TheFull9
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Posts posted by TheFull9
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Which would be all very well, Chris, if ergonomic studies had shown that the people of today had shorter arms than those of 40-50 years ago. I just don't believe that they have...
Hence why I said "The firearm itself has some shortfalls but it does the job it was designed for despite the long list of restrictions and limitations".
I specifically didn't argue the idea that it's got 'cramping' issues, but that wouldn't stop the firearm being effective as a PDW. Indeed, it would be massively more useful than anything in a pistol calibre, let alone 9mm, when the other guy probably has 762x39. The point of the post wasn't to say its' perfect, not at all, just that it makes a great deal of sense for the very specific purpose it was designed for. If you've poked around inside the cockpit of a fast jet, Apache or armoured vehicle (which I'd imagine you will have at some point) you'll know where the issues come from in terms of having incredibly limited space to store personal weapons, hence the extremely compact overall size of the rifle. Craft such as those are bad enough when viewed empty, once you add a crew in all their body armour, helmets, kit bags, comms wires, O2 lines, ejector seat straps, maps, night vision etc etc etc.... the problem is made even worse.
I can only speak for myself after handling the airsoft version that yes it is on the small side, but personally I really did not find it uncomfortably small and wouldn't have any problem using it. All I'd say myself is for the tall and long-armed to not buy the airsoft version (if they happen to find one in stock), but that's a really specific situation given how few are left floating about for sale now. Personally, I don't really like the overall ergonomics of AKs because the receivers are on the long side compared to a lot of other modern rifles, as are the stocks too generally. With an AR I never extend the stock past the first click and the fire control hand is almost touching my chest; horses for courses.
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Whoo.. speculation central. Gotta love dem airsoft chinese whispers.
As is the story with so many carbine variants of issued rifles created throughout the last 100 years or so, there was a need for a compact weapon for aircrew, armoured vehicle crew etc. Something that had better range, accuracy, handling characteristics and magazine/ammo compatibility & capacity vs a 9mm pistol or sub-machine gun, while also being super compact (even more so than a 10.5" barreled M4). Funnily enough this is something our military has done well at over the years, many aircrew used to be issued the HK53 with the sliding stock which does collapse down extremely small yet being 556 with 30 round mags actually gives you a fighting chance against people with conventional military rifles. Then of course there's the L22 which has a much longer barrel than the HK53 (meaning better accuracy and muzzle velocity), is even more compact and takes the same mags as everyone else around you would be carrying.
I'm not sure whether the DoD actually put out any sort of contract or initiated a competition or set of trials for crewman PDW, but Magpul Industries unveiled the PDR back in 2006. Uses the conventional NATO standard for magazines and ammo in an extremely compact rifle which still maintains a long enough barrel for the 556 round to develop an effective muzzle velocity (along with numerous other advantages compared to an SMG).
Magpul Industries stopped working on it around '11 (probably no military interest) but as with the FMG/FPG before it a couple of employees carried on with finalising the external design, working together with PTS to bring the airsoft version to market. Personally I think they f'd up by coming out with the PDR-C rather than the PDR-D because the latter has some 20mm up front for modularity, a proper pistol grip and a physical selector/safety switch (one or the other).
Aesthetics... well that's about the most subjective thing in the world. The firearm itself has some shortfalls but it does the job it was designed for despite the long list of restrictions and limitations. Airsofters mostly live in a world based on guns dreamt up in the 40s and 50s, and for some reason despite most people being obsessed by 'the latest thing' in pretty much every aspect of life we're entirely stick-in-the-mud about weaponry. Not saying it's wrong to like AKMs or whatever, you can shoot BBs through whatever shaped toy you like on the weekend. Just saying that technology has moved on and when you look in to current design work you'll see the PDR actually doesn't look like a space raygun, it looks like a gun from 'today', perceptions are just skewed by the prevalence of very very old systems. A laptop or tablet would look ridiculously futuristic if everyone still had a dedicated room full to the rafters of whirring reels of tape as their home computers, but they don't, so it doesn't.
- team flex, Sappysid101, Monty and 1 other
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- MASSIF Elements jacket NFPA
- " Universal Combat Shirt
- " Breeze T-shirts x 2
- MASSIF/Outdoor Research Ninja Balaclava (all the above being flame-resistant)
- LMP 'Ultimate mag pouch'
- Blue Force Gear smoke nade pouch
- Source 1L carriers with bladders x 2
- SureFire x300u in Tan
- " G2X pro
- ATS Single M4 mag pouch, short
- HSGI TACOs x 3
- Source Helix valve kit
- G-Code/HSP D3 single mag carrier w/belt mount
- G-Code belt slide RTi mount wheel
- Heavy duty reflective blanket (for the emergency kit in the car)
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Ha, got the exact same setup here. Though the only shots I've fired have been through an EGLM, not tried the S-Thunder shorty yet, that'll be an interesting one.
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Nemesis Chest Rig
from Warrior Assault Systems
Construction
After what I would regard as an overdue period sticking to 1000D cordura (which put me off the brand for some time) Warrior has finally seen the 500 denier light and this rig was one the very first items they produced to the new lighter, less bulky spec, in-keeping with trends seen throughout the tactical gear industry. After a few years of not picking up any WAS gear I was curious to know if the very high standard of durability in construction and mil-spec materials were still in place and I'm happy to report they are. The cordura, webbing, thread, bungee cord, elastic, polymer hardware, metal grommets, velcro and zip all meet the top-end standard and you'll find just the same materials in this rig as you would in something from Blue Force Gear or Tactical Tailor. WAS stuff is put together in China hence the low prices compared to US made gear, but the materials are all imported from elsewhere (primarily the US) which makes it ideal for the airsofter who wants the maximum possible skirmish outings per £/$/¥/€ spent.
Primary Feature
The 4 integrated magazine pouches are the flagship element of this chest rig and though it may appear to be a dedicated 5.56 STANAG setup on the face of things, that's actually far from the truth. Options per pouch include the following:- 1 or 2 30rnd STANAGs or PMAGs, the pouches are fairly generously proportioned so you won't have to battle with it too much to get the second mag in (will also hold 20 rounders and one Surefire 60 or similar)
- 1 or 2 AK mags (best suited to 545, probably not ideal for 762x39 due to the curvature more than anything but most should fit)
- 1 Legacy 7.62 NATO Rifle/SR-25/SCAR-H mag
- 1 H&K G36 mag
Some small/medium radios would also be a possibility along with some kind of EDC style medical kit or a sport sized smoke grenade/other pyro deivce; but you'd struggle with something the size of a military smoke.
Each pouch features a bungee retention loop with folded webbing tab for ease of manipulation. The length of these loops can be quickly and easily adjusted to size, all the way from securing two 762x39 AK magazines down to just one 30 rnd STANAG. This is achieved via the cord-loc stashed away inside each individual chest panel; simply adjust the loop to the size you want, set in that size with the cord-loc and the excess bungee is all kept neatly out of the way inside the rig itself. This is a feature you'll not generally find on other chest rigs or shingle pouches out there on the market, more often than not you're left with that bungee just swinging in the breeze and either just have to live with it, or break out something sharp and make a permanent modification.
Also Showing
To my mind, split front chest rigs are the way to go. I find that being able to shrug on a piece of gear in the same way you do a jacket or coat is infinitely preferable to faffing around getting stuff over your head then tightening it all down. You gain maybe an inch or two of load carriage area in the very front of a a system like this by not having that zip at the 12 o/clock; space which is useful there's no denying. However, are you really making your equipment that much harder to access by shifting everything towards your back by a single inch? Generally, I'd imagine you're not.
I've owned numerous variants of this style of chest rig over the past 7 years or so and have been skirmishing them on and off pretty much since I started in airsoft. The Tactical Tailor 2-Piece MAV (and the BULLE MLE that copies it) for example, are both excellent split-front setups in a very similar vein to the Nemesis and both work fantastically well for any sort of gaming when you really only want to carry the small amount of equipment that's actually necessary for Sunday skirmishing; especially as an optional alternative to putting everything on a belt. At the higher end you have various options in this style such as the FirstSpear Split-Front Tubes rig, the Mayflower UW GEN V and the Blue Force Gear SPLITminus all of which enable the sort of quick, hassle free donning and doffing that makes life so much more pleasant during those breaks between games. Airsoft is after all an enjoyable with a fast paced sporting element that doesn't require anyone to suffer the rigours or military service or deployment, anything which makes me that bit more comfortable during a game day (primarily during the breaks) is very much welcome.
The Nemesis achieves its' split front functionality in a simple, robust fashion with the minimum of fuss. An extremely chunky YKK zip is mounted upside-down between the two panels and the combination of the large teeth and slider with the inverse mounting makes it super easy to line up and get started every single time, almost zero chance of annoying malfunctions and having to wrestle with this thing when it goes out of kilter on you. The teeth and slider are then covered up by a double flapped closure of velcro and webbing to maximise camouflage, minimise noise and hold down the pull on the slider to prevent it rattling around for all the world to hear. The outer most flap has 2 webbing pull tabs so you're not left to get frustrated while trying to peel up one corner of the velcro in your gloves. There are also elastic loops on the outside of this closure to hold 2 cyalumes, which personally I feel is rather pointless and would've preferred these be omitted since I'd never mount chemical lighting sticks in that position, but that's a really minor niggle and there are a few potential other uses for the elastic such as storage for paracord or other simple survival items.
Moving around the sides of the integral mag pouches we have a field of PALS webbing on each panel, measuring 3 columns by 5 rows. These two areas give you plenty of space for any combination of pistol mags/radio pouch/med kit/smoke grenade/GP pouch/40mm etc to fit your personal requirements and supplement the rifle magazines carried up front. This isn't alternately spaced webbing either, so you've got guaranteed solid mounting for pouches of any height, including the less common ones built to be an even number of PALS rows tall. Most companies will shave off some weight (and more importantly, cost) by avoiding solid PALS implementation, so it's particularly nice to see this on such a competitively priced rig. The amount of stitching is almost over the top with bar tacking used very liberally indeed throughout the Nemesis, as seems to be characteristic with Warrior. This construction style does not make for a super light or supple piece of gear, but with a bit of break in it's perfectly comfortable and you'll have to really work on it to cause much in the way of wear or damage.
On the inside of each chest panel there is a mesh pocket with a small velcro tab to for closure, handy for safely holding thinner administrative items. Or indeed potentially a place to keep your smart phone and wallet, safe from BB hits; depending on the thickness of those items and how bothered the wearer is about having solid items pressed directly against the body.
The Harness
All the above is great, but you'll need some kind of strap system to attach it all to your body. Luckily the harness on the Nemesis does a good job of that, with plenty of features built in to it.
The harness comes as standard in an H configuration which is good as that is generally the all-round better option, but if you did want to convert back to an X you could remove the crossbar and very easily do so. The primary straps that bear the weight comprise 1.5” webbing (which is a lot stronger than cordura) going over the shoulders and 1” webbing to make the connections around the back between the shoulders straps and the panels themselves. You then have a large amount of padding sewn on to the primary areas at the front and top of the 1.5” webbing, which significantly cushions out the harness. Ideally we'd have seen 3D spacer mesh underneath the padding to increase airflow and moisture wicking, but then of course the price would've increased and on a comparatively small surface area like this the moisture retention issue should be fairly minimal.
For communications cable and hydration tube routing there are webbing strips attached perpendicularly to the upper area of the harness straps, as well as cordura panels with velcro on the of each strap to form an enclosure wrap. Each of these has elastic loops protruding from their outer edges to form another channel for potential use. There are also PALS-like webbing points integrated to the front of each routing enclosure, which are ideal for attachment of ITW Grimlocks/Web dominators and PTT devices. Sufficed to say if you have a hydration system and/or comms setup on the back or sides of this chest rig you are extremely well catered for.
One would assume that Warrior plan to release specific hydration carriage backpack or rear panel for the Nemesis as it comes with a pair of (currently) superfluous side-release buckles attached to the top of the shoulder straps. There may be some potential for hanging other PALS mounted packs or hydration pouches to these but their positioning is generally not ideal for such a setup.
The entire harness features numerous points of adjustment to allow the Nemesis to fit a very wide range of builds, all facilitated via side-release buckles. The lower back strap is rather excessive on hardware with large buckles on both ends which are frankly unnecessary, especially on a split-front rig that does not require this strap to be released for donning. The user sets it in place once, secures the excess webbing strap with the supplied elastic loops and will then not need to touch this strap again unless they perhaps add significant extra clothing or body armour.
In Conclusion
The Nemesis represents very high durability of construction standards at a budget-to-mid level price point. As Warrior are historically well known to do, this rig provides value for money by the truck load to the skirmish user and is in many ways the ideal type of LBE for the practical airsoft player. Apologies for the cliché phrasing, but this rig would genuinely make an excellent investment for a player new to the sport as well as continuing to be a very sound choice for long time players.
It will not make you look like an SOF operator and will cost you more than a low level 'ACM' rig would. It perhaps won't look as cool as a plate carrier or PALS vest, but it'll be much cooler in terms of massively reduced heat retention; having such a comparatively small footprint is of course very useful for outdoor games in the summer. But if you want something that will last for many years, be comfortable and practical, as well carrying just a basic loadout of magazines comfortably accompanied by a small amount of extra equipment; then do strongly consider the Nemesis.- Airsoft_Mr B, Monty, RandomTrashy and 4 others
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You know what? Pride. That's what it comes down to, eh? And yet, how proud can we be of ourselves when our community has so often seen even just mildly contentious opinions spark some proper mongery, so much so in fact that Chris, one of our longstanding, well respected, members chooses to censor himself. Gordon Bennet, I don't know what the answer is my friends, but i know we need one!
Tbh, primarily just didn't want the thread going off topic more. But it wasn't the fact I felt what I said would be contentious I'm fine with making such posts on airsoft forums and I'd still stand behind everything I said and would happily say it again, just didn't want to say it in that exact place/time/context is all.
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The ICS is (by quite a margin) the newest and least overly-complex design on the market. As with a firearm, the simpler you can make it the less there is to go wrong and compared to the Ares and G&G the ICS follows generally good design and engineering principles very well.
Everyone has their preferences, but IMO plumping for any of the other options rather equates to putting your money in to an obsolete design.
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- Plat-A-Tac TAC DAX (Crye cut trousers) in Highlander and Coyote
- 2 External knee pad sets
- 4 patches
- BB Shingle (yep, that's the name) with pistol pouch
Also a small med kit to compliment the other emergency supplies I'm putting together in my car. Plus a set of the only belt keepers I could find in stock in the UK to work with a 2" belt, hasty purchase needed for the weekend after something was missed during the home -> base gear transition.
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Got the tissues out already I see.
- Ian_Gere, team flex, Airsoft_Mr B and 3 others
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Interestingly, a lot of people thought the same sort of thing about the FS rigs when they first came out. I've discovered after more than a fair bit of testing on my original Strandhogg that that just isn't the case. However people are just really conditioned in to seeing those slots and assuming they're as soft and weak as (like you say) some very thin sort of paper. Everyone's just so accustomed to all those webbing strips and heavy duty bar-tack stitching it seems alien to manufacture something with is sort of a negative image as it were.
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HSGI TACOs do come with more than enough bungee, certainly accomodate STANAGs, AK and 762 NATO mags; along with smoke nades, medium sized radios etc. The WAS copies are hugely excessive in that regard, at least the first gen ones I had were. You'd have to be trying to store an M82 mag inside one to need the amount of spare cord they supplied, really weird considering they could save themselves some cash there without actually hindering the product. Of course they might've changed their procedures at the factory by now.
Can't say I've seen any long terms reports of the longevity of the ACM interpretation on the 6/12 system. It's great when done right but it requires proper radii in the corners to minimise the potential for tears and for the nylon to be laminated with another layer of material (velcro in order to actually work with 6/12 pouches). How the lower end chinese producers will manage that I'm not sure, the short reviews/impressions I've seen seem to indicate they're alright, but I've not heard from anyone who owns both the FirstSpear and the clone rig to compare.
If it turns out nobody at all on here does know I'd ask on Arnies, a few people there do own them ( Apologies to the admins for 'sending business away' but I'm sure you're all more concerned about players getting the info they need as the main priority). -
Irony being Echo1 don't even create anything, they just slap their name on ACM absurdity.
- Hav0c, Monty and DX115FALCON
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If you spend enough time reading around about it you'll discover Helikon is much like Viper and Web-tex. A lot of airsofters shout about it from the rooftops when it works because it's cheap and us airsofters love a bargain more than life itself. But then again there's plenty of negative reviews around too and as with Android vs iOS, PS vs XBox, TM vs WE etc people get really bloody irate if you don't agree with their experience or perception of a brand. When you look up the reviews from guys who've owned and used higher quality gear that's when they're usually painted in a more negative light. Also the fact they've fabricated a new brand name with the release of their new line of backpacks doesn't fill me personally with confidence, every time I've seen a company in the airsoft or gear world do that it's because they've been trying to shake off the very negative reputation they've accrued in the past. Not to say organisations can't change/improve because they can, but it's an under-handed move IMO and usually when a company does climb out of a bad hole and turn things around they don't change their name (G&G being a prime example from the top of my head).
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I've seen the original a few years back, which is the beauty of the joke really. Just wondering who made the airsoft variant.
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Ha! Did you make that one jc? I want to steal it.
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Plate carriers, soft armour and any sort of nylon rig on the torso are all pretty much the most effective form of insulation there is. They're not breathable like a high end outdoor jacket, but if you have a reasonable sized PC or chest rig you'll find that keeps in plenty of warmth when running about outside in the winter. Personally it's the extremities I worry about, it varies person to person but my hands just don't seem to have the blood flow of a normal human being so I have to wear some good gloves during the colder months; something often overlooked is that a metal handguard on a rifle will also sap any heat in your hands right out of there. I made the mistake some years ago of skirmishing in December wearing gloves designed for the desert (they looked good, but they had actual holes built in to the design) and holding on to the rail after an hour or so I wasn't doing so great. Tucked my hands inside my PC which started warming them up quite nicely but I wasn't far off spewing when the feeling started coming back. Interestingly I've seen a very similar occurrence many times in a different context, my dad's been in to windsurfing for decades so as a kid I'd often go along for a day/weekend and they didn't stop the events for winter, so combining the general air temperature with a fair bit of falling in water you'd get a lot of blokes coming back indoors on the verge of tears with the pain in their hands as they warmed back up. Not to say this is a common occurrence but I thought I'd throw it out there for consideration, might be pertinent to somebody out there reading.
If you want some upper torso that's modern looking, comfortable under gear and keeps in heat check out the Propper UBACS (UK tac have them). Considering they're a garment that's designed to keep you as cool as possible in the heat, the Propper ones (unlike every other brand I've tried) are made of comparatively thick, heavy fabrics. Makes them much worse than their competitors in the summer but a very useful winter garment.
Apart from that, if you do look at shoftshells (which are popular for a reason) I'd strongly suggest playing a game in some other types of insulating layer before making a decision. People tend to equate jackets with being heavily insulated but there are a lot of options out there when it comes to tactical gear. Some are deliberately just a thin layer to keep wind and rain off while allowing sweat out.. slightly better than a fleece or BDU shirt anyway. The thicker the lining in a jacket the better it is for stationary duties but the more uncomfortably hot and sweaty it'll be when you exert yourself. -
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- 2 Yards of Multicam Arid NY/CO
- Crye G3 Combats
- Unique-ARs custom tube handguard
- Custom modular front plate carrier
- 12 Patches
- Blue Force Gear Vickers padded sling
- BFG Small utility
- 2 BFG Smoke 'nade
- FirstSpear Split front chest rig
- FS 6/12 Cummerbund
- FS 2L Hydro pouch
- FS Armour shoulder pads
- FS 2-point sling
- FS Small utility
- FS Assaulters' Gun Belt
- Magpul Industries MOE Stock
- MI Galaxy S5 case
- MI MS1 All-QD connector
- MI M-LOK plastic rail section
- Tangodown iO cover
- Midwest Industries Handguard removal tool
- Midwest QD swivel
- DSG Arms AR-15 barrel nut
- DSG AR-15 mag catch
- 556 Chamber flag
- Camelbak water bottles, 0.75 and 1L
Gun picture thread
in Guns, Gear & Loadouts
Posted
Can't seem to see where you picked up the GLM there PT, was it in the UK? ICS came out with a TAG specific version more recently (maybe a month or so ago) and I've not seen them stocked outside of the HK stores yet.