Introduction from RedWolf Airsoft."Clarence Lai has become a most prominent figure in airsoft. His work as an airsoft gunsmith and with the IPSC has helped him to gain recognition and respect the world over. From the resplendent beauty of his oneoff pistols, to his active work in promoting the IPSC in Asia, his work within the airsoft community is highly admirable. Not only has Clarence assembled custom guns for some of the most notable race shooters around the world (including the owner of Infinity Pistols), he has also provided many of his creations for use in films.

It all started when at the age of 7, Clarence first started playing with guns, and from this, a passion for all things gun-related was born. His intrigue in the workings of the gun as well aesthetics naturally led him towards becoming a gunsmith, and is also partial to participating in shooting competitions such as the IPSC (Clarence was the first foreigner to take part in the IPSC Japan competition), which took him to countries such as Taiwan and the Philippines, using both Airsoft and real guns. In fact, CL was responsible for helping to bring the IPSC to Hong Kong and still plays an active role in promoting the IPSC in Hong Kong.

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Now, Clarence has almost two decades of experience as an Airsoft gunsmith, and produces an array of custom guns and upgrade parts under his own brands - Airsoft Surgeon/CL Custom. After co-founding a well-known Airsoft shop in Hong Kong, he moved on and went independent, from this Airsoft Surgeon/CL Custom was conceived. Clarence continues to play an active role in the airsoft IPSC shooting community, as well as in the real steel shooting competitions."

Clarence showed us a few of his customized guns. He described what he does as his passion, and judging from his enthusiasm and quality of his work, it is easy to believe so. Everything is made from scratch, his attention to detail is astounding.

So, how did he get started with guns?

“At a young age, sometime around 1989, I became fascinated with guns; I read a lot of books about them. I then became familiar with JAC and MGC airsoft guns, which looked very much like the real thing,” the shy Clarence Lai opened up to us.

Clarence confesses that real steel IPSC can be very expensive in Hong Kong, hence his opting for the airsoft alternative. “A gun club membership can cost as much as a car. Airsoft IPSC is growing in HK because of cheaper costs. Everything is the same: rules, timers, etc except that the targets are smaller. The same safety rules are also implemented. That makes it completely possible to use airsoft IPSC to train for real steel competitions,” he adds.

In one of his race guns he used slide rails for smooth slide movement. This also allows for minimal tolerance. The slide had zero wobble as if glued to the frame, but was easily pulled back. He recommends Marui’s Hi-Capa gas blowback (GBB) pistol, as “it works great right out of the box.”

When SHTF and you can only have one real steel gun, what would it be? “A single stack 38 super,” he answered without a second’s pause.

His custom Tanaka shotgun is a monster. He took an already great replica and made it even better. Firing a shell will now completely use up all the gas in the shell for the shot, instead of just partially. The 1.9g slug from his custom slug shot makes a scary thump against the wall. I volunteered to be shot with it, but was strictly discouraged. One can only imagine the damage it would do when loaded with CO2, which would probably be adequate for self defense. His custombuckshot also allows for a realistic shotgun feel for playing or training. Nine BBs per shell is closer to firing a real double-zero buckshot than Marui’s triple barreled plastic toy. This custom package is already being used for tactical training as it provides an experience close to the real thing.

His customized WA M4 GBB is just awesome. Everything looks and feels like the real thing. He put in his own custom recoil set, increasing the recoil force and balance after each shot. It feels very much like firing a real M4, just without the loud bang and the smell of gunpowder. He also put in a Prometheus 6.01 inner barrel and the groupings are amazing. Additional external parts are a SOPMOD stock, a JP rifle front assembly and an Eotech. The other M4 is also a customized
WA GBB, retaining the M4 barrel length but no less accurate. It’s impossible to create an AEG with this range and accuracy.

At least until the Airsoft Surgeon finds a way, of course.