M3 SHOTGUN "ILONA"

Having a shotgun as part of ones arsenal was always attracting for me. There are some very interesting models in the market. The choices are very limited though for the player who considers seriously skirmishing with them. Basically shotguns are well known and used for the massive firepower that they provide in close ranges. The only available replicas that do the job are Tokyo Marui series shotguns. They have a very clever system that allows you to shoot 3 BBs at the same time. But, they are all plastic and somehow weak (around the 270 FPS area). Then Maruzen, G&P and Marushin produce metal shotguns. Some of them are spring operated, gas operated, single shot, multiple shots, shell ejecting…you just name it. The problem with those is that they cost more than a starter’s AEG, which was out of the question for me…

When I saw the Franchi 3A shotgun produced by Action Sport Games (made in China and just boxed and pushed in the market by ASG) I guessed it was a good base for a project shoti…The model is a clone of the Tokyo Marui M3 one, but the magazine looks like the CA870 one…Go figure!!!!!!!!!! . Weighting only 1700 gr makes it easy to carry and handle. The overall length is about 89 cm. My initial thought was to go for the stockless version but trying out both of them realised that the long version provides more stability and increases the shooter’s ability to take faster and more accurate shots…

The power of the model is stated as 374 FPS on the box. I know what you are thinking “Yeah, right, a plastic Chinese model that shoots at 374 FPS. F**k that shit!!!” That’s absolutely correct. The truth is that this measurement was done using .12 g BBs. The replica’s power with .20 g BBs is around 300 FPS. Not bad for a CQB weapon…

The replica has an excellent feeling, having in mind that the retail price for it is around 35 euros… Its plastic made with the only metal part being the shell ejecting port. The magazine that comes with the shoti holds 30 BBs. Not bad, but the major issue here is that there are no spare magazines available in the market. You might think that since it is a Maruzen 870 clone the magazines are interchangeable. Not!!!!

In my mind, shotguns should always have female names. Where I am coming from the most usual name for one is “Maria” but I though it was just not representing me. So, after some thought I decided to call her “Ilona”. The name was inspired from the great actress Ilona Staller, aka Cicciolina... (Now, do i see some faces smiling? Ehh?)

Ilona Staller as it was her original name was born in Budapest in 1951 and moved to Italy at the age of 19. She started her own radio show in 1973 called “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” (what a coincidence…) She debuted in the “mature film” industry in 1975 and had a career that last up to 1992 (note, that this means that she was 41 years at that time!!!!) In 1979 she became the first hardcore performer in the world to be elected to a democratic parliament. The story goes on, but I advise the readers to do their own research and discover more about her.

The replica is completely stock when it comes to the internals (there is nothing you can do about it anyway…). The only change concerns the paint job. The basic idea was to create a paint theme that would make the shotgun invisible in the inside of a building.

Initially a layer of primer was applied. I didn’t want to make it flat in order to avoid having a glossy feeling. I used the tip of an old, round, thick brush and I “stamped” the paint on it.

The problem was that the primer is white, so I applied a layer of mat black spray colour. Now, when the shottie gets scratched the only colour being revealed underneath is mere black… The basic paint is an acrylic Sand colour. It was also applied with a brush. It was left to dry and then some very basic pattern was done by putting some paper adhesive tape. Then with a brush I applied a Dark Earth colour (actually it was labeled as “Wax”).

With a permanent marker I finalized the edges of the patterns and the letters on the side. Finally I applied a completely mat and flat layer of acrylic varnish.

Hope it’s satisfactory since it’s my first attempt to paint a gun…More to come soon.

Allright guys, it's time for some Red Tigers Art. Nothing fancy...Check it out.

Red Tigers related art

Alright guys, it's time for some Red Tigers Art. Nothing fancy, just coloring some already existing designs and some ideas about the Team's patch...Check it out.

WD14 DMR "HADUR"

In every man’s life there are very few occasions when SIZE DOES MATER. This is one of these moments. A Designated Marksman Rifle can’t be short. The extended length of the barrel helps for the tight groupings that every shooter desires. Ladies and Gents, after the previous 2 wonders of modern airsoft gunsmithing, I present you the WD14 DMR “HADUR”.

The name as always implies its origin. WD is our team’s gunsmith who performed his best on this beast. 14 is the number of the model, DMR describes its role and Hadur is the God of War in the Hungarian Mythology. So on with some classes. The Hungarians the last 1000 years are Christians but they have a very strong background of Shamanistic Mythology. According to this the world is divided in three spheres:

The first is the Upper World (Felső világ), the home of the Gods,

The second is our place (Középső világ - Middle World)

and the last is the underworld (Alsó Világ).

In the center of our world, a tall tree is standing: the Világfa, in English, the World Tree. Its foliage is the Upper World, the Középső Világ is located at its stem, and the underworld is around its roots. In some stories, the tree even has fruits: these are the golden apples.

Upper World

The Gods and Good souls are living in the Upper World. Gods have the same rank, although the most important figure of them is Isten (the word itself simply means 'God' in Hungarian). He controls the world, shapes the fate of humans, observes our world from the sky, and sometimes warns us by lightning (mennykő). Isten created the world with the help of Ördög ("the devil" Evil). Other gods include: Istenanya (Mother God), Hadúr (the god of war) and Boldogasszony (Blessed Mistress) and so on.

The major celestial bodies (Sun and Moon) are also located in the Upper World. The sky was thought to be a big tent held by the World Tree. There are several holes on it: they are the stars.

An M14 was always one of those rifles that I thought that every operator should own and work (likewise the AK, and the AR family rifles). Untill recently the choices were few and for sure not cheap. Tokyo Marui and G&G have released various versions of the M14 (fiber, wood stock, SOC 16). All of them work in the 320 fps area, which is not satisfactory for a DMR. Upgrade of these models is not difficult, but what’s the point of purchasing a 400 euros gun in order to replace all its internals? So, after years of patience, the Chinese company called AGM did its miracle. The first and best of the Chinese M14 replicas came to life…and so the saga begins.

I wanted the gun to stand out with its performance. Our gunsmith advised me to stay in the 440 fps area since this is the limit for AEGs in Hungary. For sure, this number is more than satisfying but what’s the point of carrying a 5 kilo beast when the next man with his toy looking M4 could achieve the same target acquisition? It had to exceed this limit…The solution was simple. Remove the automatic fire option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This freed our hands and took us one step closer to the DM choice of weapons.

EXTERNAL MODIFICATIONS

The only change on the external look of the rifle is the bipod and the scope. The bipod is metal and can be removed at will. In the near future I am considering about replacing it with a Harris style bipod which can be attached via a typical 20mm rail. Aiming is assisted by the same 2x42mm Red Dot Scope like with the WD36sc “TURUL”. The combination of bipod and scope (with full magazine and 8,4V large battery) gives the beast a good weight of 5, 5 kilos, which separates the men from the boys…

BARREL

The original barrel is described as tight bore on the box and it’s somehow true. The diameter is close to 6,04 mm although the quality of it it’s not the finest. It was replaced by a Prometheus 6,03mm precision one. The length of it is 50 cm, which helps a lot to the tight groupings I wanted.

GEARBOX

The original gearbox is still housing the working mechanism, since it has proved its durability so far (our gunsmith runs the same platform for a year now with no problems). The fact that the rifle runs only in Semi Auto makes the choice of gears and battery an easier case. The gears were replaced with Classic Army Super Torque Up flat gears. The rifle still works with an 8,4V battery when most upgraded ones need a 9,6V ones.

Our gunsmith threw in there a

• M140 spring
• Guarder bushing (double oil channel)
  
• Spring guide (bearing, metal)
• Systema aluminium piston
• Systema piston head
• Systema teflon cylinder
  

After all these modifications the rifles gives me an initial velocity of 475 fps and an effective range of 55 meters with the maximum being around 65 meters with G&P 0,28gr BBs.

The only obvious con of the God of War is the size. With 6 kilos of weight and 1,1 meters length is definetely a rifle that you don't want to carry around for a big amount of time. Here is a photo to compare. I am just 1,7 meters tall so the beast is like 2/3 of my size...

AKMSU "FARKAS"

Before the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel, man lived in primitive conditions…and then came the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947!!!! This never-getting old design was firstly brought to life in 1947 by the brilliant Tank engineer and designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov.

One of his children was the AKMSU. The name alone is fairly unknown. Let’s say that is a version of the AKM with a folding stock and the father of the AKS 74U. The name itself implies a stamped receiver (M), a folding stock (S) and short size (U). It never hit mass production. It was made in limited quantities, for a short period of time. It was used in the 60s and 70s by Border Police, Special Police Units and the Spetsnaz. It chambers the 7.62 x 39mm. It is quite compact and its great advantage is its very small weight which is only 2,8 kg.

The gun was purchased from Zephir, a member of a local team called “Gyontatok” which means “The Confessors”. It started its carrier as a humble CYMA C028s. When I saw it I knew I just had to have it. So, I present you the AKMSU “Farkas”. Farkas literally means “tailed” in Hungarian but the name was inspired by the Nadi Farkasok, a kind of wolf which used to live in the Hungarian steppe (puszta) hiding in reedy territories. This animal has already extinct but there are several references of it in the Hungarian folklore and literature.

On to the gun now…

EXTERNAL FURNITURE

The custom work consists of

• Installation of an All China Made AKMSU wood set, which contains the wooden hand guard/pistol grip and the pistol grip
• JG AK Beta metal front set
• Steel folding stock sling hook
• Real AKM sling

INTERNAL GAMES…

• CA barrel
• CA AK nozzle
• CA steel bushings
• ICS steel gear set
• Action AK Hop up
• Guarder Hopup rubber
• Element Cylinder head - silent
• Element Piston head- silent
• Element bearing spring guide
• Marui EG1000 motor which gives the little thing a brutal Rate of Fire
• Rewired with 1.5mm silicone wires

The upgrade work was done by WD (like the 80% of the AEGs in Budapest and the surrounding areas…) The gun runs at 315-320 fps since it was designed as a CQB project.

IMPRESSIONS

The gun is very light due to the plastic lower receiver (but very sturdy, that is mistaken for metal) and the absence of a full stock. Using the front integrated pistol grip and with the help of the 2-point sling it can be maneuvered without the use of the stock. That fact gives it a very big advantage compared to all the other CQB weapons…

The Rate of Fire is amazingly high due to the Tokyo Marui EG1000 motor and can empty the G&P MidCap magazine in no time…

I noticed that in full auto it will empty almost all the BBs in the magazine except the last 2 or 3 which is a very positive feature.

With the stock open the natural position of the head is exactly where it is supposed to be in order to align with the sights.

The flash hider can be removed and it reveals a counter clock wise thread. That makes it convenient for me since I already own a silencer that can be used with that.

Time has gone by and there is some feedback... The gun served me well and it still does. The size and weight is so comfy for CQB and woodland games, besides the low FPS. For closed spaces it so easy to carry it around and i will find it very difficult to replace it with another... The only negative point about it is the not so great working hop-up system. It tends to overwork all the time. The extremely positive about it is the sound. Due to the thin gear box the sound of it it resembles the hardcore "bracka bracka" of the real one...None said that AKs are known for the sweetness of their melody...