Baser

Just a belt for 9mm SMG mags keeps me light which for me is what SMG is all about. I have the Viper open top elastic retention type for AEG/pistol mags and the Viper Velcro closed top for gas Apache mags. I have used the Apache mags in the elastic pouches but they were a bit too heavy and felt loose.

Have a mate with a SSX303 and he raves about it. I’ve looked at getting one to supplement my LCT G3 DMR which is beast to carry around all day. I liked the mag compatibility with the MK23 as well. It was a good gun from new but the upgrades available make it very accurate. Other popular option would be the Vorsk VMP2D as the DMR and a VMP1 for under 30m as they use the same mags as well.

But it says Andy McNab on it, that’s got to be worth £200 at least?

Fun but frustrating day at Apocalypse in Kent on Sunday. Frustration started on Friday as mates started dropping out and I ended up going alone. On site game play was good and fair but the teams were very un balanced, I played for the blue team and we were thoroughly out classed by the reds. A few calls for cheating on both sides but nothing unusual and I didn't see or hear it myself. First game was find 3 artefacts and return them to your base, the reds had all 3 items in their base before we got a sniff of a single one and we then had to push to their base to take the items back. Got to within a few meters at the very end of the game but they were well set up with snipers taking the sting out of our push making the rest of us easy pickings. Second game was pick up tokens, take them to the arms dealer to buy a bomb then deliver the bomb to a location. We took the building with the tokens in it at the start but the reds attacked hard and pushed us back, grabbed their tokens, got the bomb and made it to the location before we got a single token to the arms dealer. Again plenty of silent BB's slowing and stopping our progress. Third game was a bit of fun, after the first couple of games a few blues left as they were getting salty about loosing and a few of the reds left as they thought it was a bit easy. The Marshalls split the ghillies from both teams into their own team, I do love a 3 team game!! A barrel was placed in no mans land with the usual blue on one end and red on the other stick on it, if it was blue at the top the blues won, red the reds won, if it was on the floor the ghilles won. As expected an all out BB war commenced, intense CQB, full auto blue vs full auto red vs the trusty and silent MK23. Not sure why the teams were so unbalanced as it's not usually at this site? I know there were a lot of snippers on site as it was mentioned in the brief maybe they turned the tide? I know we were slow in advancing and kept getting bogged down. The reds also held a lot of the key spots, there was someone out there with a LMG giving it some as it made a distinct sound and I heard and felt it a few times. Took the G3 DMR, MP5K and a Sig 226. The DMR decided it didn't want to stay locked to semi and randomly halfway through the first game went full auto only, not sure what's wrong with it as the full auto option on the selector plate has been Dremeled out so you can't select full auto. There is a latch/clicker thing inside the gearbox which is supposed to reset the trigger after each shot which might have broken/gone wandering, needs further investigation. I've started to get the hang of 30+M shooting and I've just about got the hop and sights tuned so looking forward to getting it back on the field. I swapped out to the MP5K and got stuck in, do love the upgraded K a snappy trigger, fast rate of fire such a lovely piece of kit. Sig was an epic side arm as usual but with the DMR benched it didn't see a lot of action. New ExFog unit worked a treat and my eye pro didn't fog up at all but I need to make a couple of adjustments as it was getting uncomfortable towards the end where it was digging into my temples but this is the right solution for me for more stationary DMR game play. All in all a fun but frustrating day out.

Thanks Nick. Was it easy to convert to HPA? Do you need to add anything to the HPA tank to keep the gun lubricated? I thought (green) gas had silicone lube in the gas to keep everything running smoothly. This is my first GBB and I am struggling with the lack of ammo capacity. It came with 3 mags and I have been burning through the 130 rounds in 15 mins so need to use ammo more sparingly which is difficult as I am used to carrying 6 x 120 round mid caps for a 2 hour woodland game. I agree with the immersion side, I moved from a 1200 round drum on the AEG to 6 x mid caps as I enjoy the mag changes and keeping an eye on how much ammo I’ve used. Someone kindly let me have a go with their G3 which I almost bought but decided I wanted something smaller and lighter, also the G3 mags were only 20mm rounds each and he carried 10 mags which weighed a ton, more realistic I suppose. I thought I would be able to hold my trigger finger back but the apache is so much fun to shoot and I like to get stuck in so I am burning through BB’s at the same rate as I do with my electric MP5. Do I slowly build up to have 8/10 45 round mags or go drum? Decisions, decisions.

Hi Nick How are you getting on with the drum mag? I have recently picked up a WE Apache and I am debating whether to add 2x 45 round mags or one of these. Thanks in advance.

That looks epic, closest I’ve got is a drum mag in my MP5 which just pales in comparison.

In my research I found a couple of upgraded hop up options but they are very limited. I still have the standard LCT rotary one in my gun with the nub, rubber and barrel change it shoots very consistently so I haven't spent a lot of time looking into the options as I don't think it needs it (for now). The Gearbox is a standard type 2 and is available for around £130 new (in the UK). The newer V2 LCT gearbox has a quick change spring which is different to the earlier gearbox in my gun. They take long shaft motors. I changed mine to the brushless Warhead base motor as the standard one was getting very warm with the M130 spring. It also gives it a snappier trigger response, I might go to a Gate Aster at some point in the future as the optical trigger is so quick and adjustable. If you get the fixed stock they have plenty of battery space and can run on 7.4 or 11.1 Lipo/Lion batteries. As standard I did OK with the 7.4 but the bigger spring really needs the 11.1. Only other things to add are It's very long and heavy I know I said this before but don't underestimate it. I wanted a chunky DMR so it works for me but a few others I have spoken to bought them to use a 1.3J automatic rifle and you really have to want one to carry the thing, try and handle one before you buy. Picture attached to compare it to my MP5 and MP5K. The mid cap mags don't feed well, there are guides to modify them but I went straight to high caps which work perfectly (apart from the battle rattle) Make sure you insert the mag properly into the gun, they are like the AK where you need to clip the front in and rock it back into the mag well. I've thought I got the mag in a couple of times but its dropped out when I started running.

I have the LCT and I've played with the JG. The LCT is a lovely thing really realistic solid reasonable to shoot out of the box Real steel parts fit so can style it to look exactly as you want but...... It weighs a ton, its a beast to carry for a few hours Mid cap mags feed unreliably (can be fixed but needs modding) Only reasonable to shoot, needs work to make it shoot well Expensive I have had mine upgraded to a DMR @ 1.88J, in this configuration it's well worth the weight penalty (in my opinion). I carry 3x high cap mags into game and it shoots very consistently, has great range and punch. Locked to semi only 6.02 mm maple leaf barrel 4uantum hop rubber and nub m130 spring Warhead base brushless motor To me the LCT is worth the extra spend and that's why I chose it but I wanted a big heavy, chunky DMR to upgrade and keep in the collection to pick off players out of range of the typical site automatic rifle/SMG. If I want to go light and full auto I would take a SMG. The JG is significantly cheaper and lighter but I wanted a G3 that felt like a G3 and shot like a 7.62 rifle should compared to a 5.56 or 9mm (in Airsoft form and within site limits) Very light Reasonable to shoot out of the box Very cheap Significantly easier to carry all day but...... Feels cheap, it creaks and flexes Only reasonable to shoot Didn't want to spend the same as the rifle cost on upgrades

I use one of these WASDN X400 pistol lights which as well as mounting on the pistol can be mounted on a short piece of 20mm rail either in front of the fore grip or on the side of the hand guard so I can put my thumb on the activate button. It can run with light/strobe light and laser in any combination. I haven’t used it in woodland games as my local sights have either a no laser or shouldered looking through the sights before firing and are super tough on blind firing so I don’t really see any benefit to running it. I have used it used it for indoor CQB, it was most effective in strobe with laser combo to disorientate while giving me a dot on target with either the pistol or MP5K. Looking at getting a silly bright torch for outdoor games as someone at the local site runs one and it can be very disorientating.

Had another great day out at Apocalypse on Sunday, been a busy week so only just finding the time to write it up. Was a busy day, with a larger than usual crowd, the marshal team from Worthing were visiting and I can only assume a few of the players from Invicta were there while the are closed to relocate. Took the newly upgraded, by the site tech Ricky, DMR'd LCT G3, newly acquired WE Apache MP5, backup Cyma MP5 (incase of breakdowns) and trusty Sig 226 as a secondary. First game was domination, 3 locations, the team holding 2 at the end won. I took the G3 and SIG into this game and used it purely to bed in the G3, went down the bottom of the village and picked off the other team as they advanced from their spawn. Really enjoyed the DMR game and held my spot well, moved a couple of times as I kept getting lit up by AEG's but they didn't have the range. Went back to the range after 500 rounds to adjust the hop and scope and it was shooting very well, lots of range. Second game was move your bomb to the other teams base. I picked a shady spot to the side of our base with the G3 to pick off the other teams advances. Played well and a couple of our teams guys were luring the other team forward while I picked them off. Different play style for me as I usually only take a pistol into these games and run with the bomb. Went back to the range and adjusted everything at the end of the game and the G3 was comfortably hitting targets at the end of the range, exactly what I wanted. Third game was capture the marshal. The marshal went and hid on site, you had to grab him and take him back to your base, if you let him go he could run. Took the GBB MP5 out for this one. The other team found the marshal first and took him back to their base. I ran out of ammo in the first ten minutes as I got carried away with the Apache and 140 BB's didn't last that long so dropped to the SIG. I got tagged pretty quickly and walked back to re spawn. On my way back into the game I spotted the marshal we needed to capture running towards me, I gave chase and caught him, dragged him back to our base and kept a very firm grip of him until the game ended surrounded by most of the team. All in a great day, good verity in the game play and the last game was an epic moving BB fight with a very quick marshal that could have gone either way. A few people (morons) wandering around the safe zone with mags in guns understandably got the Marshall team het up. A few grumbles about non hit takers and overkill but I didn't see that. Overall very happy with the day, site was great, game play was aggressive but fair from both teams and I think I have my weapon selection and upgrades sorted. I need to find some better (non fogging) eye pro for stationary DMR'ing as I was fogging up badly at times.

Went a bit mad this week. Started with a used from the classifieds here WE Apache MP5 with the fixed/sliding stock and the A2/flash light hand guard and 3x 45 rd mags. When I picked it up I was offered a WE Sig 226 for a great price so picked that up as well. Later in the week I passed Patrol Base to pick up a battery and BB’s and while wondering around the shop decided the MP5 needed a suppressor, modern hand guard, foregrip and another suppressor. Looking forward to using it on Sunday, just need to have a play around and set it up. Very happy I now have the MP5 look from Die Hard and all the other 80’s action films but I’m not looking at the classifieds for a couple of months.!!!!!

I have a warhead base 27k brushless motor in my Gate Aster/13:1 gear set in my MP5. It didn’t increase the rate of fire by much but the pistol grip stays cool, it’s snappier on the trigger and much more efficient. Pre brushless motor I had to change battery to get through the day and it now plays a whole day on 1 battery. https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/warhead-industries-base-brushless-motor-long-shaft?fv=24239 They have faster motors and more expensive high spec versions as well but this got me to 27 rps which is more than enough for my requirements.

MP5 is my weapon of choice for AEG, I have 2x Cyma Platinums so a GBB version is defiantly on my list. How painful are they for upkeep? Lots of posts saying GBB is a pain but if it’s just a strip down and grease after use, which I already do with my GBB pistol it doesn’t sound terrible.

Yes, how did you guess ??

Got the TM EBB AKS back from the tech yesterday after I put a 11.1v battery in it by mistake and fried it. While he was in there he did a couple of other small jobs to tidy it up as it had been playing up intermittently. New motor connectors, a bit of soldering / insulation and a fresh hop rubber and she’s back to shooting like a dream. The charging handle doesn’t move when it cycles anymore as the hook that connects it to the blow back system has gone missing but that’s for another day. Also added a new pack to the load out as the new site I’ve been playing has a killer hill upto the safe zone and want to try and get everything up there in one go.

On Sunday I played a couple of games with my LCT G3 and a single 500(ish) rd hi cap mag. After 30 mins I started to regret the decision given its weight. A couple of guys had GBB G3’s with 8/10 20 round mags, the gun was a similar weight but the mags/gas etc was a huge weight penalty then one of the guys swapped and I got it. As an airsoft gun GBB will always struggle but for realism they are stunning!! Now looking for a GBB AK or MP5………….

It’s a big site and love how varied it is, there’s plenty of structures / barricades etc to give you a load of different gameplay. Not found my way around the whole map yet but I’ve only played the site twice. Glad the the guy who went down is OK, I think I saw his Dad post he had run his legs off and gone down, glad he’s OK. The Marshalls handled it well and changed the last game on the fly which was impressive. I have family duties this coming weekend but like to play 2/3 times a month, spent a small fortune on kit so want to use it! I found the site after getting a free game from the Modern Warrior shop on the A20, if you spend over £150 in the shop they give you a free game, awesome business idea. I popped in on my home today to pick up my TM EBB AK which died. Ricky got it going again and fixed a few internal niggles to bring back up to scratch.

Great day at Apocalypse Kent yesterday, starting to have abetter understanding of the map now. Took a mate with me so packed the MP5K, LCT G3 (its first outing) and WE SIG 226 for me an my spare MP5 and spare WE SIG 226 for my mate, with his favourite bit of kit the 1200 round drum mag. Weather was good, not too hot but muggy towards the end. Shop well stocked and I picked up a big pot of BB's as my mate went full auto for most of the day. First game was Bring your teams flag (Blue or Red) back to your base and then try and take the extra (Yellow flag) to your enemy's base as if it was an explosive and try and keep it there. Was a hot and heated game with Ghilles sending defenders back to re spawn at an alarming rate. Strange end to the game with the Blue team camped out in the Red base and Blue team camped out in the Red base, Red team won as they took the Yellow flag to the Blue base with them. After lunch the Blue team had the honour of moving three explosive devices (big cases) to three locations to blow them up. It was tough as they had to do it in order and each box could only be carried by specific (marked) team memebers, if made it to two of the locations they won if the Reds could keep them out of two they won. Reds camped out in the first and second locations and picked off the case carriers. Blues got the first location but it was late in the game so win to the Reds. There was a medical issue in the second game so while that was being taken care of the third game was moved to the village and run as a very tight, semi only CQB. Stick in a bucket in the middle of the village if it was Red at the top they won if it was Blue at the top they won. Blues were first into the village and held it for the first half of the game but the Reds flanked both sides and picked them off then covered the Blue route back from their respawn. Red win for this game and more critically the medical was sorted and guy was recovered to fight another day. MP5K is still intermittently losing full auto and having feeding/consistency issues which needs a proper tech to sort as its above my pay grade. G3 shot well but it's a heavy lump for sub 350fps so needs DMR'ing quickly to make it worth the weight penalty. SIG was epic and used to great effect in the CQB game at the end. Mate loved the MP5 and as expected went full auto for the first two games and went to mid cap sticks for the semi only final game, I think he enjoyed the SIG but full auto is his thing I can see a LMG or mini gun in his future. There were a few called out for not taking hits but I think it was mostly shooters overestimating their skill (and range) and calling players out at 70m where there was no chance of them making the hit with a 1j AEG. A few Ghilles made the game tough so my rule of shoot at any bush that moves worked quite well. Fun day had by all!! Hope to get my EBB AK back from the menders this week Crack on and get the G3 booked in and built MP5K is going back tomorrow as its still under warranty

Most mechanical locks I’ve seen are just a screw or bolt in the selector which can be taken out. It’s the same as adjusting power in the gun, yes you can change the spring or fiddle with HPA or put a different gas in your mags but if you do you are an idiot and deserve to be kicked out and banned. We play a game of honesty and trust, in fancy dress shooting people with toy guns.

Thank you I have heard this from other players as well. I can put a small grub screw on the selector to lock it out if needed, currently only play 2 or 3 sites and they don’t have an issue with a programming / electrical lock out.

I bought a used LCT G3 a few weeks ago with a plan to build it into a DMR. I don’t know a lot about the history or age of the gun, it doesn’t have a MOSFET or quick change spring. Original idea was to send it off to have it built into a 450fps semi only DMR with a few choice upgrades but I’ve come across a few V2 gearboxes (one made by LCT) with a MOSFET and quick change spring already part of the package. Will these just drop straight into the gun or need additional work to make them work? The LCT version looks like the upgraded version of what’s already in the gun so should be fairly easy to swap over but I’ve also seen the Cyma platinum complete gearboxes. I have two Cyma Platinum MP5’s and they shoot incredibly well for what they are. Both gearboxes are under £130 which seems like a cost effective option and basis for a good DMR build if it’s “that easy”. Interested in the MOSFET so I can program it to semi only and the quick change spring will allow me to tune the power and easily return it to a sub 350fps gun should I want / need to run as a full auto rifle in the future.

Been on the lookout for a gun to DMR and I came across this LCT G3. It’s a full size, mostly metal, big mag, big gun. 1.1m long and 5kg with an empty mag she’s a beast. Plan to get it looking right, bit of patina to make it feel its age, might see if I can find a set of the wooden stock/hand guard I've seen on my travels. Era correct 2 point sling and optic, maybe a big fat mock suppressor to add to the bigness? Need a couple of extra mags as well. When it’s looking right it’s going to a tech for a good service, not sure on the condition of the internals? Sounds a bit whiney, but does shoot straight, not sure if that’s a characteristic of this motor/gearbox combo? Will be rebuilt to be a semi only DMR, optical mosfet for trigger response, big spring for power and a good shim to get it running smooth. Another very pretty gun to add to the collection.

Played Apocalypse Sunday Skirmish. Had a really good time. New site for me, free game courtesy of the Modern Warrior airsoft shop which they offer if you spend £150, nice. Site was very nice and well maintained, not overgrown like a lot of woodland sites, lots of structures/barricades to clear or hide out in. Lots of open 'no mans land' spaces to negotiate in the mix. It was busy but its a big site so there was space to move without getting shot at and with the layout there were good opportunities to flank the enemy positions or try to come in from another direction. Only real challenge is the walk up the steep hill from the car park, had to do this twice to get all my kit on site. I will pack better next time. Was a misty cold start, then a bit of rain before it turned into a sweat box 2/3 seasons in one game day, double nice!! Games were great fun, nice mix of attack and defend for all sides in every game compared to the usual playing each scenario twice. 1st game was rescue the injured pilot, we attacked the other team to rescue the pilot then had to take him/her back to a location and defend until extraction. Lots of different play going on with sniping/DMR keeping us in cover for a couple of players with pistols / AEG's to sneak or run at us. We only just held out with the other team making a big push in the last 5 minutes. 2nd game was pure domination, 3 locations, hold 2 out of 3 at the end to win. We held 1 until the last 2/3 mins when a group of about 10 of us at respawn decided to have a suicidal rush at one of the locations. We took it right before the end of the game and were lucky the game ended when it did as the reds were using the same tactic in the last few seconds to take it back. 3rd game was capture the flag. We were split into 3 teams and had to capture the flag and return it to our base while the other 2 teams tried to do the same. Was a great game and not one I've played before. We had a fast paced teenager who ran in, grabbed the flag and took it back to our base very quickly while the rest of us provided covering fire. It was then a game of keeping the flag for 45 mins, as expected very intense towards the end. I ran out of BB's and the battery was running low in the MP5 so had to drop to my trusty Sig in the last couple of minutes, should use semi more, it's not a LMG!! Gun choice was the Cyma Platinum MP5 and WE Sig 226, great combo and they shot really well. Also took my newly acquired (used) TM AK47 EBB for bad guy duties, it chrono'd well but died after a couple of mags, just stopped working and doesn't make the Gate boot up noise so suspect something electronic, maybe a fuse if it has one, has fried and needs investigation. Players were 99% friendly, a couple of lads got a bit salty with the Marshalls at one point. Hit taking was very good and incoming fire stopped as soon as you put your hand up which is a nice surprise from the last couple of sites I've played where overkill is the name of the game. On site shop was good, well stocked and very busy. Didn't have anything from the burger van but given most of the players did I can only consider it as good. Will be going again!!

Different to my usual western ‘special’ forces load out I’ve gone classic bad guy with this very pretty TM AKS47 type 3 EBB. Second hand and upgraded with a Gate Astor, tightbore barrel, hop up, nub etc. It cycles lovely and smooth and looks stunning with just enough patina to make it look like it’s been used but looked after for decades. Off to play at a new site tomorrow so look forward to seeing how accurate it is and how it does on the chrono, but it’s an AK so full auto aimed at something over there will hopefully get a hit or 2.