Web Blast Extra: Airguns

If your interest is stimulated, no matter in which direction — airgun, airsoft, training, hunting, gaming or recreational plinking, you’ve got some studying to do. What does AEG stand for? What the heck is a “hop-up”? Do you want to run CO2, use refillable compressed air canisters or stick to spring-powered guns? There are different weights of softair BB’s — which is better for what application? You’ve got inert, marking, and even biodegradable BB’s.

The good news is, the choices are so many and the operating systems so different you can pretty much find exactly what you want and need. The bad news is the same — you’ve got a TON of options to go through and a lot to learn. But, your study time can give you big returns. Good luck! Now, more info on cool airsoft and airguns!

Close-up of the 100-round belt as it exits the Tippmann SMG .22 receiver. The SMG .22 is the first .22 caliber pellet-firing fully automatic airgun, and a real game-changer in the field. Workmanship is excellent, and Tom Gaylord, the original “Mister Picky-Picky” of airgun gurus, gives it a hearty good to go! With it you get two 100-round belts, one assembled and one in loose links, in case you want to use that one for spares or make different capacity belts. The aluminum body and steel rifled barrel are high quality and built to last.

You might think the belts would be a pain to load, but with the included belt loading tool, it’s not bad at all. The only reason you’ll have to be frustrated is when you DO have to reload after rippin’ off bursts at up to 12 rounds per second!

Another high quality Mad Bull airsoft gun: The PWS Diablo.

Here’s just one of Mad Bull’s airsoft long guns, a licensed replica of Primary Weapons Systems’ 5.56mm short-barrel Diablo carbine. The firearm uses a hybrid operating system that looks like kind of a mix of the best features of the Stoner AR and Kalashnikov AK. The softair replica uses a rechargeable air electric motor (AEG) to feed 6mm BB’s from the magazine, fired semi or full auto. Many of the components Mad Bull uses are every bit the same quality as those found on their “real firearm” brethren, as evidenced by their other licensed products from makers like Noveske, Barrett, Daniel Defense and more. You can learn a heck of a lot from their websites at www.socomgear.com, www.echo1usa.com and www.madbull.com.

The TalonP’s long-range big brother: The Condor. The folks at AirForce Airguns are serious about “passing gas,” and the Condor is proof of it. It is the most powerful pre-charged airgun available, capable of driving a .22 caliber lead pellet at 1,250 feet per second with amazing accuracy. The unique valve system assures consistent releases of air from the tank, and it’s easy for the user to dial the velocity up or down from 600 to 1,300 fps depending on power setting, caliber and pellet weight. Dial it down for target shooting at closer ranges and up for small game hunting at longer distances. An integral extended `scope rail provides plenty of room for optics and other accessories. The Condor is available in .25, .22, .20 and .177 caliber.

More Marine Corps licensed airsoft guns from Crosman! The pistol on the left is Crosman’s CP02, and I think it’s an even better airsoft gun than the SP01 you saw in the print mag. This one is CO2 powered, and a portion of the gas passed in firing powers realistic slide blow-back action as well as pushing those 6mm BB’s out at 275-300 fps. Capacity is 26 rounds, and the all-metal magazine ejects for easy reloading of CO2 and BB’s.

The gun at right is their ER02 carbine, which is dual-powered: spring for single shots on semi, and AEG electrically driven for automatic fire at 600 rounds per minute. It also shoots 6mm BB’s, and has a capacity of 76 rounds.

A pair of airsoft winners from Umarex USA. The Smith & Wesson M&P R8 revolver we showed you in print is a steel BB shooter, so we wanted to show you that Umarex USA makes some nice airsoft guns too. The pistol at left is their Elite Force 1911, a CO2 powered popper with blowback action, a 16-round drop-free magazine, single and double action trigger, and 345 fps velocity. The carbine on the right looks like an HK G36, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s a licensed copy, the HK G36C, featuring a 400 round magazine, a high-torque AEG motor, blowback action and it matches the 1911’s velocity of 345 fps on full auto.

Russian-American rolling thunder: TheDrozdMax Tactical Edition Blackbird. Like the SWAT Edition shown in print, this puppy started out in life as a stock Russian Drozd Blackbird, a cool and interesting BB gun in its own right, but enhanced to the max by the wizards at DrozdMax. First they added their BBMax rpm modification chip which boosted performance to 1,200 rounds per minute, then installed an upgraded 23 5/8″ rifle barrel and an AR-15 style adjustable buttstock. A high-capacity 48cu air tank combined with the increased barrel length results in 750 fps velocity and 600 full-power shots per tank of air. Just think about that for a minute… Yeah, it’s a BB gun — but it sure ain’t your grandpa’s boyhood BB gun!

www.air-ordnance.com
www.socomgear.com
www.airforceairguns.com
www.crosman.com
www.marinesairsoft.crosman.com
www.umarexusa.com
www.drozdmax.com