If you have been wondering about the fascination of Americans with firearms, prepare to wonder even more. Only in the U.S.A. will you find a shopping channel dedicated to guns, yes! Just guns! Just like the TV shopping network in your own countries such as QVC in the U.S. and the U.K. or Home Shopping Network, you can watch presenters show you the firearms they have up for sale.

The channel is aptly called Gun TV and it is the only one of its kind in the world. What’s more? It is a 24/7 gun shopping channel!

So how does it work? Just like the usual TV shopping channels, you watch a professional presenter tout the functions of the product. Of course, the presenter is proficient in firearms safety and they will demo it at the range where they fire a few shots and when the price is flashed on the screen, buyers can go online or call a toll-free number to order.

That’s where the similarity ends. The product is not delivered directly to the buyer. The buyer makes a 20% deposit and the firearm is delivered to the nearest licensed dealer that the buyer selects. Once the product arrives at the dealer, the buyer gets a call and invited to the store to fill up paperwork. After completing the required paperwork and passing background checks, they buyer then pays for the remaining balance.

According to Social Responsibility Network, the company behind the channel, it is not about gun sales alone. Stating that gun safety is their number one priority and the channel offers information and education regarding gun safety. In between sales presentations, there are episodes about gun safety, maintenance tips, range tips, etc. Apart from gun sales, there will also be sales on ammunition, holsters, accessories, and clothing.

Right now, Gun TV is available to 34 million satellite TV subscribers and can also be watched online via video streaming. It has social media presence in the major social networks. Now, if they can only fix their website, it’s hard to access it and we’re getting a “time out” message.

Will there be an Airsoft TV Shopping Channel? I am sure many would want one, but who would dare put up the production costs when even advertising in airsoft pales in comparison to the real steel industry?

The Most American Operator will surely be happy with this good news as he can finally complete his The Most American Loadout with a Red, White, and Blue Plate Carrier. April 1st is twelve days in the past so this a real story about a real company doing custom work on their real product.

Mission Spec posted yesterday that they are now accepting custom orders for their Essentials Only Carrier (EOC) and there are requests for a Red, White and Blue (RWB) EOC. Most probably this idea from the customers of having an RWB EOC is due to the fact that Mission Spec are selling an Instructor Red With Shavers version of the EOC, and seeing the red colors, why not just add a white and blue and come out with an EOC that would make Captain America (and The Most American Operator) proud.

Here is what Mission Spec says on the RWB EOC request:

As a company that is happy to accept custom work orders we are asked, fairly consistently, if Mission Spec can build a Red, White, and Blue EOC plate carrier for novelty use. The answer is of course, yes. We have built many of these for different customers and are happy to do it. Customers wanting pricing information on a custom build such as this should use our contact form. It will speed up the process if you include your shipping address with the initial inquiry.

Please note that building a product in this color scheme dictates that we must use some non-MilSpec materials. In other words this specific item SHOULD NEVER be used in a life support capacity. It will also NOT come with our limited lifetime warranty. It is purely cosmetic and to be used only for novelty purposes.

Use the Mission Spec website contact form for more information and pricing.

The existing pricing of the Mission Spec EOC ranges from US$151 to US$161 depending on the color or camo pattern. The pricing for the RWB EOC should be a bit higher than US$161. Please do take note that pricing does not include SAPI plates, real or dummy.

The EOC is a light weight and low profile profile carrier that was designed to accept Level IV body armor with a full PALS grid. The benefit of such having a lighter plate carrier allows the user to carry more ammo or water. Also, the rear plate bag is independently adjustable to properly fit the user.

The Mission Spec EOC is available in  Crye MultiCam, MultiCam Black, MultiCam Tropic, MultiCam Arid, ATACS LE, ATACS AU, ATACS FG, Grey, Olive Drab (OD), AOR2, Black, Coyote Brown, M81 Woodland, Desert Digital, Ranger Green, Red, Kryptek; Highlander, Typhon, Mandrake. They can also do A-TACS patterns upon request.

Will The All American Operator order one? We will know when he shows up on the 4th of July since the last sighting of him was on the the same day two years ago:

Here's what we know so far.

This all started with John Lu's Lion Claws rivalry against Josh Warren's MSW (Milsim West).

This is nothing new but escalated when John Lu sent an email to the MUTC, the local government and anyone else that had anything to do with events being held at the MUTC painting MSW in a bad light.

It is still unclear what exactly was said by John in his emails but Bubba Moore's Centurion Airsoft first Op, Operation Condor, is clearly collateral damage of these actions. Subsequently, Bubba's event has been cancelled and now MSW hangs in danger of suffering the same fate.

This is the level to which the event producer pissing match has reached. One event cancelled for sure, another in danger and who knows the future for Milsim at the MUTC in general. All over a pissing match that has gotten out of control.

John Lu did admit emailing the MUTC and local government to warn them about MSW but he adamantly denies these emails being lies or exaggerations to hurt MSW.

So until the true nature of the emails sent is understood we are left to speculate what may have been said to trigger such a unilateral response against Milsim by the MUTC.

Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC), Butlerville, Indiana

It doesn't look good for John Lu with the community and sponsors tired of these kinds of black marks. The online social media crap slinging is one thing but taking action that denies players event opportunities is going too far when it hits everyone, not just your target rival.

I look forward to hearing John Lu's side of the story and have welcomed him to comment on the matter because it's a side of the story that deserves to be heard too.

I have not played an MSW event yet and hope to one day because I'm all about try multiple flavors. I've played lots of LC, I've commanded as XO in every corner of the country for LC. I am actually a LCMOH recipient for my contributions. So this is coming from a guy that has been held in high regard by the LC organization.

I cannot support or attend a Lion Claws event as long as game producers reckless actions damage the community as a whole.

More to come as things develop.

UPDATE: Milsim West released a statement about recent events:

Over the past two years MilSim West has developed a reputation for putting on the most professional and immersive military simulation, or war-gaming, events in the country. We have developed an incredibly unique, and effective, business model. The cornerstone of this is the compensation of vetted military veterans who act as embedded admins and impart their experiences to our valued customers. This is a result of the continual hard work and determination of our cadre, corporate sponsors, and dedicated participants, who continue to raise the standard of MilSim.

2015 was a year of rapid and unprecedented expansion for our organization. We seamlessly transitioned from holding three events in a single region to holding six events across the entire country. However, we were made aware of roadblocks established by a single competitor, who was clearly threatened by the expansion of our organization. As professionals in this community, we ignored his first attempts to undermine the quality product we strive to provide. However, recent evidence has come to light, illuminating the culpability of this competitor, that we cannot ignore and we feel the community has to be made aware of.

As many of you know, MSW and Mr. “Bubba” Moore of Centurion MilSim recently made efforts to hold their first events at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC). In a surprising turn of events, Centurion Airsoft and MilSim West both received an email from MUTC informing us that the civilian sponsoring agency had declined to support any airsoft events indefinitely. Unfortunately, by the time this happened it was too late for Mr. Moore and Centurion to secure an additional sponsor, forcing him to cancel his event. However, MilSim West is tirelessly working with the facility staff to secure a sponsor for the upcoming event, “Assault on Volgograd”.

Evidence provided by Mr. Moore indicated that a mutual competitor has attempted to defame the good standing of MSW and their relationships with quality military training facilities. What is clear is that this competitor has emailed various influential personnel within the county and military base in the hopes that MUTC would not permit MSW to utilize their facilities. These accusations included slanderous claims that MSW cadre and participants had “trashed” Camp Shelby and sexually assaulted a female participant. Both of these claims are completely untrue, and clearly indicate the unprofessionalism of this producer.

Competition is good; competition drives innovation and without competition there would be little incentive for organizations to adapt and improve their events for the changing market. It is evident that this single competitor has little faith in his organization to adapt to the ever-changing market and instead chooses to sabotage others.

We acknowledge that our events are not for everyone and we encourage the community looking to attend an event in the future to ask themselves whether the promoter and organization truly cares about the community, or if they only do it for the money. We at MSW ask that you cast a vote with your wallet and only support organizations that care about and support the community - MilSim West, American MilSim, Centurion Airsoft, Third Coast Airsoft, Pegasus Airsoft, and The Bastards are all run by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and some by veterans. These organizations all care about innovation within the community and are willing to provide each of you with a quality experience.

MilSim West would like to cast the first vote and establish a reciprocal relationship with fellow event producers. Attend an event put on by any of the organizations above, within two calendar months, and we will provide a 15% discount pending the other organizations agreement.

Some of you might dismiss this as “drama,” however it is far more than that. Airsoft, and milsim, is an entire industry with hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is also a job and sole source of income for many – before you comment take a step back and ask yourself whether you would you tolerate a competitor making slanderous remarks about you that cost your business tens of thousands of dollars.

We value your time and patronage of our events. For those of you who are loyal and returning customers, we thank you for your continued patience and support over the next few weeks.

We have enclosed a link to the previously referenced audio file of the phone call between our competitor and Bubba Moore of Centurion Airsoft. Be advised that there is incredibly strong and inappropriate language used throughout the tape as well as numerous unsubstantiated lies and slander.

(Note the link on Facebook is not available)

Javier "Darkhorse"

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." The original article was posted there.

Kevlar, the material most used in developing bulletproof body armour, was invented by a woman, Stephanie Kwolek. It looks like another woman may have developed a light and even better bulletproof material that can be used for body armour and even as vehicle armour plating.

Afsaneh Rabiei, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at N.C. State University, has developed Composite Metal Foam (CMFs) over the years. When tested, bullets get obliterated upon impact.

If you think of the CMFs just like the foam sponge you see in the kitchen, then you are not off the mark. CMF is like that sponge but is metal using metallic hollow spheres of metal allows such as carbon, steel, or titanium and are embedded in a metallic matrix of other metallic alloys.

Kevlar, whilst it is a popular material for use in bulletproof vests, can be penetrated by armour-piercing bullets. The CMF so far, has withstood armour-piercing bullets in tests that it meets U.S. Department of Justice’s standards for Type IV armour. In the news report from NC State, the included video below shows a 7.62 x 63 millimeter M2 armor piercing bullet get obliterated upon impact:

“We could stop the bullet at a total thickness of less than an inch, while the indentation on the back was less than 8 millimeters,” Rabiei says. “To put that in context, the NIJ standard allows up to 44 millimeters indentation in the back of an armor.”

Apart from body armour, there are other potential applications for CMF. Afsaneh Rabiei also showed last year that CMFs are effective in shielding X-rays, gamma rays and neutron radiation. This means that CMFs can be used in the handling of nuclear waste, space exploration, and the development of new armour for military vehicles.

Finally, we were able to upload the remaining videos we took from the IWA Outdoor Classics 2016 which took place just over a month ago in Nuremberg, Germany. For this batch of videos, the proceedings of the Airsoft Meetup 2016, now a tradition at the IWA Outdoor Classics, are now online for your viewing pleasure.

The Airsoft Meetup is a good venue for the airsoft media, airsoft industry, and airsoft community to be at as they get to meet some of the most influential members of airsoft in under one roof. You can watch them make their presentations on their products for the year and their future plans. You will be able to get information that are not presented at their booths during the trade event as they are busy talking to clients and trade visitors.

Thus, the Airsoft Meetup has become an important event in the airsoft world. It may not be as exciting as milsim and skirmish games, but its importance has become obvious as here you will get to learn what will be influencing the way you will play airsoft in the next months and years.

So here they are, the videos of the presentations of the members of the Airsoft Industry at the Airsoft Meetup 2016:

Before last week's bombshell hit the airsoft community I was working on a write up talking about female players in airsoft. I was going to discuss the integration and growth of the female population into what is a well-known boys club. This topic comes at a time when the US military is making big shifts allowing female soldiers into combat jobs within the military, which had been previously unavailable to female troops. So it is all flowing on the same time line and I looked to draw comparisons since there are similarities, not because milsim is mirroring the real military, it is more about how in the military you have a long standing boys club that has had its struggles with gender equality too. As part of my research, I talked to a few female airsoft players and was actively seeking out more for the piece.

Now we come to this week's events where a lot of lies and false information has been spread around to screw event promoters. I am going to take a moment to focus on one big aspect of this week's allegations that seems to still have a lot of speculation revolving around it. The part of last week's event I am talking about is the controversy surrounding a female player being sexually harassed at Milsim West's (MSW) event held earlier this year at Camp Shelby. Because this is one of the ugliest of rumors going around it seemed best to go straight to the source on this one to clear the air. It is a key component of last week's events and has its place in my other piece as part of a bigger snapshot of female players in our community.

The female player mentioned in this week's controversy is named Lynsey, a one time MSW event goer that was at the MSW Camp Shelby game in February. I have left out her last name out of respect for her privacy and she will get a link to this post so she can decide if she wants to reveal herself to the general public.

Lynsey attended MSW's event with some friends/family because "It seemed like it'd be fun and an experience" she said. It is safe to say that she was not a satisfied customer of MSW by the time she left the event early on Saturday. From the start, she felt that the power point briefing saying "sandy vaginas" and "throwing like a girl" was unprofessional of the MSW staff. She admits that this was not aimed directly at her but as a female customer she found it offensive. There were other female players there and Lynsey did not know if this had offended any of them also.

Once the game went into motion, Lynsey's team felt that they were not enjoying the game since they felt they were stuck on guard duty out in the cold when others would not do the task. This, combined with no action for a prolonged period of time made the game not enjoyable to them when they expected a more active fun flowing event. Anyone that knows MSW knows that it is anything but a high paced BB slinging fest of constant action. It is a simulation of combat in a more realistic stretched out pace. So from the get go the structure of the game and Lynsey's expectations were on a course to never agree. Her team would end up leaving the event due to a family emergency, but they would have stayed and stuck it out even though they were not having a good time. The family emergency is why they actually left early.

She did state that some players were rude and disrespectful but she says those were just random people. I asked, "Were you harassed at the game by players or staff?'”

She stated to me, "Me, specifically by staff, no. One of the players in my squad that was on post with me for most of the night stated we should cuddle and I made it clear to him that wouldn't happen. Other than that no, I don't recall anyone saying anything to my face at the game".

Lynsey feeling harassed and attacked did not come until after the event when she posted her review. She felt Josh Warren was unprofessional and egged on the comments from MSW supporters online. Then a satire page on Facebook, "Try Hard Airsofters" posted her review and that brought out more negative commentators. Now, "Try Hard Airsofters" is not associated with Josh Warren or Milsim West. At this point, Josh is guilty of being a dick online and maybe even some unprofessional behavior to an unsatisfied customer but that is small potatoes when he is accused of hosting wild events during which female players are harassed or open to sexual assault. Not an angel, but not the devil he and his events have been made out to be by competitors or haters.

Lynsey is a player like any other just hoping to have a fun weekend playing airsoft and ended up being an unsatisfied customer and a victim of the cruelty of the internet. But she is by her own admission, not a victim in a much darker story going around of female player harassment promoted or condoned by MSW at their event. It is this very ugly rumor that has to now stop and is the greatest offense propagated by MSW competitors.

Along with the story of harassment is the claim made that Lynsey herself had reached out to the MUTC to propagate the now debunked harassment story. So once again I asked the source, "Did you ever contact the MUTC about your MSW experience?"

She said, "No, I don't even know what MUTC is."

It is clear that lies have been allowed to spread wildly. These lies have now touched innocent event promoters and the players in the airsoft community. But the truth if far from what has been put out and allowed to run free about MSW. MSW is not an organization of angels without flaws or bad customer service at times. They are clearly not for everyone and some feel put off by Josh Warren's brashness at times. But the real question is does that mean they deserve to have lies about female harassment or sexual assault spread about their business in an attempt to torpedo them?

Javier "Darkhorse"
One Grunt's Opinion

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." The original article was posted there.

Virtual Reality is all the rage these days with companies releasing their VR goggles and headsets, some cheap such as those made using Google Cardboard ; and some really expensive and need powerful PC hardware just to enjoy the VR experience such as the Oculus Rift. With these VR devices now starting to flood the market, where is the content to make VR enjoyable and educational?

That’s where GoPro comes in, announcing a VR App to help stitch footage taken to make the VR video and the Omni-Rig, the 6-camera array rig that is a bit affordable for serious action camera enthusiasts as VR camera rigs are really expensive. Costing US$5,000, this is way cheaper than their 16-camera array rig called Odyssey which costs US$15,000.00.

The price already includes 6 GoPro Hero4 Black Cameras and that means that the rig is ready to shoot 8K videos when put together. It also means a lot of quality video frames that can be extracted for still images (and lots of angles too!).

GoPro Omni promises precise, pixel-level synchronization for the 6 Hero4 Black Cameras making it easier to stitch together the video footages for VR. As it is optimized for the GoPro Kolor software which GoPro acquired when it bought the French VR Company Kolor, the software can automatically create 360° videos. It has advanced features included such as Autopano Video Pro and Autopano Giga that can allow you to fine-tune controls over the image and stitch for the highest-quality output.

How can airsoft exploit this VR capability of GoPro Omni-Rig? It does offer a lot of opportunities for the airsoft game site owner to market their game facility whether indoor or outdoor by giving a Virtual Reality tour for potential customers online. GoPro allows you to share your VR videos on the VR GoPro website which is a rebranding of Kolor’s VR website. If you are not convinced, try exploring the VR video done with GoOro Omni below to understand it better:

For those who want to share 360-degree airsoft gameplay footages, the GoPro Omni can be used, though you will need a mount that does not obstruct your view when holding an airsoft gun.

The GoPro Omni is now pre-order. If you find the price expensive but already have 6 GoPro Hero4 Black Action Cameras, you can order just the rig for US$1,500.00.

Now, if you want immersive airsoft videos, it is now a reality with VR, and GoPro has made it a bit affordable to do it with the Omni.

If you’ve got too many Nerf guns lying around and friends who are really bored, then you have the recipe to really have some fun. Corridor Digital did just that as they recreated Team Fortress 2 with Nerf Guns in real life, with some CGI of course.

The result? Full awesome Nerf goodness.

The video shows a two-person Red Team defending a shopping cart going against a swarm of Blue Team out to annihilate them. But the Red Team got a lot of tricks up their sleeves and they were able to repel each attack the Blues did.

Then there remained two Blue Team members who had more firepower than the Red Team. On the verge of defeat, they finally deploy their secret weapon which saved the day. The Red Team then parked their cart outside the store and called it day. The end.

With current drama happening in airsoft, which is the “Milsim Wars” that is taking place amongst the well-known names in events organizing, this video is something to remind us that we all need to have fun, Nerf or Airsoft. These were made in the first place for people to have fun, even if they have to shoot with each other with plastic projectiles.

Now, who is up to some Team Fortress 2 game online?

Another Kickstarter project should get your attention as an airsoft player, milsimer, outdoors person, or someone who just wants to be ready all the time. One of the important things that we need to bring with us when we go out to the field is water to keep us hydrated to keep us alive. In these days, sources of clean drinking water in the environment are hard to come by unless you are located in a pristine location untouched by civilization. Even the creeks, ponds, and rivers that we encounter may not necessarily be clean enough to give us the water we need to live on.

In case of calamities or war, the ability to be able to get drinking water becomes even more urgent. Nowadays, we need water filtration and purification devices so we can use the water that is around us, even that dirty water that you dread to drink.

There are already many of these purification devices commercially available, but for Pure Hydration, a company founded Jon Grant who has experience in Marine and Army water programs, it is about to product a water filtration device that can meet the standards of the military. Pure Hydration already has expertise and they want to bring this expertise and their technology in the form of the Pure Hydration Sentinel InLine Individual Water Purification Device.

Now on Kickstarter, they want to raise funds for their Sentinel prototypes to undergo external certification against a standard called NSF International Protocol P248 and approval for military use.

How does this work? Pure Hydration has this to say:

Pure Hydration purifiers utilize a non-woven, tortuous path depth filter media, with up to 400 layers of pores between high surface area sub-micron fibers. The fibers create a natural electrical charge which cover the void volume of the pores between the fibers and remove negatively charged sub-micron particles, e.g. viruses, through electroadhesion and electro adsorption, while larger particles, e.g. bacteria and parasitic protozoan pathogens, are caught within the fiber matrix. Powdered carbon and silver ion components within the filter media further neutralize a broad spectrum of contaminants, so that while water can pass through the filter with minimized pressure, what comes out is clean and safe to drink.

The Pure Hydration Sentinel can provide protection from waterborne contaminants and microbiological pathogens such as:

• 99.99997% removal of Bacteria (Cholera, E. coli, Salmonella typhi, etc.)
• 99.999% removal of Viruses (Hepititis A, Norovirus, Polio, etc.)
• 99.993% removal of Parasitic pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, etc.)
• Our purifying filters also provide protection against such as heavy metals (Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, etc.) and other inorganic compounds, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs - Benzine, Chloroform, 1,1-1,2 – Dichloroethane, MTBE, etc.)

Also, it has been independently tested for compliance with the:

• European Drinking Water Directive Council Directive 98/83/EC
• UK Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000
• US Environmental Protection Agency – EPA’s Microbiological Reduction requirements as shown in the US National Primary Drinking Water Regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act
• World Health Organisation - Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality First Addendum 3rd Edition

Convinced that you want this product to succeed? Then you can pledge an amount to help raise funds for certification.  They are raising an amount of £35,000 and as of writing, it has raised almost a thousand pounds. Still a long way to go, but if you believe in this project, then you can help in achieving their objective of having this certified and adopted by the U.S. Military.

If this gets realised as a product, it is something that may want included in your bug out bag.

The largest airsoft event in the world, Border War, will commence hostilities today and we’ll be there to cover all the action. Now on its 8th year, Border War 8 promises all the airsoft action that airsoft players from around the world are looking forward to. Last year, the organisers showed more airborne ops, motorized vehicles, and of course more milsim. This year, it will show the same but with even more action that makes this event an awardee of the Best Airsoft Event at the Airsoft Players’ Choice Awards for 4 straight years.

For Border War 8, the scenario is about a civil war:

Tacas is a large state neighboring with Concordia in the the East. It’s divided into 25 independent regions, where the most important are Badger Mountains, North Racoon Hills, East Cider Valley and Manta bay located at the southern seashore. Together with Minacua and Concordia they form a free trade and defense union. Tacas is a a very rich country in oil , natural and shelf gas the production of which supports all of the states in the trade union in abundance. Most of the state income comes from these resources. Due to the very favourable climate large agricultural farms have been established enabling large exports of food, cattle, corn, and even cotton.

Lately Tacas has been in focus of world attention. The native inhabitants have revolted demanding independence from Tacas and the creation of a new national state in the borders of the 18th Century.

The revolt is led and sponsored by a charismatic leader with native origins Terence Cash aka “The Cowboy” who is well known as an oil entrepreneur and multibillionaire. Mr. Cash has been evading paying taxes to the government for years and when the tax collectors came to seize his property, they were met by a volley of gunfire from the militia . Mr. Cash has proclaimed the formation of the Civil Movement for Tacas Independence. The government Tacas National Territory Defense Force was dispatched to quell the armed citizens, but were defeated by the trained and well-armed fighters from the independence movement together with mercenary units hired by Cash to support his cause.

Soon after this incident the entire western part of Tacas descended into civil war. The new self-proclaimed governor quickly wiped out the National Guard outposts and captured most of the weapon arsenals. The  independence movement established an executive body called the “Court of purity” and all who opposed the changes, were deported to the borders while their property was seized in favour of New Tacas. The independence forces have also pillaged a local bio chemical plant providing them with a possibility to experiment in creation of bio chemical weapons.

A massive exodus of civilians has been reported and refugee camps have emerged in the border areas.

Terence Cash has become a serious danger to the stability in the region and no negotiations are expected to be held with him. His militia leders had recently proclaimed him the Warchief of the movement.

The Tacas government forces are planning a full scale military operation in the Eastern province to wipe out the rebels there once and for all.

As of yesterday, most of the players have arrived, checking out what is on display at the safe zone. According to lead organizer, Mike Belousov, the Czech Armed Forces, which are supporting the event have on display the Pandur 2 APC, a Anti Chemical Warfare Unit, a Rapid Response Unit, and Weapons Display. So if you are bored in the safe zone, you can check this military equipment out. Apart from that there are booths showing products from the different sponsors such as ASG, Bohemia Airsoft, Gunfire, Valken, Tippmann, and more. Players can get their gear, replenish their ammo, or buy new airsoft guns in case they need one, from the vendors.

Airsoft & MilSim News Blog are also having a Border War photo contest at the event. If you brought your nice camera apart from your airsoft gun, start clicking away when the action starts. Share your photo with them and you might win some nice goodies they have prepared.

Didn’t I mention that we will be there too? We’ll be arriving today so we’ll miss a portion of the action. If you are there, there are great chances that we’ll take a photo or video of you. So be on your Sunday best, we’ll share all the photos we take at the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page.

So masks down, and get ready to go to Border War!

There are always uncertainties in any tactical situation, no matter how good the information yes. With that in mind, teams usually need to equip themselves with tools for information gathering before they proceed to an objective. In close quarters, it is even worse since you don’t know what’s around the corner or who is behind that door. It can be the bad guys or it can be someone innocent.

There are tools for such eventuality, famous of which is the Corner Shot which is a dream of many airsoft players to own, but there is no version for airsoft. But if shooting is not always the option, then you may need to deploy a camera. On TV or in the movies we see SWAT teams using the snaking camera, which will need a hole to go through.  Now, there is a device that is used to peep inside a room by using the gap between the door and the floor.

The Tactical Electronics Under Door Camera System (UDC) is a wireless camera designed to provide video to operators showing what is behind the door. According to the company, the UDC has a light sensitive black and white camera, an IR LED illuminator, and 4 IR LEDs provide wireless vision. There is an optional telescoping deployment pole enables operators to quickly deploy and move the UDC to another position. The video captured is then saved on an SD Card.

Depending on the needs of the team, there are three different versions of the UDC:

• Under Door 360– This has four cameras for forward, upward, left and right camera views and it has the ability to attach a 20 ft telescoping deployment pole.
• Under Door Pro - Two cameras give you forward and upward views and it has the ability to attach a 20 ft telescoping deployment pole.
• Under Door Camera– This is the original camera that only comes with a single camera for a forward view.

The UDC may not exactly be the device that an airsoft team would want to invest in. But in case the team is awash in cash and wants to do a lot of CQB games, then they can get one of these. Or hope someone in the Far East gets to read this and might make something similar and affordable for airsoft game purposes

TrackingPoint, the company we want to admire (qualified admiration due to their financial troubles) for their targeting technology that allows any person armed with a TrackingPoint Rifle to become a deadly shooter with not much training has unveiled their latest rifle. The NightEagle 5.56 Semi-Automatic Rifle is basically M600 Squad Level Precision Guided 5.56 Service Rifle, but it is equipped with Night Vision.

Having a range of 400 yards, the Night Eagle incorporates an infrared sensitive CMOS sensor. Depending on the strength of the IR Illuminator, this allows the shooter to engage targets up to 200 yards at night. With the RapidLok Target Acquisition and Fire Control, the shooter pulls the trigger which engages target tracking and upon completing the trigger pull, the rifle is fired with the target being hit. This process of target acquisition, tracking and elimination has a Time-To-Kill (TTK) of 2.5 seconds.

RapidLok also has image stabilization usually seen in stills and video cameras, and the benefit of this is being accurate when doing off-hand shooting or shooting on the move.  And since we mentioned video, the NightEagle can record and save video, with voice annotation for the shooter to use to describe the situation of the shooting scenario that can be shared later on.

Now, with their ShotGlass Technology, the shooter can use the NightEagle without being exposed. The information and video is displayed on the ShotGlass, an eyewear that has a heads up display. Hiding behind cover, the shooter can then  acquire and shoot a target without the need to be exposed just to operate the rifle.

For interested buyers, the price for the NightEagle is US$7,995 for the first 100 orders and then it will be US$10,490.00. For those who do not have a budget, a financing scheme can be availed and the rifle can be paid for in 48 months. As for those who might want an airsoft version, unfortunately, the cost would still be prohibitive due to tracking and night vision technology used.

The Tamir Rice case may finally be put to rest with the City of Cleveland agreeing to pay US$6 million to the family of Tamir Rice. Announced yesterday, the 25th of April, this settles the wrongful-death lawsuit that was filed by the estate of Tamir Rice and as part of the settlement, the city will not admit any wrong doing of Rice, who was 12 years old when the shooting happened on November 22, 2014.

The case is about police officers responding to a 911 call about a "of a male black sitting on a swing and pointing a gun at people" in a city park. Two police officers, 26-year old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmback went to respond to the call and within 2 seconds upon arrival, Loehmann fired two shots with Rice being hit once in the torso. No first aid was administered to Rice and died the following day. The responding officers reported that Rice reached for his waistband upon their arrival leading to Loehmann to draw his gun and shoot Rice.

The gun that Rice wielded at the time of shooting was an airsoft replica.

The incident received national and international coverage, as the U.S.A was subject to intense scrutiny due to occurrence of black males being shot by the police.

At the time of the shooting happened, Rice was holding an airsoft gun that didn’t have an orange muzzle tip to help identify it as a replica. Also, the man who made the 911 call also said that the gun was “probably a fake” and also stated said about Rice “he is probably a juvenile”. However, the information  was not relayed to the responding police officers.  It was also revealed that Loehmann had been deemed an emotionally unstable recruit and not fit for duty at his previous job as a police officer in the City of Independence, a suburb in Cleveland, Ohio.

The County Sheriff’s Office conducted a sharply criticized investigation and turned over the findings to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, Timothy McGinty, who then presented the results recommending that no charges should be brought to a Grand Jury which declined to indict the police officers. He was voted out of office last March 2016 in an election that largely revolved around the Tamir Rice shooting.

The settlement still requires approval from a probate court.

Something light this time for the middle of the week as we wait for OptimusPrime and MasterChief finish their After Action Report of Border War 8: The Warchief that took place in the Czech Republic/Czechia. Today, my short feature story is about the Powerbomb, a Power Bank that is shaped like a grenade.

Whilst the Powerbomb is something that you would not dare to bring to the airport or areas where security is tight, it is what you may want to bring to the airsoft field since it will not look out of place amongst the gear and airsoft guns that you bring with you. Since it is a power bank, it is also a useful tool for you.

The Powerbomb does pack power, 13000mah worth of power that you can charge your mobile devices such as your smartphone or tablet several times over. It is indeed useful as there are airsoft sites and large AOs where power outlets are absent. If you are in an airsoft event that will last a weekend, then the Powerbomb will be very handy when you run out of battery juice.

Just like other well-designed power banks, the Powerbomb has indicator lights to show you the level of battery charge it has left. As for charging it once battery is low, it can be charged via USB. The on and off button is located on the safety lever while the USB port is located where the striker is supposed to be if it is a real grenade.

Now, there is a problem though if you want to own one --- it is not yet in existence. The PowerBomb is a design concept done by Rahul Shirbhate, who is an industrial product design engineer based in India. If this is can be done as a real world power bank, it would be fantastic if this concept of charging devices goes further than charging mobile devices, but also be able to charge airsoft batteries. I am not exactly an electronics guy so I don’t know if it is feasible. But if it is, then by all means, make it for airsoft use.

The Drone Wars is really heating up as companies are racing to who gets to be the sheriff of the skies. We have seen different proposals on taking down drones that are turning into menace for airplanes above and crowds below. Whilst governments are not stopping ownership of drones by civilians, knowing that they can be valuable tools, they are looking for ways for them to be used safely by establishing rules and regulations.

For companies, they see some business in preventing drones to become threats. Shooting them down with rifles or shotguns may not exactly be a safe thing to do and may do more harm than good; using eagles to capture them have animal rights activists up in arms; and using drones to catch drones looks like the best possible way.

But one start-up company has a new way of disabling drones. SkySafe is a company that recently got US$3 million funding led by well-known venture capital group, Andreessen Horowitz. Its proposal is to use radio frequency to “hijack” drones and bring them down so that they will not go into areas that they are not allowed.

The SkySafe system will be marketed companies and organizations that want to keep away from their areas such as airports, facilities have-no-fly zones, and public places where a drone might pose a danger to the crowds below.

What it does is roughly described as it is able to identify and track drones, distinguishing which are authorized drones and those that are not supposed to be there. The system will then try to track the drone operator and if need be, taking control of the drone to bring it down safely, or if drastic action is needed disable it before it becomes a danger.

But as I mentioned it will be a race as SkySafe’s technology might win some battles but will have to be on its toes if it wants to keep doing business as drone companies will also build technologies that can go around such drone control systems. Military drones can defeat this system as they can cycle through different frequencies to avoid jamming or getting hijacked but these are expensive things to put into commercial/commercial drones.

For drone operators, it is a matter of common sense not to send their drones into restricted airspace or where they think that these might pose a danger to people. Unless, certified to be used in these area, it is best for them to exercise their hobbies in areas where they can let to fly unrestrained, wide open spaces far from these areas.

It's going to be a Bank Holiday Weekend and we are taking the chance to do some maintenance work and also do a much needed break. This means that news posts will be intermittent. This is rather unplanned, but we are taking the opportunity to clean up the website and also do some recharging.

There will be still be news to be posted this week though news submissions this Friday will be posted when possible. Our apologies to those who want their news posted as soon as possible but for now, we'll need to do som maintenance work.

Since it's a long weekend (in the UK), we hope you take the chance to make the most out of it for going to some big airsoft event. As for our readers, please do take time to read the news reports.

See you all on Monday!

The M2 .50 “Ma Deuce” Machine Gun has been in continuous since the 1933 and is an irreplaceable gun. Why irreplaceable? There have been several attempts to replace it by the U.S. Army but it is still in service, with 24,000 and around 25,000 of the upgraded M2A1 in use in the U.S. Military. Even with its big size and hefty weight, it is used in vehicles, main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles., helicopters, aircraft and by infantry, knowing that it can inflict devastating damage up to 1,800 meters.

Now, the U.S. Army plans to have a new .50 caliber machine gun, but they want it lighter which means also much more portable. According to Scout.com, this will be 20-30 percent lighter than the M2 and will be made of Titanium. They have a target of a 60-pound .50 cal compared to the 80-pound M2.

So far, the plan is still very much in the early stages, with the new machine gun still to be built, riveted and tested with the titanium parts of the prototype to be built at the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. In the Scout.com report, the U.S. Army plans to procure an initial 30 of prototype for “air drop, full reliability, durability, maintainability and government standard testing.”

Also part of reducing the weight of the .50 caliber machine gun is also in the area of ammo, and they are looking into caseless ammo, removing the amount of brass to be used. Another area apart from improving the performance of the weapon is to produce a lighter profile barrel.

With the .50 cal weapons development project there is also a plan to build a laser finder, optics, and fire control.  Called the Gun Mounted Optic or GMO, it is seen that this can be available to use for the gun in the next five years.

Airsoft is alive and well in South Korea and it has a small airsoft industry. Whilst, the airsoft community is quiet, the South Koreans do some innovations in airsoft. The latest is something that merges the best of both worlds in airsoft (AEG and GBB) and is about to be released. The Dynamic Action System (DAS) M4A1 Electric Blowback made by GBLS has attracted the attention of airsoft players since last year.

Many are curious, and so far the understanding is that it is an AEG with an electric blowback feature and can be taken down like a Gas Blowback Rifle, which also means it can be taken down like a real steel M4. An immediate advantage of this is for cold weather airsoft where airsoft players who are used to using GBB M4s can use the DAS M4A1 without worrying about performance problems of GBBs in winter.

Will the GBLS DAS M4A1 be a game changer and offer an AEG that can surpass the new generation AEGs as offered by Tokyo Marui, KWA/KSC, and BOLT Airsoft? Let’s find out…

Popular Airsoft: Before we start with the DAS M4A1, can we know more about GBLS as a company? Who is Mr. Kim?

GBLS: Gwang Suk Kim is the founder, CEO, and DAS system's developer of GBLS. Mr. Kim worked as a licensed architect for many decades, and was part of the first-generation Korean Airsoft players using B.V. rifle in the 1990s. He always imagined about his dream gun just like other Airsoft maniacs, but the only thing he could do as a player was to wait for a manufacture to develop it someday. Contrary to his expectations, the new guns released onto the market were almost the same as their predecessors, so he was repeatedly disappointed. It caused him to be exasperated. Finally, one day, he decided to create his own airsoft gun himself, using his architect design background.

GBLS has completed gearboxes designs for the sniper rifle (Semi-Auto type) and M series weapons.  After much consideration, the more popular model, M rifle series was chosen as our first product to bring to market. The latest gearbox design is for the AK rifle series, and it will be presented at SHOT Show or IWA in 2017.

GBLS’s slogan is "The Summit of Realism". We aim to meet MilSim mania's needs with more realistic gear, and branch out the DAS brand into all of the military equipment including airsoft guns, related accessories, and all clothing for the game.

Players will only want to take guns marked with DAS for MilSim soon.

GBLS DAS M4A1 Gearbox shown in actual and display (transparent to show inner parts) versions

Why the DAS M4A1?

We have 2 answers for this question.

First, DAS M4A1 is GBLS's first DAS system product developed by us, and will bring a new sensation to the airsoft M series. Market research concluded that the M series rifle has the largest user base, so the M4A1 model was selected as GBLS's first firearm replica. Other M series guns will be introduced soon according to user demand. In addition, the new AK series is scheduled to come out next year. 

Second, DAS is GBLS’s proprietary mechanical firing control system. Thank to this system, we are able to merge the AEG with the GBB-R's realistic features. It virtually operates almost the same as an actual gun. An Active braking MOSFET is the only electronic component inside that removes motor’s rotor inertia. With a bolt assembly’s full movement, DAS creates a recoil kick when firing and users can feel blowback during reload like real firearms. DAS’s mechanism would be the best choice for AEG users desiring to experience the recoil sensation and GBB-R users wanting to escape from the weather problem. We would like DAS to be recognized as a new kind of MilSim brand to people who bought similar items again and again for the last 20 years.

We have read about Mr. Kim’s persistent efforts to create the DAS M4A1 despite repeated failures and supporters leaving him. How difficult was it to design the airsoft rifle?

Mr. Kim's DAS system design began in 2012. Since he only worked on buildings before, he studied basic machinery by himself to develop DAS from a mechanical design to a working product. From knowing nothing about machinery, he is now probably one of the leading industry experts.

He labored for an entire year to complete the first gearbox design and spent another year making the prototype. However, after all that time spent, it failed during testing. The people who supported him up to this point started to leave him one by one, saying "If DAS was possible, then the large companies would have developed it by now. DAS is impossible in the real world." Despite his frustration, Mr. Kim had conviction in DAS, and decided to continue work on a new gearbox design. By this time, only his loyal and devoted partner, Michael Choi, now current COO, stood by him. Both of them sold their houses to raise the money and routinely skipped lunch to cut expense; but the debt still grew exponentially. To make matters worse the next prototype did not work well as expected. Overwhelmed by financial strains, Mr. Kim decided to only focus on design work, and Mr. Choi procured funds by doing intense manual labor.

There were many moments when they wanted to give up everything, but kept persisting, and eventually, in the spring of 2015, the breakthrough version of DAS was born into the world. Unfortunately, they faced another obstacle to systematize DAS to make it ready for mass production. Finally, after overcoming these failures, Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi created the M4A1 in 2016. They accomplished a feat that no one in the world dared to attempt.

How long did GBLS take to make the DAS M4A1?

To be precise, it started in April of 2012 and it took 4 full years for completion. We registered 2 patents and 1 trademark and have 4 patents pending including DAS's improved hop-up system, magazine for glow in the dark BBs, etc. The patent for AK series will be registered soon as well.

Can you please tell us the finer features of the DAS M4A1?

DAS M4A1 is the first rifle out of the M series guns that GBLS plans to release. DAS uses an electronic gear like a regular AEG, but has a real bolt carrier action mechanism like a GBB-R. It has a blowback system that generates recoil that could not be simulated in existing AEGs so far; and also it maintains high shooting performance regardless of weather and temperature. We considered DAS products' positioning in the airsoft market, and decided to keep the best quality, hoping that they could be recognized as the most realistic guns even if it meant sacrificing sales.

The receivers are made from forging aluminum alloy using the same process as actual guns. A Korean company that supplies the most popular civilian guns in the USA manufactures them. The stock tube, which affects the bolt carrier’s movement, is constituted from SUS materials; and the barrels and front sight are real steel. The rest of the parts inside DAS products will have the same or similar quality as real firearms. DAS items have the best realism in the airsoft market.

What makes it different from AEGs with blowback and recoil features such as those from Tokyo Marui, KWA/KSC and BOLT Airsoft?

DAS's bolt carrier is not fake. A full-sized bolt carrier glides back and forth in the upper receiver that produces this mechanical operation, which generates blowback and recoil. It is the most prominent difference from other AEGs.

Bolt locked back

Bolt locked

Next is rapid firing and zeroing. The other AEGs’ firing cycle is like this: 1. Trigger pulled; 2. Gears turned by the electric motor; 3. BBs loaded; 4. Piston moved forward and gun fired.  The muzzle is prone to wobble while the motor turns on to load the BBs and so for this reason, the BBs cannot travel precisely to the spot where you aim.

However, under the DAS system, the ball is reloaded by blowback before you pull the trigger. On the trigger action, the piston hits the ball immediately. Due to this design, users can manually take advantage of this air-cocking operation, which comes in handy if the battery fails.

Remember! DAS’s real bolt carrier movement allows AEGs to perform with the best accuracy. Pull. Fire. No delay.

Since the DAS M4A1 incorporates the GBB’s advantage, is it safe to say that accessories made for the real steel version of the M4A1 can be readily installed on it? Are the dimensions and weight of the DAS M4A1 similar to the real M4A1 rifle?

You can install all of the accessories for M4A1 including real steel ones without any problems. The DAS M4A1's length is almost the same as the actual rifle, and weight is about 3.2 kgs. To avoid any misunderstanding, I will tell you that aside from the accessories, nothing else is compatible with the real weapon.

Is the DAS M4A1 a very proprietary airsoft system? Are the parts, external and internal not compatible with other airsoft guns? For example, can I use my Marui-compatible M4 magazine with it?

DAS M4A1 is our own patented system, and pending PCT's registration. All the designs from GBLS will be patented before releasing. We are working with an experienced international patent agency to safeguard our intellectual property rights and prevent related dispute.

Basically, DAS is not compatible with other brands, because our mechanism differs from theirs. The parts you can use together would be limited to RIS, handguard, hand grip, and flash hider. We considered many ideas about AEGs to realize DAS, and selected the best ones to deliver the highest performance to instill trust among customers.  GBLS is open to collaboration with others companies to improve the DAS system, especially for tuning, and to bring other model lines to market.

What is the initial muzzle velocity of the DAS M4A1 (in FPS)? Is it adjustable for higher or lower velocities? What is its rate of fire (in balls/rounds per second)?

The final velocity will be adjusted to meet the regulation of the destination countries.  GBLS wants to promote its business so it plans to comply with all laws and avoid any legal issues. That being said, DAS M4A1’s muzzle velocity is between 300-400 fps and fires about 15 balls per second. There is an inverse relationship between the velocity and the rate of fire. If the FPS is increased, then the rate of fire decreases. We want to hear the opinions of overseas gunsmiths on this problem. If any tuning expert or designer has any idea about this issue, please send us your comments. If it works, we will pay for your valuable idea.

Does it have a recoil kick similar to the new generation AEGs that have blowback and recoil?

DAS's blowback system is like this: Gears position the bolt cylinder and piston to the back. While a sear holds the piston in the back, only the bolt cylinder moves forwards and places a ball into the chamber. Then, as the trigger is pulled, the piston moves forward to hit the ball. All the movement and power caused by bolt carrier, buffer spring, and piston spring in upper receiver are transmitted to the user.  He/she can feel the recoil and recoil kick.

In other words, it has plenty blowback, recoil, and recoil kick!

The recoil is dependent on the velocity setting.  While staying within the law, users can adjust the setting to feel as much kick as they desire.

The DAS M4A1 does have potential as a training weapon for military, law enforcement and security agencies. Will you be focusing on that market or will you be prioritizing the general airsoft/wargaming market?

Now, we are focusing on the Airsoft MilSim game market. But if there is a request to supply training weapons, we will accept it. Mr. Kim says that making actual guns would be easier than realizing DAS, so we are confident we can manufacture with their special requirements under Korean regulations.

How is the interest right now in the DAS M4A1 in South Korea? Will it generate more interest from Koreans and participate in airsoft games?

It is embarrassing to say, but we did not check any opinion in Korea. Guns are very sensitive here, and we have really restrictive regulations pertaining to airsoft. Many Koreans are interested in DAS M4A1, but, under such circumstances, it is difficult to encourage them to buy DAS M4A1, and take up airsoft game. GBLS will lobby to reform the laws, and set up a favorable environment for airsoft's popularization. As the first step, we decided to sponsor a Korean airsoft team in the USA. You will see the team supported by GBLS sporting DAS patches in the game shortly. While we cannot provide our products to domestic airsoft teams, we expect the video of our sponsored team to bring a perspective change on airsoft, and be the stepping-stone to boosting it here in Korea.

When will you be releasing it for the South Korean market? How about the global airsoft market? What will be the pricing (in US Dollars)?

The guns fitted for Korean regulations are not good for airsoft games, so there are no plans to release them in Korea. We will go to the global market first. Expect 300 limited edition units to be released soon.

The price for the limited edition opens 9th May on our website, and pre-order starts on the same day. First dibs go to the fans who have been waiting so long. While almost all the parts for the mass production gearbox version are moulded, the limited edition's ones are CNC-milled and assembled by Mr. Kim personally. In addition, extra things will be included: Carved Special Gun serial number, 001-300/300 on the lower receiver, signed certificate by the developer, DAS LIMITED EDITION special patch, 6 months warranty, and priority access to GBLS next limited edition model. For more details, visit our website on 9th May: www.gbls.co.kr.

The price of the mass production model is only available to dealers, and we are under negotiations with several dealers. Let your local dealers contact us on your behalf.

How can dealers and resellers interested in the DAS M4A1 able to contact you for bulk orders?

Just send an email to sales@gbls.co.kr. Limited edition will be open to both individuals and dealers, but mass production model is only shipped to wholesalers and dealers.

Will you be able to provide after-sales support such as maintenance/repair tips, and parts?

Sure. For limited edition, we will provide after-sales service directly. But for mass production model, we will work through local dealers. The requested parts will be shipped without delay.

How do you see the DAS M4A1 as a product in the airsoft market and the GBLS as an airsoft market in the future?

Mr. Kim, CEO, and Mr. Choi, COO, have confidence in DAS. If they wanted to sell mediocre guns, they would have released in 2015. GBLS will build DAS's brand as "summit of realism" with durable and reliable products, so quality will not be compromised even if it takes a long time to achieve this goal. 

Today’s airsoft game wastes large quantities of BBs during the game from high firing rate, but DAS can be a game changer to provide realistic simulation, which demands high shooting accuracy.  DAS will be at the center of that change, and it will be beside you before you know it...

...With GBLS.

Thank you very much!

(Erratum: We previously wrote that DAS stands for Direct Action System. It is now corrected to mean Dynamic Action System. Our apologies.)

Activision is betting on another futuristic Call off Duty title, and this time they go for the final frontier --- Space. The past years, Call of Duty titles have been more about the future of warfare rather than being based on past and contemporary warfare. With the release of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, we expect more space battles this time, and if you did like the skirmishes in outer space in Call of Duty: Ghosts, then you might like Infinite Warfare.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is set even further into the future with the Earth’s resources now used up and mankind had to look into space for resources. Those who have been working in colonizing asteroids and planets to ensure the home planet gets its much needed resources to continue life have decided to keep the resources to themselves. Calling themselves the Settlement Defense Front or SDF, they have seceded from United Nations Space Alliance, and thus the war for resources and the Earth’s future ensues.

The SDF is a fascist organization and wants to capture the important space settlements that will lead to strangling the supply route to Earth. The main character, Captain Nick Reyes, will be leading the battle for the United Nations Space Alliance against the SDF, and who is a “Tier One Special Operations Pilot” piloting one of the few space travelling warships that Earth has remaining, the UNSA Retribution.

The battles will happen on earth, and will rage in outer space, dwarfing the space missions of Ghosts as there will be space vehicle battles, apart from space soldiers shooting each other or ripping each other’s oxygen supply.

According to reports from gaming websites, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will not have coop play. But surely, we will be curious how space battles will be in multiplayer and the question of having to pilot space vehicles will be part of the game. But don’t worry, it looks the zombie gameplay will still be included.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is set to be released on the 4th of November 2016.

Another AK is coming out from the Kalashnikov Concern, and it looks like another derivative of the AK-12, which is the now the official name designation of the AK 200 for the Russian Army. Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical goes back to Russia to check out the AK 400 and it is hard to distinguish it from the AK-12. But what it does indicate the design evolution of the Kalashnikov rifle, with the AK-12 design being the base design of new rifles in this part of the 21st Century Russia.

What Larry Vickers tested is a pre-production prototype of the AK 400, whether this means this rifle is about to go into actual production or not is not clear. It comes with a picatinny rail with the rear iron sight now set to the rear of the gun. The picatinny rail is an added convenience allowing the installation of weapons accessories, especially optics to the AK 400, rather than buying a separate rail system to mount on this AK rifle.

The stock has a button latch that when pressed, it can be folded, making it ready for close quarters combat or when inside vehicles. The pistol grip has removable storage, useful for storing small bits such as batteries.

Weighing 6.83lbs with a barrel length of 37.1 inches, it has a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, firing 7.62x39mm bullets. The firing action is a gas-operated rotating bolt, using short stroke operation and the gas system has been changed to a two-position gas block.

There has been no mention how the AK 400 will be marketed as the Russian Military has been looking into the AK-12 and in 2014 has accepted it and the A-545 into service in operation units for further evaluation.  But according to The Firearm Blog, production has been delayed until this year as they needed to make certain improvements of an “unspecified type”. Is this "unspecified type" the AK 400?

Watch the video below where Larry Vickers test fires the AK 400 prototype in slow motion. There is no mention when actual production will commence.