So here we go on the second round of spam attacks lately. It seems that spam bots are excellent at defeating CAPTCHA now so we are moving to a verified method of signups. This is requiring that you have a valid email address and activate the account for access through that email address. It is a simple process:

1. Sign up for account

2. An email is sent to your listed email address

3. Click the link in the email

4. Enjoy!

Hopefully this will stop the flow of spam because I am getting tired of spending 45 minutes a day deleting comments that are posted by bots about Nike shoes.

                                      

      

 

In an effort to reduce the 'clutter' in life it was my decision this year to pare down all of the many different websites that I have been running. If you originally typed in 'www.southeastairsoft.com', 'www.seasg.com', 'www.usapsa.com', 'www.pcairsoft.com', 'www.opironjustice.com', or 'www.tangospotted.com' and ended up at www.teamduck.com then you got here on purpose. For too many years I have been sitting on my butt and using websites as my hobby to try to do specific things (airsoft, motorcycles, events, etc). Now that I have started working on a new business as my primary time consumption I found that the time to maintain the side sites is falling. As a result the content on those sites was not getting updated and the site hits were falling off....

We have all read the posts online 'what is the best gun', 'what gear should I get', and of course the famous 'I am starting a team and looking for members'. DUCK decided to put our collective heads together and answer some of the basic questions about airsoft and to impart a few tips for players that are getting started into the sport. This is not an end-all be-all guide to the sport, just a few pointers so by all means go out and research to your heart's content about the sport and get a second opinion.

This is also not just a guide for the questions being asked but as a general rule for players that are about to sink a good portion of funds into a kit. As a general rule do as much research as you can into a subject before investing so much as $1 into it. You will find that $200 spent on something of good quality will be better than $80 spent 3-4 times due to poor design, functionality, or usability every time.

1. What gun should I get? This is one of the most common questions posed on an airsoft forum and to other players at a field. We will break it down into its major parts to give you an idea what is the best course of action....

During research for an upgrade for an AGM M4 GBBR it was noted that the Element MagPul CTR stock might be able to fit the commercial spec buffer tube that was going to be used in the upgrade. A quick run to the local airsoft store netted a new in the box CTR stock to test with.



Top – Element CTR; Bottom – MagPul MOE



First Impressions Having handled a real steel AR-15 maxed out with MagPul MOE furniture it was noticed that the stock was an exact copy. Not a single detail was left out including the casting marks on the left side. Other than a few small items that were not exactly the same the stock was easily mistaken for the real deal. The color was a slight mismatch but when not next to a real MagPul item it was nearly impossible to know.



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I am always on the lookout for new technology to add to my kit. I was intrigued by the FastMAG clones that are abundant on the market right now. The design looked amazingly simple and rugged. Being ever the one to see something first hand to judge it, I ordered a pair of them from Panhandle Airsoft for a nice low price of $20.

 



 

Initial Impressions Pulling them out of the package, they were noticeably light. After weighing them it showed that the Molle one (the one with the two tabs at the top) was 3.5oz, the duty belt version (minus the tabs) was 3.3 oz. I had expected a bit more considering they are going to be holding onto a 1lb 12oz AGM GBBR magazine (or 1.7oz real steel magazine). The rubber straps that hold the units to the Molle or belt are pretty tight with excellent elasticity and good resistance to stretch. When released they return...

What can I say, I have been bitten by the Magpul bug. I recently got a real Magpul hand guard for my AR-15 and knew that I had to get one for my replica as well. With no budget to buy another full set of MOE furniture for the replica it was down to clone parts to do the job. Luckily the crew over at Panhandle Airsoft was able to supply a hand guard to satiate the hunger for MOE parts.

 



 

First Impressions Having used the real Magpul components on my real steel AR-15 to excellent effect there were high expectations for the clone parts to meet. Though as always with clone equipment there are concerns with quality and reliability it really wasn't that tall of an order for a mere hand guard. Pretty simply it is a static piece of plastic that should do nothing more than hold its position as much as possible.

 

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Now I have been running gas replicas for the better part of the 10+ years that I have been playing airsoft and I love them… I really do. But there is just something about the reliability of those electrics that always has me keeping one or two in my collection for those cold winter days or close quarter games where I need super reliability for every shot. Having only recently gotten into the CQB fad of replicas I found that my super short M4 was severely lacking comparative to the standard 'BB hoses' that are now the norm. Raptors Airsoft was there to remedy that problem though. They were nice enough to let me review the Element High Speed motor for the M4 (Long type V2) and to get my shorty ready for the upcoming OP: FEAR.



First Impressions

 

This is a very solid motor. For the first few rotations by hand I was almost sure that there was something wrong with the magnets on the inside as it was very hard to turn over. Once I applied power to it I was shocked that it spun quite as fast as it did. Turns out that the reason it is hard to turn is that the magnets are more powerful and different spacing than a regular or high torque setup that I am used to. The build quality is excellent all over. With a plastic bell housing holding a bearing for the axle it is at least as good as a Systema motor in that respect. The plastic is very heat tolerant. Application of a red hot metal pin does not cause a lot of damage, in fact it practically absorbs all of the heat immediately and retains excellent shape. This is a requirement for heat dissipation from the bearing....

As quoted by the Raptors Airsoft on Ebay here is a description of the Army of Two mask that was purchased.



These Masks are durable, light weight, and are one of the most intimidating masks on the market. Features:   Eyes are made out of 22 gauge wire mesh to prevent a BB from Penetrating. Foam cushion pads located inside the mask provide a comfortable fit Spider type 5 point strap Designed to allow for maximum airflow Is rubber coated on the interior to avoid a "fiberglass smell" Never fogs up because of mesh design Mask comes matte-black so you can easily paint it. Note:You must wear goggles or safety glasses under the mask.



 

I got this mask for an all indoors CQB game where full face protection is required. The only other times I have used full face masks was my MCU/2P gas mask with the protective lens cover. Considering that this game was for a summer...

Everyone runs into a situation once in a while that just can't be solved with a real capacity magazine, or a mid cap, or even a hi-cap. Once in a great while you just need a drum or box magazine to get things done. Well in search of a great deal on a rarely used component (for me that is, your mileage may vary) I came across something I just HAD to try. 5000 rounds at my disposal sounded too good to be true for the low price it was selling for so I had to try one out.







First Impressions

After giggle for a few minutes when I opened the box I finally picked it up and it was light… very light in fact. It felt like it was missing some parts. Nothing rattled or made any undue noise and it appeared that all the parts were there but it just felt off. I have felt TM hi-caps with more meat than this box. Does it affect performance? Not at all, in fact...

Overview of how the NPAS works

The NPAS system of nozzles for GBB rifles is an interesting design. Normally the nozzles that come stock in GBBRs are of a positive system meaning that the valve inside the nozzle is kept in an open state during the initial firing of the BB until the pressure in the barrel drops enough that the gas pressure overcomes the gas/spring pressure that is keeping it open. Once the valve moves forward and closes the system will begin to push the bolt carrier to the rear and begin the cycle. What the NPAS does is allow the distance and spring pressure that the valve has to move to be adjusted. When adjusted fully open the valve is further from the closed position and will allow more pressure to flow into the barrel and thus give a higher BB speed before the valve closes off. The reverse is true when the NPAS has been adjusted to an almost fully closed state. Less gas is directed into the barrel and before it begins the carrier cycle.

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