LMKipper

Not an owner but I was once a 'freebie loving' bike journo. Genuinely never wrote/said anything I wouldn't say to a friend spending their own money but either way, I am no longer a journalist, so there's nowt in it for me. The issue with the DCT gearboxes is that in standard modes, they just want to rush to top as quickly as possible. It's very easy to find yourself in 6th at 30. With the gearbox in the sporty mode they're a bit better but still hit and miss - I used to put Africa Twins straight to S3 and they still felt about 10bhp down on the standard bike. They've definitely improved the changing gear seemingly at random/mid-corner problems they used to have but it's far from perfect and it only takes one really ropey shift to catch you off-guard. On the Wing, they make some sense especially if you use the crawl mode in traffic, but on the rest of the range I'd honestly just stick with the manual.

Really good day at DogTag - only did the morning as I had to pick up the other half this afternoon but the morning games were fun. We (blue) started attacking, having to clear out the trenches, then the CQB area, then the rifle range and finally the FOB. Attackers had to push through, plant a flag in one area then raise the corresponding flag in the next area. Attackers respawn, defenders one life and fall back. Pretty standard stuff really. What made it really excellent, was that on each team there were people with mortars, so the opening game started with two mini artillery barrages. Same for when we switched sides after the break. I had a couple of really nice plays while defending, including one great spot where I could shoot onto the back of a doorway from about 20m away. I got about five or six players who ran in, with a few complaining of friendly fire. In the end, it was bad luck that knocked me out with a badly thrown grenade (aimed for a bunker miles away) landing near me. Used my WA M4 and it ran like a dream - shot lovely and straight all morning with real shot to shot consistency, which is pretty key when you've only got 30rds a mag. Credit also to the marshalls for testing a 'DMR' a guy was chronoing only to discover it was capable of full auto. He told them it was a DMR and semi-locked. I didn't see the full outcome but as I left they were offering to throw him off the site.

Ah those are lovely @Jez_Armstrong What's the case diameter?

Be interested to see how this pans out. I work at a vehicle OEM and we test things like you wouldn't believe but we can't simulate every possible outcome. When something a bit unexpected happens that results in a product failure, and we can replicate it, everyone in R&D is mortified. That said, checking it still works after it falls over seems like a basic test...

Disappointing day for me at AWA Herts. Hadn't been before but thought I'd give it a whirl. It was their 'Big Skirm' where they run the whole site. In the morning there was a vague objective of 'collect some things from around the site' but the brief didn't say where they were, offer us any maps or suggest what the other team might be doing. The result was just some vague bumbling around an incredibly overgrown woodland, where I saw three or four players from the other team at most and the one chap I did hit didn't take it. At no point did we know how we were doing but we did know the result was supposed to influence the afternoon in someway (although it was never mentioned ever again). After lunch it was a giant two+ hour fall back game, again with no real objective other than either attack (reds) or defend (greens). I called it quits a few fallbacks early as I got smashed in the face with the hardest airsoft hit I've ever had. I was lying a fair way back across open ground, so it hit me with a lot of force from a decent distance (50m+). I mentioned it to the marshal and he replied "Oh yeah the other team has lots of regulars who run DMRs. I bet I can guess who it was. We call his gun the C*ntcannon." Lovely! Hard to know if it was outright shiftyness, or someone taking advantage of the fact they chrono on FPS, not joules but it's the first time I've had cause to think someone was actually using a hot RIF. Needless to say, won't be returning...

I bet at some point someone didn't have a tool to take off the barrel nut, so they just whacked the RAS with a hammer until it came loose.

I’d be interested to hear about this, especially if it holds zero. Seen these myself and it always seems like a gamble.

Ah what a lovely thing? Is it the steel or ally version?

With the storm grip, KAC front end and cut off bayonet lug it's halfway to an L119A1. Bargain!

Ah gotcha. Similar names and Imperium is a decent drive from a main road, never mind public transport! What I've found the London area is missing is a good FIBUA site, like Anzio. It either seems to be pure woodland, or CQB but no building to build stuff but I guess that's just a space in the South East issue.

Do you mean Imperium? Invicta Black is about a two minute walk from a train station.

I was there and it was a slower start than usual - not really sure why. Brief is always 9:30 for 15ish minutes, then game on at 10ish. I think they had less vehicles running, so it took longer to bus everyone to the start with a few round trips. The actual play time ended up around the same as they pushed lunch back, made lunch a little shorter then ran the day a little later. The bigger issue was that the afternoon game was a bit of a stalemate. I was on Blue and it was our objective to recover a downed enemy pilot, then return him for questioning. It was Red's objective to recover him to their FoB, then collect some items from his intel on the other side of the site. Unfortunately, they either never got told the second part of the objective or forgot, so their whole team just hunkered down in the FoB near their regen for two hours making progress impossible.

I always assumed the bit where you sign away your rights was rubbish. Same as when you sign 'I am fit and able to participate in XYZ' - any lawyer would shred it in seconds.

I can appreciate that. I was always a Tanaka lover way back when and regret not buying a PCS bolt version when they were common.

Ooh let me know how this goes. I've had my eye on one for a wee while.

Eh? The sling loop is on the left for righty shooters to sling it crossbody.

I recently noticed that quite a few airsoft companies seem to have a questionable view of the law. I saw one advertising a 'boneyard' item as no returns, no refunds. Fair enough, don't want people having a go at fixing it then sending it back but surely it goes against distance selling regs?

I went to a 'battlesim' or whatever at Imperium on Sunday. I enjoyed the more mission based stuff as well as slightly tighter rules but I was equally happy that was about where it ended. There was a guy attempting to take charge but his ideas were a bit too 'over the top and walk very slowly towards the enemy' for my liking.

Yeah the parts are out there, but you might be ordering from here and there. Last time I looked Emperion had loads of stuff.

I've got five for my M4 (hold about 40 rounds each) and that seems alright. I just pick my shots and let the hicap aeg types around me throw all their ammo away 😅

I was also at DogTag yesterday. Crap start for me when I got ten minutes away and released I'd left my boots at home! Quick nip to the services to see if the petrol station had anything for truckers. Lo and behold they did, and I played with the finest boots available (for £35 from Pease Pottage services). Morning games were alright with the castle, a part I've not used before. Less alright was when a chap on my own side with poor awareness/muzzle/trigger disclipine, shot me in the side of the head with a 2.3j rifle from about 3 feet away & it lodged in my ear (photo of offending item: https://ibb.co/4gMJk2F). He was very apologetic and I know accidents happen, but it wasn't brilliant. Ended up with claret on my kit/RIF. The afternoon was a struggle. About 70% of the field seemed to go home, so there was only 20 or so people left by the end. I gave up around 3:30 when it was basically 5-a-side. Is this a common thing now? I've never been to another site that empties out so much at lunch, to the point where I'm not sure I'd bother paying for another full day. That said driving nearly an hour to only play for three doesn't seem worth the effort.

As above it's ASG, so uses KSC/KWA mags. Mags for this are a devil to find - I have a KSC Glock 17 with two mags. I've looked recently and had zero luck finding any. You might find some with some HK retailers but I've not spotted any.