting tragedy on U.S. soil, a number of gross gun safety violations have been “caught on video” around the world for a number of years now. Back in 2011, a young Syrian “conscript” fighting for the free Syria Army who looks like he’s still a college freshman had been caught on tape inserting a fully loaded magazine on his Kalashnikov / AK-47 with the assault rifle set in full auto mode while he muzzle rested on his chin. Thankfully, an older fellow comrade caught him just in time before the incident resulted in a tragic accident. If the young recruit had previous familiarity with an Airsoft replica of the Kalashnikov given that both almost works about the same while only the real steel gun is potentially lethal, would such gun handling snafu be avoided?

Lewis And Clark: First Airsoft Gun Enthusiasts in History?

2014-04-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

Even though there was scant mention of it during their expedition, are explorers Lewis and Clark the world’s first Airsoft gun enthusiasts?

By: Ringo Bones

Even though there’s scent – even no mention – of it whatsoever, it has been witnessed by many Native American tribes that they have met that Lewis and Clark carried an Airsoft type guns as their main weapon for hunting during their expeditions. A Kentucky Hunting Rifle handmade by European gunsmiths who settled in Pennsylvania was deemed not good enough for use by Lewis and Clark even though Kentucky Hunting Rifles were widely used as sniping rifles during the American Revolutionary War. Given that resupply is difficult and black powder is not water proof – and can even be hygroscopic especially if sodium nitrate is used as an oxidizer – it is quite easy to understand why Lewis and Clark chose a pneumatic Airsoft type gun as a main hunting weapon during their expeditions.

The Lewis and Clark expedition began in January 1803 when the then US President Thomas Jefferson, in a confidential message to the US Congress, recommended an appropriation to explore Western America. The expedition was an attempt to find a route to the Pacific Ocean and to open new areas for United States fur traders whose former areas had been occupied by Native Americans removed beyond the Mississippi. It was to ascend the Missouri River to its source, cross the Continental Divide and descend the Columbia River to its mouth. President Jefferson’s secretary, Meriwether Lewis and Capt. William Clark were appointed to lead the expedition, which was organized in the summer of 1803.

Starting from St. Louis back in May 14, 1804, they went up the Missouri River to the mouth of the Platte, reaching the present site of Bismark, which was near the camps of the Mandan Indians on November 2. There they wintered. Breaking camp in April 1805, they went to the mouth of the Yellowstone River, sighted the Rocky Mountains and discovered the three forks of the Missouri River, which they named Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin. Proceeding up the Jefferson fork, they crossed the Rocky Mountains in September and went down to the Columbia River, sighting the Pacific Ocean in November. After wintering on the coast, they started their return trip on March 23, 1806, arriving in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. The expedition increased the geographical knowledge of America and provided much needed descriptions of the Missouri and Columbia River valleys.

As witnessed by many Native American tribes that they’ve met and demonstrated the weapon to, Lewis and Clark used a pump action compressed air bb gun / pellet gun as their main weapon as they explore the then uncharted parts of America. The choice of an Airsoft type weapon makes sense given that resupply is difficult – even impossible – and black powder doesn’t work when wet. Demonstrating to every “friendly” Native American tribe that they’ve met, witnesses say that Lewis and Clark’s Airsoft bb gun had enough kinetic energy to bring down a good sized deer – comparable to that of a modern .30 caliber bolt action rifle?

Lithium Ion Batteries: Fire Hazard For Airsoft?

2013-02-18T06:22:00.002-08:00

Despite their light weight – and therefore high power-to-weight ratio are lithium ion / lithium polymer batteries too hazardous for Airsoft use?

By: Ringo Bones

With the recent incidents of lithium ion batteries catching fire in the Boeing 787 Dreamliners used by JAL and ANA that lead to their grounding and investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, many have wondered whether the use of lithium ion / lithium iron phosphate / lithium polymer / Li-Poly storage batteries too hazardous for Airsoft. After all, the compartment in which the Li-Poly battery is stowed in most typical Airsoft AEG weapons systems is surrounded by flammable plastic and burning plastic can cause serious injuries once it drips into unprotected skin.

Believe it or not, it was in the remote controlled model plane / model helicopter and Airsoft gaming world that the inherent fire hazard of Li-Poly batteries were first observed. These types of batteries can easily build up excess hydrogen gas under less than ideal charge and discharge conditions. The hydrogen gas can usually catch fire when exposed to stray electrical sparks – which there are no shortage of which in remote controlled modeling and Airsoft use. And given its inherent fire hazard, why are lithium ion / Li-Poly batteries still the preferred batteries of choice for Airsoft use?

Fire hazard or not, the secret of lithium ion / Li-Poly batteries success over nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries is that lithium ion batteries have a lower internal resistance making them have a better power-to-weight ratio compared to nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries of similar milliampere-hour rating. A typical Airsoft AEG gun upgraded to a much stiffer spring to make its BB pellet muzzle velocity greater won’t function with a fully-charged nickel cadmium or a nickel metal hydride battery rated at 1,600 mA-Hour. And yet a Li-poly battery rated at 1,600 mA-Hour 11.1 volt Li-Poly battery can drive the gun without problems.

The US Army’s Universal Camouflage Uniform: Useless in Afghanistan and in Airsoft?

2012-10-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Also known as the Advanced Combat Uniform, is the US Army’s Advanced Combat Uniform utterly useless as a primary camouflage battle dress uniform in the Afghan war theatre?

By: Ringo Bones

I’ve seen a growing number of Airsoft teams over the years adopting the US Army’s Universal Camouflage Uniform – also known as the Advanced Combat Uniform or ACU – as their primary battle dress uniform for Airsoft gaming. But have they ever heard of the news that the ACU is utterly useless in the battle theatres of Afghanistan?

After 8 years and billions of dollars spent, the US Army back in June 2012 has just given up on an ambitious effort to clothe all of its frontline infantry soldiers in Afghanistan on the “universal camouflage pattern” even though it served them well in the urban combat theatres of Iraq since Operation Iraqi Freedom back in March 2003. According to frontline infantrymen who are recently and some who are still currently serving in Afghanistan, the Afghan terrain is primarily brown in hue and there is no brown whatsoever in the Advanced Combat Uniform (ACU) design.

Even though the ACU’s fractal geometry-based pattern looks very futuristic and very 21^st Century, I’ve seen it used as the cover art in various Gene Roddenberry novelizations on “futuristic” Sino-Indian War scenarios as far back as 1987. And the design might have been originally conceived on a mid-1980s era Cray YXP supercomputer inspired when IBM researcher Benoit B. Mandelbrot published The Fractal Geometry of Nature back in 1983. Given that the geometric structure of vegetation and rocks/geologic formations always seems to follow Mandelbrot’s fractal geometry - then it is safe to assume that the US Army’s newfangled Advanced Combat Uniform would perfectly blend in any “natural fractally-pattered environment”, right?

Sadly, this is where theoretical design needs some more tweaking for it to work in the real world of Mother Nature. US Army infantrymen serving in Afghanistan had cited that in their own first-hand experience, the ACU made them stand out in the background terrain of the Afghan war theatre – as in they are using a “clown-suit” as a battle dress uniform. And in my experience, the US Army’s Universal Camouflage Uniform / ACU in Airsoft gaming situations only works when your game-site is an urban one. Must be the reason why the ACU battle dress uniform pattern sells like hotcakes for Airsoft enthusiasts living in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Airsoft Assassin?

2012-09-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Given that it is realistic looking enough to pass itself as a real gun, can an Airsoft weapons system be used for assassination purposes?

By: Ringo Bones

Just recently covered by the BBC, the Czech Republic president, Vaclav Klaus, just emerged unscathed after an “assassination attempt” via a replica Airsoft pistol. The would be assassin, a young Czech man dressed in woodland pattern camouflage BDU, managed to get close enough to President Klaus to unload 7 shots of 0.2 gram 6-mm plastic pellets at point-blank range. Whether the incident is due to a security failure of his bodyguards, the Czech president only made a nonchalant glance of renunciation at his security detail for this incident to happen. Though the Czech president was checked out later in a local hospital for mild bruises made by the belligerent point blank shot, can Airsoft weapons systems be used for assassination purposes?

Seasoned Airsoft gamers and enthusiasts already know that anything above 400 feet per second muzzle velocity can already be painful even if those 6-mm BB pellets weigh only 0.2 grams and are made of mineral-filled polypropylene. Given sufficient muzzle velocity and projectile mass increase, a typical Airsoft weapons system could potentially acquire a kinetic energy equivalent of its pellets akin to that of a bona fide firearm, but given that its spherical pellets have a disgraceful ballistic coefficient, its potential as an assassin’s tool is for close range only. Though the Bulgarian exiled dissident named Gyorgy Markov was assassinated via a ricin filled metal pellet fired from a modified umbrella which for all intents and purposes resembles that of a typical Airsoft weapons system.

According to the would be assassin of President Klaus, his shooting of the Czech president with an Airsoft pistol is a statement over the Klaus administration being deaf and blind over the concerns of the Czech citizenry over the issue of government corruption. Though we non-Czech citizens are still woefully ignorant on the extent of the average Czech citizenry’s critique and gripes on how President Vaclav Klaus ran his country, this novel “assassination attempt” via an Airsoft pistol as political statement makes for an interesting story, nonetheless. And more importantly, let’s hope that this unfortunate incident won’t make it illegal for the Czech Airsoft enthusiasts to continue to buy Airsoft guns and play Airsoft military simulation games.

Can Celebrity Members Help Your Airsoft Club?

2012-02-11T23:01:00.000-08:00

It ads prestige and prestige does help, but could celebrity members of certain Airsoft clubs be akin to gilding an already overdressed lily?

By: Ringo Bones

Most - if not all - Airsoft clubs always dream of having a bunch of Hollywood action heroes du jour as part of their Airsoft team, I mean who wouldn't. But is there a danger of having famous celebrities and/or public figures as bona fide members turning your Airsoft club/group into something akin to gilding an already overdressed lily?

Rumor has it that there's an Airsoft club out there who already has porn star Madison Scott as a bona fide member, but this particular Airsoft club has yet to make headlines - yet. And Madison Scott is an action hero of a different sort - if you know what I mean.

Still-relevant Hollywood action heroes and even has-been Hollywood action stars seem like a better bet as "celebrity" Airsoft club members. But are Hollywood action Heroes better off establishing their own Airsoft club / military simulation gaming outfit in the first place?

DIY Airsoft Weapons Systems Repair Service?

2011-08-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

If you and your friends’ Airsoft guns had gone walkies more than once, isn’t it time to start your own Airsoft gun repair service?

By: Ringo Bones

How many times did you and your friends’ Airsoft weapons systems – i.e. Airsoft replica guns – gone walkies and needed fixing? If its one too many, then maybe it is already high time to put up your very own Airsoft weapons systems repair service. The good news is you don’t even have to be a techie to learn to be one – although knowledge of fairly complex mechanical systems – like wind-up mechanical watches and first-hand knowledge on how rough, gun wise, a typical Airsoft gaming session can get surely helps.

Surprisingly, you can learn everything with determination in just two weeks tops! And some technical and vocational colleges in the Philippines - I even know of two here in Cebu - are now offering courses on how to repair and maintain Airsoft weapons systems for a modest fee. And unlike real gun stores and repair shops, you don’t even need a government license to establish an Airsoft gun repair service at home. You can even adjust your business hours and workload to suit your schedule. A basic good to high-quality tool kit like analog VOM multimeter screwdrivers etc. – if you buy all of them – seldom exceeds 5,000 pesos in total costs.

In the Airsoft repair biz, your target market could be any Airsoft gaming enthusiast with a broken Airsoft gun. Start with our own broken units to gain proficiency. Once you have familiarized yourself and mastered the repair process and can operate quickly, you can now make your services available to other people, like starting with your Airsoft teammates before progressing to other Airsoft enthusiasts from other affiliated teams.

Most Airsoft repair shops charge 200 to 500 pesos as a service fee to troubleshoot a malfunctioning Airsoft gun. This amount varies if the malfunctioning unit needs replacement parts. And another way to maximize the revenue earning power of your Airsoft weapons systems start-up repair shop is to sell Airsoft related accessories, like 6-mm plastic BBs, lithium polymer batteries to power the guns, lithium polymer battery charging units, wiring connectors, etc.

The Mainland Chinese Rare Earth Monopoly: Bad for Airsoft?

2010-11-30T00:57:00.000-08:00

Even though Beijing had resumed exports of rare earth metals to Japan, is Mainland China’s monopoly of the global rare earth metals industry detrimental to the world of Airsoft in the long run?

By: Ringo Bones

The Airsoft gaming world and the rare earth metals global commodities market doesn’t seem to have any links at first, but if you’re a seasoned Airsoft gamer and/ or gun collector, those compact yet powerful electric motors – i.e. the hi-power motor - found in Airsoft weapons systems of the automatic electric gun persuasion is very dependent on powerful rare earth metal based permanent magnets found in their powerful ultra-compact electric motors. Those samarium cobalt and neodymium boron iron magnets in those electric motors are more than likely sourced in Mainland China.

When it comes as an OEM supplier of electric motors, it seems like the Mainland China too has a virtual monopoly on AEG Airsoft guns – i.e. the one that uses electric motors and lithium batteries. Though the diplomatic spat between Beijing and Tokyo may have now calmed and since November 24, 2010 Beijing has resumed rare earth metal exports to Japan, there are other “mitigating” circumstances on why Mainland China’s virtual monopoly of the global rare earth metal industry might not be good for the Airsoft gaming world in the long run.

Given that back in November 25, 2010, Mainland China has plans to set-up 120 fission-type nuclear reactors to minimize its carbon footprint – i.e. moving away from coal-fired power plants. If ever these nuclear power plants come on-line, it is very likely that all rare earth metals mined and processed by China will be used domestically’ As in dysprosium and holmium burnable poisons and the magnetic relays of the nuclear reactors’ safety systems.

Not to mention the latest Wikileaks revelation of the Beijing government “wishing” for a North and South Korean unification where the Seoul government running the show. With all of these geopolitical risk and uncertainty factors taken into account, rare earth metal prices in the global market will skyrocket and those Airsoft electric motors will probably skyrocket in price too. Even the most basic Kalashnikov Airsoft gun is currently way more expensive than a real Kalashnikov – when compared to what a real Kalashnikov back in1999 costs.

A Ballistic Computer for Airsoft Use?

2010-08-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

Given that present-day specialist snipers already use special-purpose palm-held ballistic computers to further improve their already exceptional performance, can such computers be designed specifically for Airsoft use?

By: Ringo Bones

It seems like only yesterday – actually back in those few years preceding World War II – that ballistic computers of sufficient accuracy were mechanical devices the size of a spacious room. Like Dr. Vannevar Bush’s Differential Analyzer of the 1930s which was later used to calculate artillery trajectories during World War II. Surprisingly, a much smaller – though the accuracy is scaled-down as well – ballistic computer portable enough to be held in one’s hand was invented by a French artillery officer named Amédée Mannheim called the slide rule back in 1850.

These days, specialist snipers are more than likely to use those palm-held Blackberry-sized / Blackberry-looking special purpose battery-powered electronic ballistic computers, like the KAC Bullet Flight 2.0.0 by Knight’s Armament Company, described as a ballistic computer designed to provide quick firing solutions in the field; Palm-held push-button firing solution, anyone?

Similar and / or related devices appear as if they are now fast becoming an indispensable part of the specialist sniper, almost as indispensable as the sniper’s weapons system. Though I haven’t seen a present-day sniper resorting to use a 1950s era slide rule to compute his or her firing solution just to make a statement on how battery-operated devices had dumbed-down the world. And there’s even probably a ballistic computer i-Phone-style app being offered somewhere already. But can such devices be of used in the world of Airsoft gaming?

The problem with Airsoft weapons systems justifying the necessity of ballistic computers is that the 6-mm plastic pellets themselves – Airsoft ammunition – have a non-existent ballistic coefficient. I mean they are spherical and light, unlike a high-performance rifle bullet that’s conical, of sufficient mass and spin-stabilized in flight. In short, spherical 6-mm BB pellets for Airsoft use are a far cry from a 123-grain Lapua Scenar round with a ballistic coefficient of 0.547 and a muzzle velocity of 2,600 feet-per-second famed for its ability to hit tennis-ball-sized targets at 600 yards or 1,800 feet away.

No matter how much you tweak your Airsoft weapons system to give you an initial muzzle velocity approaching 600 feet-per-second, the spherical BB pellet’s very lousy ballistic coefficient will always preclude your Airsoft gun from hitting a tennis-ball-sized target from even as close as 94 feet away – the full length of a basketball court. Real life should have been much easier for the Airsoft gamer, but it isn’t.

Computing the ballistic coefficient – if it ever has one - of a spherical 6-mm BB pellets made of mineral-reinforced polypropylene weighing 0.2-grams or slightly heavier will probably require the computing power of a 1995-era Cray supercomputer or better. Airsoft manufacturing firms probably don’t have the R & D time and money for such an endeavour. Even using a 1950s era slide rule to compute a firing solution during a typical Airsoft game is probably as effective as being able to see the planet Uranus using a 3X sniper scope.

Mpingo Goes Airsoft

2010-07-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Better known in the hi-fi world as a widget for controlling unwanted vibrations, does Mpingo have something good to offer to the world of Airsoft?

By: Ringo Bones

Unlike most Airsoft clubs that I’ve been involved before, my current one seems to have a fascination with Airsoft replica guns that have wood in them. Having never acquired the taste for black impact-resistant polystyrene that every other Airsoft enthusiast seems to fetishize, I find my current teammates’ obsession with real wood veneer on their Airsoft weapons systems somewhat refreshing. Real wood veneer does look good on a PPSh brass fountain sub-machinegun, an M-1 Carbine or those Kalashnikov-like Soviet era infantry weapons. One of my teammates even made the butt-stock of her Kalashnikov look like that of the futuristic ray gun toted by Jane Fonda’s character in Barbarella. Remember that ray gun with a curvy Art Nouveau inspired rifle stock from the iconic 1968 film classic? Given the amount of wood in these types of Airsoft model replica guns, would the use of Mpingo in strategic places improve their handling?

It has been a well-known fact for sometime now that up-market Airsoft guns tend to be more comfortable to hold on to when fired in long continuous bursts than their counterparts at the lower end of the market. Could it be that they have better vibration isolation systems? Recently, a group of hi-fi enthusiasts who are also into Airsoft have wondered whether Mpingo’s ability to absorb unwanted resonance would be an asset in designing a better Airsoft weapons system. Mpingo is a dense African swamp-ebony hardwood used by hi-fi widget manufacturer Shun Mook as a way to absorb unnecessary resonance and vibrations that can degrade a hi-fi system’s sound quality. Given that Airsoft guns’ propensity to vibrate somewhat violently when fired at long continuous bursts, will strategically placed pieces of Mpingo improve handling qualities?

The concept of using strategically placed Mpingo pieces in an Airsoft weapons system to damp out unwanted vibrations is a very intriguing concept indeed. Given that Airsoft guns are already expensive, the use of Mpingo – which unfortunately has a fecundity rate like that of a great white shark – will probably add a very steep price premium. Probably a good way for those with money to burn to experiment that is if you can handle the guffaws for not being so environmentally friendly. Please tell us if the improvement in handling is worth the additional expense.

Militia Groups: Still A Valid National Security Paradigm?

2010-05-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

Given the relative military success of armed militia and partisan groups during the Balkan civil war and the 2003 invasion of Iraq are militia groups still a valid national security paradigm?

By: Ringo Bones

For a number of years now, several lawmakers across the world have deemed Airsoft clubs as nothing more than a training ground for “unregulated militias”, and yet militia groups have lately been praised as the last line of defense against imperialism. With the relatively successful resistance posed by militia groups acting in a partisan capacity form a military standpoint during the turbulent Balkan region civil war of the 1990s and the ill-advised invasion of Iraq by the Bush Administration back in 2003. It could be said that as long as an invading imperialist armed with the latest state-of-the-art weaponry like stealth bombers and the H-bomb still adheres to the Geneva Convention and related rules of war. The invading imperialists seem to be powerless when facing against modestly equipped ragtag militia groups acting in a partisan capacity. But is there any truth to this?

There has been a “silent revolution” moving across the world – especially citizens of relatively stable democracies – for their respective lawmakers to grand them gun owning privileges modeled after the American Second Amendment as a deterrent against their country accidentally electing a tyrannical leader or an invading army. Since the end of the Cold War, it seems that fiscal austerity became the norm when it comes to national defense spending of most relatively stable democracies during much of the 1990s. But the 9/11 attacks changed all that and the very same countries now face the problem of bolstering their national defense as fast as possible while spending as little as reasonably possible.

This is where the citizen-militia comes in. Private gun owners – especially those who own infantry style assault weapons that are more often than not of higher quality and better maintained than those issued in their respective national armies – can act in a sort of partisan capacity. Harassing the invading enemy until the invaders eventually get sick and tired of it and give up to go home. Given the recent events documenting the relative success of such scenarios, one can easily conclude that private assault rifle owners – in particular – could be truly a typical country’s last line of defense. This is where Airsoft clubs could serve its usefulness as a training ground for basic firearms safety and first-hand exposure to military-style operations to the civilian gun enthusiast.

Are Airsoft Clubs Virtual Militias?

2010-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

The hardware may just be well-crafted simulacra of real infantry small arms, but does your typical Airsoft club qualify as a true-blue militia group?

By: Ringo Bones

Traditionally, militias have always been accepted as a part of the organized armed forces of a typical country liable to call only in emergency. Some would say the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service. But ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall that eventually lead to the end of the Cold War, militias anywhere in the world are more often than not established by disaffected young men and women coming together for collective security. Primarily due to the fact that these young men and women’s respective government have found it very politically expedient to infringe upon their collective allegiances and / or lawfully acquired material possessions and titles just for the reasons of belonging to an ethnic minority.

Worse still, the Bush Administration’s badly-run War on Terror in which the Obama Administration unfortunately inherited had supposedly implied to every not-so-democratic regimes around the world loyal to the United States to enact their own “carte blanche” when it comes to tackling “terror groups”. Thus making these not-so-democratic regimes team up with their very influential clergy to freely preach sanctimonious religious rhetoric on wealth redistribution aimed at a wealthy ethnic minority as a way for these regimes to shield themselves from anti-corruption whistle-blowers – when there’s a scapegoat, there’s a getaway perhaps?

Given that the United States is the only developed nation that allows its citizens the right to keep and bear arms via the Second Amendment of the US Constitution about not infringing on the establishment of a well-regulated militia. It seems quite odd that there are some states in the US where establishing of Airsoft clubs is deemed illegal. Some countries too that are loyal to the US and her interests have deemed it illegal to have Airsoft clubs. While some of them have legalized paintball clubs, these paintball clubs are not allowed to give advanced tactical training – like CQB, hostage rescue of astronauts landing in hostile zones and room clearing - to their civilian players.

Even though they are just over-glorified versions of pellet guns, there is one thing that you can do with an Airsoft weapons system that you can’t do with a modern infantry-style assault rifle. That is to shoot your opponent without killing him or her or involving lengthy hospital stay during one of your simulated war games. As firm believers of the Second Amendment is just an extension of the First Amendment, all of my Airsoft teammates have real guns – an average of three in fact (infantry style assault rifle, main sidearm and a concealable small backup handgun, while some own man-portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons systems, etc.) – all unregistered and deemed necessary due to their very healthy mistrust of the government that considers ethnic minorities prettier looking than them as vermin. Sometimes I even wonder if these elected officials have ever heard the concept of the Posse Comitaus Act or the US Constitution’s Second Amendment.

Blood, Sweat, and Airsoft

2009-08-31T01:36:00.000-07:00

It always makes perfect sense to seek out bargains, but is your typical low-cost Airsoft gear ethically produced?

By: Ringo Bones

Maybe it was that BBC produced documentary titled Blood, Sweat & T-shirts exploring whether typical high street fashion items are ethically produced that had me to start wondering if your typical low-cost Airsoft gear passes muster as being ethically produced? But first, let us examine the idea about what makes a typical product and / or commodity ethically produced.

Ethically produced products and / or commodities are usually defined by the way the workers responsible for producing and making these items “marketable” are compensated fairly and / or ethically for their laborious efforts. Some companies are starting to advertise that their goods and services are ethically produced, although they are still part of a very tiny minority that announce to the world that they practice ethical business governance.

In the world of hi-fi, Wilson Audio Specialties can be considered a paragon when it comes to championing ethically produced products. Dave Wilson and his wife, Sheryl Lee, always made sure that everyone interested in acquiring their renowned loudspeakers knew – either through advertising and plant tours – that their factory workers are provided with full healthcare coverage and matching 401K plans. Wilson always made sure that when a customer buys one of their 45,000 US dollar per pair loudspeaker that’s made in America and built in-house, the customer is also paying for their workers’ way-higher-than-Wall-Mart-wages and benefits that his company are his obligation to his loyal team.

But in the Airsoft gaming world, every time you look at their glossy catalogues of Airsoft weapons systems, BDUs, and other replica of infantry-level paraphernalia. The testimonials and assurances – that are verifiable via plant tours and Michael Moore-style fact-finding missions - to whether their products are ethically produced are nowhere to be found. If you are following on the Beeb on the incidences of forced labor camps of the People’s Republic of China, it can be somewhat disconcerting to think about it every time you buy those ultra-cheap Airsoft weapons systems and their associated peripherals. Especially if they are made in the People’s Republic of China.

Given that most of us are starting Airsoft clubs as a way to save money in firing real ammunition and / or able to use low-cost non-lethal weapons systems on each other. No, make that because the primary goal of our rag-tag militia is to stop tyranny when our own government’s military can’t or won’t be bothered to do so. The ideals we are fighting for should extent to the ones making our goals possible. Airsoft gear providers should start making sure that their products are ethically produced because their regular customers can always boycott their products. If you bought that Free Tibet concert DVD, maybe you should start concerning whether your Airsoft gear passes muster as one of those ethically produced products.

A Great Site For Jungle Warfare Simulation?

2009-07-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Given that Alexander Arms corporate headquarters is located in the tropical idyll of Honolulu, Hawaii, shoudn't us "mere" Airsoft enthusiasts deserve the good life?

Should Helium Be Used In Airsoft Gas Blowback Guns?

2009-03-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

Given that the laws of thermodynamics dictates that gases of low molecular weight have excellent work function, should Airsoft gas blowback guns use helium instead of Green Gas?

By: Vanessa Uy

It is well known in the Airsoft gaming community that gas blowback guns – especially handgun replica weapons systems – uses refrigerant like gases, like Green Gas and Red Gas as the working substance for these type of guns. But shouldn’t gases with low molecular weight like helium or hydrogen make better gases for use in gas blowback Airsoft weapons systems? After all, our current understanding of the laws of thermodynamics states that gases with very low molecular weights have a very excellent work function when used as the working substance in a typical mechanical system.

Though it never got used as a battlefield weapons system due to it’s relative complexity, the light-gas gun system is a good example of how a working substance of low molecular weight can produce very excellent performance – in projectile velocity terms – when used as a gun propellant. Oddly enough, the mechanical principle of the light-gas gun system is akin to that of a typical Airsoft AEG weapons systems’ piston, cylinder, catcher section, and launch tube set-up.

Operation of the light-gas gun system consists of igniting a conventional powder propellant in the propellant chamber, which forces the pump piston down the pump tube, compressing the helium or hydrogen gas – usually pressurized at 450 to 1200 pounds per square inch before firing the propellant. This gas eventually builds up sufficient pressure to cause the diaphragm to burst. It is the release of this pressure that propels the projectile from the launch tube. The catcher section of the gun serves to limit the forward motion of the pump piston.

Projectile velocities of the light-gas gun system are of the order of 7,000 to 15,000 feet per second, while conventional battlefield guns – like howitzers – are limited to 7,000 feet per second. Although the 7,000 feet per second figure is the sole domain of artillery pieces that fire tungsten carbide or depleted uranium cored disintegrating sabot projectiles, those that fire your typical high-explosive fragmentation projectiles are probably limited to under 5,000 feet per second in their muzzle velocities.

The higher level of performance attained with the light-gas gun system is attributable to the low molecular weight and the correspondingly high sound velocity of the working substance acting on the base of the projectile. These guns are typically used in research labs that investigate the hypervelocity impact damage of meteorites or space debris on satellites and manned spacecraft.

Given that hydrogen has the inherent hazard of flammability and the long term ozone layer and global warming hazards of Green Gas and Red Gas – i.e. HFC-134a and HCFC-22 – are yet to be determined. Even though one cannot directly substitute helium for Green Gas or Red Gas because your typical Airsoft gas blowback mechanical systems are pre-designed to work only with either Green Gas or Red Gas. It looks as if the use of helium as a working substance for Airsoft gas blowback guns has been unfairly overlooked.

Although Green Gas and Red Gas are now readily available in Airsoft shops throughout Southeast Asia, helium tanks typically sold to fill party balloons are more widely available. Also, helium has a greater commercial and industrial incumbency than either Green Gas - a mixture of propane, polysiloxane lubricant and HFC-134a refrigerant – or Red Gas – a mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and the refrigerant HCFC-22. Because it has been sold for a while longer than either pre-packaged Airsoft working substances, plus the laws of thermodynamics proves that helium is a more efficient gas than either Green Gas or Red Gas - mystery of mysteries indeed.

Should Political Extremists Be Banned From Airsoft Clubs?

2009-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

Given that most law-enforcement and local government entities regard Airsoft clubs as de facto gun clubs, should anyone harboring extremist political views be barred from joining?

By: Vanessa Uy

Many consider me as a political extremist in more ways than one. Though I can manage to play on both sides of the proverbial political net, but like what Robert Frost said about the Japanese, I too have a disdain of playing “political tennis” without a net demarcating between the left and right of the political spectrum. If one loses sight of this “net” they could become one of those “hated people” who never understands responsible gun ownership. Thus turning themselves into the proverbial whipping boys often featured in pro-gun ownership magazines like Guns and Ammo or Soldier of Fortune.

While the Second Amendment of the US Constitution is more often than not mistaken as a “universal value”, although in reality tyranny is deemed more universal in our contemporary globalized world in comparison to an individual’s right to defend him or herself. The issue had never emerged during discussions by member nations of the UN Security Council as they conveniently overlook the very unflattering aspects of the victor-victimized relationship. But why should we in the Airsoft gaming community care about global macro-politics? Aren’t we too preoccupied with our own “micro-politics – i.e. that who should be allowed or denied entry?

Even though every aspect of our lives is very much politicized since as far back as the 20th Century. From art to spirituality (organized religion – to me – is nothing more than politicized spirituality) all it seems had been deemed political. Our post-9 / 11 world just makes the political contrasts starkly stand out. Simulated war games like Airsoft have always been a 250-paged doctoral thesis on cognitive dissonance that T.S. Eliot could only dream of. I mean do Airsoft players around the world find it just a bit strange that after spending the whole Sunday trying to pretend kill the opposing team, they could at the end of the day come together and enjoy a barbecue and a round of drinks. Given the overall pathos, one’s preoccupation with an over-glorified version of a pellet gun is only half of the story. I for one could only wish how the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche could have viewed such spectacle.

Like all violins and their respective f-holes, everyone has their own political viewpoints. If we start mandating that only such-and-such persons with such-and-such viewpoints can join Airsoft clubs is tantamount to discrimination. After all, facing an opposing team harboring political views wholly different from yours can be very exciting, right? Just remember not to confuse one’s ego with their political viewpoints.

Cornershot Weapons System: Viable for Airsoft Use?

2009-01-31T03:35:00.000-08:00

Given that it is now widely adopted by the world’s leading defense and law enforcement groups, can the cornershot weapons system prove useful in the Airsoft gaming world?

By: Vanessa Uy

Ever since Amos Golan invented the cornershot for use in the Israeli Defense Force’s urban warfare operations, many in the Airsoft gaming community are wondering whether it will be viable for Airsoft use given that Airsoft weapons systems are almost identical to the “real” guns that are used in cornershot. But before we proceed, here is a short primer on what is cornershot.

Given that the Israeli Defense Force operations are usually done in urban environments. Designing a “contraption” that allows soldiers to use their standard infantry weapons to be fired behind corners while allowing them “cover” against gunfire from the enemy would serve as a very useful lifesaver to soldiers prosecuting their operations in such hostile environments.

Amos Golan’s cornershot used a system composed of a camera, a view screen / video monitor, and a firing mechanism that allows a soldier to fire not only their standard infantry weapons like assault rifles, but also handguns and even 40mm grenade launchers in relative safety behind sufficient cover without the need for the assault rifle, handgun, and grenade launcher to be modified in any way. Even though his system now enjoys widespread adoption and use, a similar - although different in concept - device was built during World War II by the Germans that also allows their soldiers to fire their guns behind corners.

Known as the MP44 bent barrel weapon, the gun was primarily designed for German commandos for use when they gained entry to bunkers and other enclosed spaces. The gun’s barrel was “gently” bent 30° to allow the gun to hit targets behind corners wile giving the soldier sufficient cover against enemy fire. The German built device uses prisms for optical sighting that allowed its operator to see targets around corners. Even though the gun was manufactured in significant numbers, it’s “thirty-degree-bent-barrel” became it’s “Achilles Heel” because bullets – the projectile – could more often than not get stuck in them. Plus, the MP44 Bent Barrel Weapon was only accurate in CQB conditions, at distances greater that 12 meters, its accuracy is found wanting. Unlike the modern version invented by Golan were standard infantry weapons can be easily fitted into for “cornershot” use without modification. With sufficient training – especially given the original cornershot’s excellent camera and sighting optics – a soldier can still get guaranteed head shots even at distances slightly greater than 300 meters via a standard issue M-4 carbine.

Even though in military and law-enforcement use had became widespread, in the Airsoft gaming world, use of such weapons systems had been outlawed by most Airsoft clubs. Citing that cornershot weapons systems based on the one designed by Amos Golan is a violation against established blind-fire rules. Given that if an Airsoft enthusiast – with MacGyver-like sense of engineering improvisation - is fortunate enough to examine one closely, he or she could easily clone it using of-the-shelf Internet-ready personal computer peripherals. Like Net-cams and small plasma screens to be used as a video monitor. One can be cobbled up using these items and other parts for probably under 500 US dollars. Given the lack of “truly binding laws and agreements” in the Airsoft gaming world preventing the use of such weapons systems. It will be only a matter of time when a cornershot weapons system similar to that invented by Amos Golan will be widely used in Airsoft as a squad-level weapons system.