Solitary. Mysterious. Deadly. These are just a few descriptions of a sniper that we have encountered during the making of this issue. More often than not, we regard snipers in a more melodramatic way--as hun­ters stalking its prey... or even as a lone assassin waiting for the kill. Why the fascination about snipers? Hollywood contributed much to how we perceive a sniper should be. We see them as nameless, shapeless operators in various theaters of war.

In this issue, we peer into the crosshairs of three seasoned airsoft snipers and a sniper instructor, each respected in their own areas of expertise, and unlearn some myths that we all deem as "common knowledge", as well as discover, whether or not, we have what it takes to be one. Know how to differentiate between cover, concealment and camouflage; properly apply camouflage face paint and zero your optics.

In our features, OptimusPrime interviewed Leo Kung, founder of Mil-Force Japan, a Hong Kong-based military and airsoft gear supplier, to hear from him what the company has in store for airsoft geardos out there. OptimusPrime has also taken a look at Gunpower (South) Korea's innovation that will make airsoft "zombies" a thing of the past, as well as wore the fox hat in Bamako Bampots' charity event. Brahma and Ogre strutted their way at the Kadayawan Festival in Davao, Philippines on their sidetrip from covering OP: Urgent Fury - The Final Battle.

Our operators had their hands full at covering big airsoft events across three continents for our Airsoft Combat Exclusives. Moondog, latest addition to our pool of operators, shares with you his experiences in OP: Bad Blood, a benefit game for the US Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for blood cancer research, while the 5th installment of OP: Northern Wind, a Lion Claw's event, was captured for posterity by HeadUp. In the UK, OptimusPrime was among the 1,213 players who slugged it out in the 300-acre game site during OP: Groundzero. Relive the event in his story, and while at it, learn what happened when East London met with the blokes from the westside in Maddog's account of OP: East vs West: Collision. Lastly, the indomitable tag team—Brahma and Ogre—can't stop babbling about OP: Urgent Fury - The Final Battle, ASG-Davao's 3rd Kadayawan Airsoft CQB Invitational Tournament. Too bad they can't talk much about what happened during the event's RAW Night, which, from what we've heard was rife with "juicy tidbits", hehehe.

In our Armorer's Den, Brahma outlines the salient features of PDI's Custom Barrels, crafted especially for TM's VSR-10 G-Spec rifle; while Ogre listens whether or not the ARS Sorbo Pad really hushes the insides of your gearbox and puts a spin on Shredder's Concave Spacer (SCS). Meanwhile, OptimusPrime tries on TQM's ACU.

This September, OptimusPrime did a Zohan with King Arm's Galil SAR EBB rifle in our gun review,a dn find out from him what makes this baby tick. Also, Dom and Attila talks about why the GFC M4A1 has more bang for the buck; while MasterChief, with Albert's help, advises upcoming airsoft snipers to get the JG BAR 10. Ogre brushes up on his Nihonggo in order to make you undertand the enhancements PDI did on the M24 CommVer, originally made for CA. Read for the first time about RL, the Filipino guy responsible for that AEG Recoil Mechanism video clip on YouTube, in Brahma's review of the XRL-12 Sniper Kit. Be among the first to take a glimpse at this latest Filipino creation from the same person who brought to life Cyclops' design, which we all came to know as the ICS CXP.

Also this month, the Dartmoor Rangers of South Devon in the UK, as interviewed by MasterChief; Team Blackwind of PAIN Japan as interviewed by BigBadBear; and SEALs Davao, Ozamis MAFIA, Valencia Magahat and ARMM-CCAT of Mindanao in the Philippines as interviewed by Brahma, made it to the pages of Popular Airsoft.

Lastly, in this issue, we welcome two new contractors--HeadUp (US) and Attila (EU)--to complement our operators in bringing you the latest and relevant goings on in the global airsoft scene.

Hoping to exchange BBs with you,

The Writers
Popular Airsoft Magazine
Volume 1 Issue 7
September 2008

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Popular Airsoft Magazine
Volume 1 Issue 7 September 2008
300 Pages

CONTENTS

From the Writers
Meet the Popular Airsoft Op erators and Contractors
Gruntmail
Now for some news...

Features

• Airsoft Gear Supplier in Focus: Mil-Force Gear
• Gunpower Korea
• Bamako Bampots’ Wear the Fox Hat Charity Project
• Sidetrip: Davao City’s Annual Kadayawan Festival

Airsoft Combat Events

• OP: Bad Blood
• OP: Urgent Fury – The Final Battle
• Groundzero National Weekender 2008
• OP: Northern Wind V
• East vs West: Collision

Geardo Corner

• Tactical Quartermaster’s Army Combat Uniform

Cover Story

What it takes to be an airsoft sniper?
Here’s a look at what these four seasoned airsoft snipers have in their crosshairs

• Kultabashi: When to shoot and not to shoot
• Adeng: How to put on camo face paint properly
• Denski: What is in a sniper’s armory
• Nik Hargreaves: What to bring during sniper missions

Related Stories

• Concealment and Camouflage
• Zeroing
• ARES-QRF: The Sniper Gun Builder
• Book Review: Sniper One
• Movie Reviews: Top 10 Sniper Movie / Scenes

Gun Reviews

• GFC M4A1 All Metal
• JG BAR 10
• King Arms Galil SAR EBB
• PDI-CA US Model 24 Sniper Rifle (Commercial Version)
• XRL 12: Custom Sniper Kit for M4s

Armorer’s Den

• PDI’s VSR-10 Custom Barrels
• ARS Sorbo Pads
• Shredder’s Concave Spacer (SCS)

Interview

• John McAleese, Director of Training, TFA

Team Features

• Dartmoor Rangers
• Team PAIN Japan
• Southern Philippines Teams

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