This would be my first time reviewing a Airsoft hand grenade. Ever since starting in Airsoft I have always followed the many attempts to simulate the hand grenade of real life war fare. Though I would not call the simulation mastered by any means, it has come a long way as more people become interested in the sport and more companies get involved in the manufacturing process. This particular grenade is made by PFI and is powered by gas, and also uses powder to simulate the smoke of a real grenade The grenade is designed to fire off 8 BB’s and the operation is nearly exact to that of a real grenade.

First Impressions

The grenade came neatly packaged in a plastic cylinder, with nearly all of the parts separated. The first thing I did was grab the actual grenade shell, and realized it was a little lighter than expected. It looked pretty realistic in the container (and also does outside the container) so was not expecting it to be so light. On the other hand it makes sense that it is light, so the force of the gas going off can easily open the shell allowing the BB’s to get out. The plastic does seem to be pretty sturdy and so far so good in terms of the actual tests. I will say however that it is probably not a good idea to throw this thing over hand like you would a baseball. If you do put too much force on it, and it hits something hard like a rock, concrete, etc. it may break as it is after all still plastic. The directions also advise against this type of throw, so underhand or lobs are probably the best way to go.

I was impressed and blown away by the complexity of the grenade as I counted 7 pieces essential to the operation of the grenade, which must be assembled before each use. This to me seemed like a pain the first time but once I got used to the way it worked and understood it more, there really was not much to it at all. Printed clearly on the box is a sticker which states “This is a Toy”. That being said this toy does pack a punch. My first test of the product it actually startled me slightly with how powerful it was. My real question from the start however was how effective will this be as a tool in the game of Airsoft.

Operation

Here I am simply going to go through the way you set this grenade up for operation. First you take the gas can, which is the metal piece which goes into the grenade shell giving the live grenade its weight, and is the main operation component. You pour 8 BBs into the top. You can put more in but it is not recommended and I also do not believe they will all come out anyway. You then take one of the 10 provided caps for the gas can on. This cap is fairly difficult to get on, but once you get the hang of it its not too bad. On top of this you put one of the powder disks. Before putting the powder disk on you must remove the sticker which keeps the powder in.

Caps for the top of the gas can

You then open up the grenade shell and slide this gas can in there making sure the hole in the bottom for the gas matches up with the hole in the bottom of the plastic shell. Otherwise you will not be able to load the gas into the grenade. Now you close up the shell. To hold the shell close you put in the piece they call the “locking cap” into the top of the grenade. This has a sharp metal piece which goes all the way down to hold the grenade in place. Keeping the metal piece down is the handle, which is over the spring, and held in place by the pin. Now the grenade is fully together and ready to go.

The directions advertise a 6 second timer on the explosion. I have experienced a 2 second delay on the explosion, but this is apparently adjustable using the screws within the grenade. Adjusting the screws will change the amount of time it takes for the spring to pop once the handle is removed. From here you load the gas into the bottom of the grenade until it is full. The next step is to pull the pin and throw the grenade towards your target.

This is a shot inside of the shell without the gas can in it. You can see the screws which adjust the time.

Results

This grenade is one of the most fun Airsoft products I have used. The above process results in a satisfying explosion of sorts. This is accompanied by a puff of powder smoke, a decently loud noise, and the pieces of the grenade being spread out over a 30-40 foot area. The spread of the pieces is kind of annoying if you plan on finding them all. The easiest pieces to find are the handle, the shell, and the metal gas can. These are the larger parts and more important to the operation of the grenade. The two caps which go on the metal can are easily lost, but I have been able to recover both some of the time. But in the heat of a skirmish I would not expect this. They are fairly cheap and are sold separately so you can not worry about them at all if you prefer. But I think this causes each use of the grenade to be about 50 cents. This is not all that bad, but it would add up, so keep this in mind when you see the $50 MSRP and think that is not all that bad.

I personally feel like you can get by if you can simply recover the caps to cover the gas can. The powder discs are not essential to the operation of the gun, but do make it seem more real. They also say not to fill it with any powder but official PFI powder, but I doubt that it would make any difference if you put a different powder in there, as long as it is not dangerous. You also can probably go without powder at all, but that does take some of the fun out of it. So in my opinion if you plan on just buying the grenade, you can be a bit of a scavenger and avoid additional operation payments. On the other hand if you are not worried about paying the money you can buy the pieces in bulk and use it frequently without concern.

Now my main concern with this product is how effective would it be in action. The way the grenade is designed, all of the BBs will essentially shoot in the same direction, and when throwing or rolling the grenade, there is now way of knowing exactly which direction the top of the grenade will be facing upon detonation. Essentially it is like a 8 BB shotgun going off in a somewhat random direction, but it does go in a certain direction and not in all directions. If you are able to roll the grenade you can control the accuracy a little more, or if you get it to detonate in the air you have better accuracy. Now personally if I had this thing go off right next to me I probably be too startled to feel the BB’s hit me, but also would probably just call myself out from the shock. Once people know how it goes off it still will be effective as a tool since they will run away from their hiding place hopefully revealing themselves to AEG fire.

So though this product may not perform perfectly like a grenade, it will be a pretty darn good simulation. If they do not get hit with one of the BBs they may even get hit by one of the other parts of the grenade including the shell itself as that shoots off about 20-30 feet in the opposite direction of the BBs. Also the enemy reaction should be fairly similar to what it would be in a real military situation, if it were a real hand grenade. I also think this opens the door to a lot of booby trap set ups as you could aim it in a certain direction a dig up someway for the pin to be pulled.

Conclusion

Overall this product is a very fun addition to anyone’s arsenal. It is fun to toy around with, it will be effective on the battlefield, and is relatively cheap. Like I said before it has a $50 MSRP which is not bad, and assuming you lose the pieces you could lose every use it would cost about $0.50 per use, no including the gas cost. This could add up, but really is not that bad, and I would anticipate that you would only use it a couple times in a skirmish, as it is most effective in very specific situations.

Also please check out the video of this grenade to get a feel for exactly how it operates. If after seeing that, and reading this you think it is worth dishing out the $50 then go for it. Others may see it is not worth that price tag and that is fine too. This product does have a lot of additional value in addition the actual skirmish use. It is cool looking, looks real, and adds a new element to the game. Not to mention it is pretty intimidating and fun to use just for around the house. So if these sounds like its right up your alley I highly recommend it, but it is not for everyone.

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Introduction

Well I received a large shipment of BBs from TSD Tactical with the following BB types for review; .20g, .20g Bio-180, .23g, .25g, .26g Bio-180, .28g. I have done extensive testing with each on several different guns form gas, electric to spring, and from powers ranging from 280 FPS to 475 FPS. The weakest gun used was the TSD 3-Burst shotgun and the most powerful was an upgraded VSR-10 by Tokyo Marui.

I personally have a lot of experience with TSD Tactical BBs because I have been using them exclusively for the past couple years. It was at first an economical choice since they were cheaper when bought by the 5,000 count bag, but after using them I realized that their quality also matched any other BB type I had previously used as well. So since then it is all I have used. I will go through each BB one at a time but you will find there is not much to say between the BBs besides the obvious differences between the Biodegradable pellets and the regular ones.

Bio-180 BBs

So to get right to the point, the Bio-180’s; are they worth it? This simply comes down to a matter of preference and opinion. The Bio-180 BBs are considerably more expensive with a more than 50% price increase. The .20g originals are $20 for 5,000 while the MSRP for 5,000 Bio’s is $33. But then again this is all relative as if you looked at the actual price of the Bio-180’s you would realize that it is still very affordable considering how many you are getting, and for any paintball converts out there you probably appreciate this price as well as it is not nearly as high as those for paintballs. So when it comes to price it is very affordable, but is considerably more expensive than the normal BBs.

So now it comes down to whether or not it is worth it to you. The BB’s are advertised to be organic and should breakdown within 180 days when exposed to soil, water, and sunlight. Unfortunately I have not had the BBs for over 180 days so I can not confirm this yet, but I will keep you updated with my testing. I have tested it long enough however to see that while a normal BB essentially goes unchanged, these do start to breakdown. So if your concern is the environment and the BBs breaking down, rest assured this product should get the job done. I can not say for certain however exactly how long of a process this is and what you can expect after 180 days, but even if it is a year I feel like that would be perfectly acceptable for most.

Now the second concern is whether or not you would be sacrificing not only some of the money in your wallet, but also some performance in your game. The answer to this is no. I have tested these BBs over and over again and I can not tell any difference between them and the normal BBs in flight patterns or anything of that sort. The Bio-180’s should hit their target just as effectively as the normal BBs.

The real question now thanks the solid performance of the product is whether or not the price tag is worth it to you, and how it affects the place where you play. So the decision is up to you. I also would like to point out that the Bio-180 BBs are "egg shell white" while the regular bbs are just white. It is a noticable difference as you can see in the picture below. 

Regular BBs

Now if you decide that Bio-180s are not for you I will continue to discuss the regular BB’s and the different weights, but if you are expecting a different review on performance you are not going to find one. All of the BBs shot as expected and I would recommend all of them. So if you are not a stickler on BB weights, the rest may bore you.

The BB I probably tested the most was the .28g as I wanted to see if it made a big difference from .25g BBs in my VSR-10 (also used .26g Bios and you can just assume they shot the same as the .25g because they basically did). The testing went as expected, the .25g BB shot slightly harder (though barely noticeable) and also towards the end of the flight would tail off to one side or another. The side to which it tailed was consistent and I believe it was do to wind conditions. The .28g BBs shot with a little more consistency as one would expect, but would still tail, just further in the flight pattern and a little less noticeable. Now I am not big on sniping, I have tried it, I have had fun with it, but for the most part it is not for me. The way I snipe is I do not use a scope, I simply sneak around camp out, and weight for a good shot. So for the way I snipe .25g are perfectly acceptable solutions. But for those snipers who take things more seriously and really have a passion for it, you will be better off with the heavier BB just because it will make a difference for those really long range shots I know you love to challenge yourselves with.

When it comes to an upgraded AEG I would recommend .25g. Anything shooting over 350 I always like to use .25g simply because they add accuracy and do not seem to take off a significant enough amount of velocity. After tests my opinion was confirmed, and If you are shooting an upgraded AEG I would not let the extra gram scare you away from the .26g Bio-180’s if that is what you are interested in. The .20g’s also perform up to par with any .20g out there, and for stock AEGs and even upgraded AEGs they perform very well. If you are more a “spray and pray” type player, why pay extra for the more accurate BBs? Just stock up on the lighter ones.

The .23g BB kind of surprised me, as I had never encountered it before. There is a slight difference between its velocity and the .25g’s and also slightly more accurate than the .20g. So These BBs are kind of a middle ground which I think is really convenient. I may consider using these for any guns I have shooting in the 325-350 FPS range because they do shoot pretty accurate especially under normal shooting conditions (not much wind or anything) so would be worth having the extra velocity in some situations.

Conclusion

So overall I love TSD Tactical BBs and I recommend them to anyone. I would recommend .20 for stock Tokyo Marui AEG’s, .23g for guns shooting 325-330 FPS, and .25g for AEGs shooting 350 FPS +. If you are sniping mind as well go with the .28g or even if you have a power AEG for pride yourself in sharp shooting abilities. In those situations you do not use much ammo anyways, so the price should not really matter. With all of the options they provide there is bound to be the perfect BB for you, so I would try some of them out to figure out which kind you like.

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Right around this time last year I purchased a day pack manufactured by Miltec industries. Prior to this purchase I was looking for a backpack with several things in mind. As a sniper I want a place to stash my ghillie if I take it off in the field. I want a place to keep my water, my sidearm, extra ammo for my sidearm, and a toolkit in case I have technical difficulties. I know that I can keep all of these items on a web belt or in pouches, but that can make crawling across terrain more difficult. I wanted a backpack which could be cinched tightly to my back, and would not move even when I run. While searching for a pack which would fit these criteria I found tons of excellent choices, but most of them over $150. I understand quite well that a $150 is probably going to last me forever, however, I really only cared if the darn thing lasted me through the summer. So with this in mind I purchased my Miltec level 3 assault pack for $50 from sportsmans guide. Five days after my purchase, my pack arrived on my doorstep.

Here is a first look at this thing:





-Notice the chest and waist straps. Both sets of straps are highly
adjustable, and allow the pack to be tighted to fit your tastes.

-The black back of this pack is thin pocket consisting of mesh material
with a velcro top. I suppose you could put papers in here, not much
else is gonna fit.

-There is enough webbing to attach 4 M16 mag pouches on the sides of
the pack, 2 per side. There is also webbing on the front of the pack,
which you can see from the pictures. There is enough room that you
can attach 2 M16 pouches and a Buttpack, 4 M16 pouches, or 2
Buttpacks (just for a size reference).

-As you can see there is a small strip of velcro which you could use to
attach name tape or a patch, my pack has name tape on it.

-The bottom of the pack has 2 straps which allow you to cinch the pack
as tight as you want, or you can loosen the straps to allow more
storage room.

-Theres also a strap that covers the top of the pack, which can also be
tightened or loosened.


Lastly, here are some internal space pictures.

-The large internal pocket will hold 2 2 liter bottles, with enough space
for you to cram in your bdu's if you really squish them.

-The upper outer pocket shown here is large enough to hold a 12oz
can of pop. The bottom outer pocket shown here is large enough to
hold 3 12oz cans of pop.

Theres also a couple small internal pockets which are perfect for
storing identification, money, or other small items.

Durability
One might not expect much durability from a pack which cost $50, but you'd be wrong. I bought this pack in January of 2006, long before I'd begin using it for airsoft. I used it the entire college semester for my books, carrying 25 pounds of books on a daily basis. Over the summer the pack performed exactly as I had hoped for. The following fall semester I continued to use it for school, carrying 25-30 pounds worth of books each day. There are no tears anywhere in the fabric, and no sign of any damage after a year of hard use.

Would I reccomend this pack? In a heartbeat. You can't find a better pack for the price, and it WILL last.

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King Arms G3 Mid Cap Mag Review

I had needed standard or midcap mags for events in Ohio so when I saw that Airsoft GI had them I decided to place an order.

Initial impressions
They came in a small box with a picture of the mags on it along with the king arms logo. The mags are a nice flat black color but are made of plastic so their rather light. Still they feel solid. Now if you have a classic army G3 or classic army G3 metal body you will have to trim the top back corner of the mags otherwise they won't fit in. It only takes a few minutes to do with a dremel. If you try to force it you will break off the front of the mag well although it will still work because of the way the mags lock in.

Performance
So after I trimmed them I loaded them up and took them out side to try them out. All the mags feed flawlessly on semi and full auto. I loaded them up again and got the same results. I was very relieved at this because I had heard of problems with KA's m14 midcaps not feeding well.

Pros
Cheap (5 for 45 which is about the price of 2 TM standards)
Feeds well
Solid
Hold 110 rounds

Cons
Plastic
Need work for classic army G3's

Conclusion
If you've got a G3 and want something besides hicaps and don't want to spend a lot of money on TM standards go pick these up.

 

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Price


There are many variations and brands of this type of helmet and they all go for about 40 euros. There is a STAR helmet that goes for 25 euros but I've heard that they come with no lining inside, and thus, they wobble around your head as you walk or run. Unfortunately, I don't know the brand of the helmet featured on this article since it didn't show anywhere, but I can tell you that I bought it at Campobase (item# AC-0744). They also have it in olive drab for those who want a more military look.

Value


The helmet price is right. There are many out there, but I doubt any would compare to this one in quality. Here in Athens I've seen beat up used military helmets anywhere from 50 to 120 euros... absolutely ridiculous.

Construction


It is so well built that I was impressed when I held it. It's built with hard ABS plastic and it's masterfully crafted in and out. Thought this is a REPLICA, meaning NON-BALLISTIC, it is so strong and so well padded that it feels like a biker's helmet. You really don't want to get a real helmet for airsoft purposes... they are heavy and you will have a killer neckpain the following morning. We play for fun, leave the discomfort to the real soldiers... take it easy on yourself and get one of these light non-ballistic models.

The strap clips are strong and the chin supporter is made of some kind of rubber that sticks to your skin. Remember that roll of foam I had leftover from the Sansei SG5 Mask? Well, it came in handy since I used a piece on the inside to prevent it from sticking to the chin, which can become bothersome after you sweat for a while.

If I could describe the inside look and feel of the helmet with only one word, I would say "BMW". 'nuf said.

Weight


Approximately 550 grams. But it's so comfortable that when you wear it, after a minute you forget you even have it on.

Balance


As long as you get the right size for your head (as I did), this helmet will fit you like a balaclava. It will stay put no matter how much you jump, run or turn, it will not dance about. The padding all around it is very good that it would safely protect you if you fall and hit a rock with your head. Like I said before, it's so good it feels like a bikers helmet.

Weaknesses




Pretty much there's only one weakness... the inside padding is glued to the helmet itself, so you cannot pull it out to wash it, and believe me, you will NEED to wash it. Your forehead will start sweating crazy after a few minutes, and that's if you're just standing around.

My proposed remedy? Wear a bandana. That will prevent the helmet's padding from excesive sweating and will last longer without needing a wash.

Conclusion

Despite it's only weakness, which is only a minor one, I strongly recommend this particular helmet. When you buy it, you'll be glad you did.

-TripleA of Hellasairsoft.com

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Story I went to Jungletoy to get some bbs and I went and showed my mom what I wanted for my birthday. It was the Infinity Tactical Vest. It was only forty dollars and she bought it. I was supposed to get this vest for my 15th birthday. And I begged my mom to give it to me as an early birthday gift, she broke and I got it early. There are pockets on the front and slots on the back to add more accessories. Accessories I opened it up and I found out that the vest smelt awkward at first, almost like a leather smell. I ignored it for while and found out that it was the material that made the sniper stock shoulder pad. The smell went away after a couple of games I played with it. The vest has six pouches made to hold six M16 sized magazines; the pieces of cloth stuck into the pouches are removable and stretch so they can fit a tank of green gas in the pocket. The vest has shotgun shell holders for up to five shotgun shells. There is also a radio pouch on the left shoulder that is small on the bottom and larger in the upper part of the pocket. The radio I used was too big for the pouch so I just stored the radio in the pouch under the shotgun shell holder. The pouch I stored the radio in was under the radio pouch. The vest has belt loops that are fully adjustable, this is very handy because it makes your vest and belt into a single piece so you can just leave your belt on and just grab your vest and head out on your way to your game. There are Para-cords so you can adjust it to your size, but when I adjusted it to my size, there was too much left over and no where to put it, so I just wrapped it around itself and headed out to my game. I did not trip on them and they did just what they are supposed to do. On the inside of the vest there are map pouches on both the left and right, very useful for operations. I store energy bars in there when I go out into a night op and munch on them while I recon enemy positions. There are D-Rings on the shoulder, which I haven’t used yet, but I think will come in handy to some of you airsofters. The frontal zipper zips from the left and not the right and some of you are familiar with. It is metal and you do not need to struggle with it to get it zipped up. In between the pockets and on the back is a mesh so that you do not overheat during a game. There is also a water pack pouch on the inside back of the vest. For extended ops this can be very useful. The vest has 3 rows of attachment straps on the back I personally have never needed them, but if you are in groups your teammates can grab their needed supplies from your back. You can see the mesh and the camel pack straw coming out of the vest. Comfort Wearing the vest is very comfortable, and there is plenty of room for extra movement. I did not feel so pack in tight when I wear it. If you pack it too tight to yourself, then there would be no room to get your map. The mesh makes playing in heated weather much cooler so comfort you more during the game. The weight of the vest fully loaded is only about 5-6 pounds and is not much when you are in the heat of a firefight. The weight is well balanced out with a lot of things in the pockets, I put magazines in the where the magazines are supposed to go, and a pocketknife in the shotgun shell pouch. I put two batteries in the pouch across of the shotgun shell pouch/straps. And it seemed as if the weight balanced pretty well, not too heavy on one side, not too light on the other side. Overall This vest really great for the price, it is not an actual military vest, but was made in the direction for airsofting. It is not an actual military vest but still has potential to last for a while. There are many pockets to store what you need in the vest and the belt loop makes it great for extra storage on your belt, but the vest has already enough pockets to store items in. I have experienced only a little loss of storage, so that is why I use the belt for it. If you want a cheap starting tactical vest then this vest will fulfill your search. Gibson 854321

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First Impressions



This comes with the loader and the attachment to load pistol magazines (more on this later). When I first got this I was pretty excited because I had just ordered 3 standards with it. I heard that this was great for reloading in the field if you ran out of ammo. Naturally, I bought one since my standard magazine count now went up to four (4). So I opened it up, it was nothing special so far. So I loaded it up and went to work clicking away into my standards. I was amazed at how easy this was compared to doing it with the loading rod.

BlackHawk1 - February 12, 2009 I have to disagree with your claim that the loader will not load a G&P MidCap. I have owned 3 G&P MP5 MidCaps, and the loader you reviewed was what I used every time to fill them up. Never once encountered a problem.

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Rico Alpha-9 Tactical Weapon System (Flashlight)

This is the two LED lights in the dark while mounted to gun

This is the light pointing at the ground (grass). As can be seen it is kind of dull despite being right against the ground, and is concentrated.

This is another expamle of using the LED lights and this time it is mounted on the gun as you can see the barrel of the GR16-a2

Large bush/tree from about 50 yards

Hard to make out, but it is a treeline about 100 yards away

You can see the switch behind the lamp, and the grips on the light vertical grip

This is the LED light button above the vertical grip

You unscrew the bottom of the grip, and in goes 3 CR123A batteries

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