MilSimWest Jump to Crimea AAR: Brutally Honest

Jump to Crimea, my first MilSimWest event. I was horribly excited to attend this event, I had been preparing for MONTHS prior.

Waking up at 2:00AM and walking outside with the cold windchill, I made my way to the car. I was to meet up with the "Epic Carpool", consisting of Erik Ostrom, fellow TFK member, Sean Lai, A great guy from the Rushing Russians, and Matthew Mellot, a great Military vet who has been playing locally since I have. It was a great ride, we shot the shit, had some great laughs, and I caught some flack for making the meetup confusing and complicated. But we all ended up in the same car, so success I guess!

Either way, after a "Quick" stop in Bellevue to pick up some Kit for Sean and another RR guy, we landed in Camp Relia at 1:45, just in time for registration. I got out and was immediately stressed ,I had prepping for this game for over three months, I had to take a deep breath and remember how ready I was. Registration was honestly pretty easy, stations were setup, just point A-B. Very Easy-Very Simple. I got about 150 .30s, which I wish I had known would be the last I saw of .30s the entire event.

We started prepping for our 'Jump' around 5:00, thought it is honestly hard to remember. We went over jumping procedure, and room clearing basics for when we were to take the MOUT town. Which I thought was awesome, to train for your specific job in the OP. Great idea from the Staff. The U-haul truck modded for a mock plane jump, was AWESOME. With mock static lines, a green-go light, and even complete with a crappy plane soundtrack! We even had an unnecessarily complicated line system, rubber banded to our arm, to break off when we jumped. But it was an awesome addition. All of 1st platoon piled in the back of this U-Haul and we drove off at around 9:00, it was dark already. The U-haul was so uncontrollably packed, some people had to stand, which made for people falling over on other people. After we finally got semi-situated, there was an awesome Christopher Walken impression to be had. "It seems I have to kill some...Russians.And I have a big..Ass.Gun." I laughed for the whole ride. About what seemed like ten minutes in, we stopped. After a thirty second pause, the door flung open, "There will be no jump tonight!"We all pilled out of the U-haul, with our static line connections, which were a waste of an hour honestly. The U-haul had got stuck after it swung wide in the mud, after bringing a pick-up to pull it out, our squad immediately started pulling security for our section.

The AO was AMAZING, the MOUT town was unbelievable. I really loved the place, fell for it instantly. Though the rules around it were really restricting, and a huge bummer, such as Pyro. Thank for for getting such a great AO!

It was slightly disappointing 1st did not get to jump, the part of the event that probably the most time and effort was poured into. But we got over that, and started advancing toward the MOUT town. But stopped short, at a small road where we could look down on the Town. We all packed on one side, and waited for the other platoons to jump. We literally waited for THREE hours, sadly, this would set the pace of most of the weekend for 1st platoon. We all laid there in the cold for three hours, I remember dozing off a little at one point. And eventually getting quite cold, for we all had left our Cold Weather gear in our Rucks. Finally, at around 1:00, we started moving into the town, We came from the west, where the Church and west wall was. This made it semi-easy to take. After about a 40 minute firefight, and a dead battle buddy. Rest in Peace Kevin #1. We made it to the West wall, granted, after me bleeding out in the middle of the road next to the wall. But we made it! Abe and I were the first ones to push in, and make it to the Church. I Balls-to-the-Walls cleared it, with no enemies it was quite easy. I yelled out it was clear, but over heard talk of a flank to the east. So I got prepared to fight from the easternmost door. The door burst open, and I opened fire, but it was overwhelming. I took two hits and flopped on the floor like a dead dog. Turns out, they were friendlies, deciding it was a good idea to enter gun's a blazing to a clear building. Brilliant. I was drug to the other end of the church and Medic'd. It was an awesome experience, even if I never really SAW an enemy. Just got blasted.

By this time it was around 3:00, and after a semi-short run on security for the North, we had to go get our Rucks. I and my Battle Buddy Kevin basically ran there, while the other slackers struggled to keep up. My ruck was heavy, but not as Massive or crazy heavy as some others I saw.

Either way, I made it into the church, put down my sleeping mat, cooked a meal, and crashed. No need for a sleeping bag. It was a quite night, with no troubles, though I was on duty for a 6:00am patrol. So two hours of sleep, I drug my body into gear and started walking. I honestly quite enjoyed it, a brisk morning walk with my Squad Leader. Who was a great guy.

Saturday was to be a really boring day. 1st Platoon was really neglected, with no real missions. Just running security ALL DAY. Which sucks. With the only fun being a Russian gun truck to go by every once in a while, but literally that is about 5 seconds of fun. Oh well, got to hang out with some awesome guys, in a pretty MilSim environment.

The only thing really consistent about the MilSimWest chain of command and communication was the lack thereof. I was really disappointed in the disorder and mis-communications that were constant. This is supposed to be the staple of Military Simulation, I've seen homegrown Tac-Sim events do this better. Kind of embarrassing honestly; And I'm sorry to say it MSW, but there were times Saturday I regretted spending all that time and money coming to your event. Please work on this, this is slightly player base, I get that. But you have to do something, or you will lose your reputation very quickly.

Im going to address this problem in its own paragraph, because it deserves it. Resupply of Water and Ammo. It sucked. Sorry MSW staff, but honestly if you devoted any effort at all it would've been better. I had to basically sneak in and steal a couple bottles because I did not want to die. There was NO water to be had, and when it did show up Saturday morning. It was in huge 15 gallon tubs, which are impossible to pour into any kind of bladder. Just a minor grievance, but that was the only water we received all weekend. The required 2L of water is a joke, and will last you one night. As for Munitions, resupply was non-existent. Even when we needed it, and it seems like .30s are equal to gold. Because they must have only had like a dozen little baggies. Because I didn't get a whiff of any all weekend. It was ridiculous. MSW, I believe the .25s were EF, and they kinda sucked. I know thats not what you want to hear because of the sponsorship. But less shitty .25s, more heavy BB's; my weapon was almost reduced combat ineffective due to crazy over-hop. I didn't go through very many rounds, but when I have to share my .30s with buddies because they cant use .25s, it's pretty screwed up. Especially when you ask what weight we wanted, I can guarantee most of us said .30s. Stop suckling on Evike's Tit and get some actually good BBs that we can use. I love the idea of controlling resupply, but only when the resupply makes sense.

After sitting waiting for something to happen Saturday; Spoiler, nothing did. Saturday night finally came around, the rate of gun trucks increased, and there was a pretty damn good attack in the afternoon as well. In which it was hot enough to need to take off the combat shirt and run shirtless, with the JPC on. My nipples regret this decision, as cool as it was. But I felt right out of Vietnam. Pretty fun.

Saturday night was a good time, lots of hurry up and wait. I ran security for a while again, up until about 4:00 I believe, but it is a huge blur. I got to Operate with my good buddy Khang Nguyen, which was a blessing. And eventually was forced to go to bed after I fell asleep on the wall. Though I would've been perfectly fine falling asleep here. I fell on my mat in full kit and slept for an hour, only to be awoken by a stressed individual claiming we were being invaded. I drug myself from my slumber, for some reason out of kit, to the fight. With one magazine, it was awesome! I remember being unbelievable groggy and my vision being incredibly blurred. I finally got some action I was looking for. I took out some Russians and eventually crashed for another hour.

 I woke up in another shitstorm. With Russians on top of us. Being Sunday morning, everybody had pyro they wanted to set off before the event was over. So it was a crazy collage of explosions of all flavors. One of my favorite Airsoft moments of all time happened that morning, with a Russian Deuce and a 1/2 rolling down the road at a VERY slow speed, I found myself in the perfect position to apply the proper amount of force in the form of a Pea grenade given to me by Ben. After quickly reading the instructions and priming the thing, I throw it with the most accuracy I could. It must've been pure luck, because it rolled right under the deuce, which was still rolling, to the far side, killing all the Rooskies on the far side. I really like Pea grenades.

This firefight was insanity, and the amount of pyro was insane, I was being blown up constantly, causing me to need to drink 4 liters of water just in the form of medic'ing. This part of the day made the entire event worth going to, and is apparently a staple firefight in MSW history. It was a blast.

The later part of sunday was a serious struggle, lacking in Water, Ammo, and Moral.
Overall, it was a good event apart from Saturday. Will I be back? Probably, but I am will be expecting some improvements.

Kit vs. Skill

I, and most of Task Force Kilo was out at Spokane Airsoft's 'Trigger Extravaganza', and I learned a lot.
One of the things that I have learned over my two and a half years playing this sport/hobby is the Kit/Skill debate that is ever present in the community.

Remember that first airsoft game you showed up to? I certainly remember the m4 magazines in the ABU pockets, the crappy DBOYS m4, and the 8.4v battery, and having a blast. But what was the next thing you did after you went to that game? Buy a Crossdraw vest, Why? Because you saw all the experienced players using MOLLE vests and all the fancy camouflage.

You may have not been as humble, "This is just like battlefield, dude, I TOTALLY got this." And you may have gotten a cold glass of reality in that first game where you didn't do too well. But I am sure you had a ton of fun anyway, and strived to become as good as the experienced players you played with and got shot by.

This is when the debate starts; Im sure you saw them on that first day, the people with 600 dollars worth of gear on, or the gun that looks like its from "COD". You said to yourself, "I want to be on THAT guys team", but why? You figured that equipment made him a better player, made him more effective on the field.

A dozen Airsoft games later you may have started to notice the real skill of the players, but not before you bought that cross draw and multi cam BDU's because it was what everyone else was wearing.

But did that make you a 'better' player? Did it make you more effective? Sure, it made reloads easier, and arguably harder to see than the ABU's you were wearing, but how you play really hasn't changed. You have added pounds of gear that doesn't make you play any better.

Its where that skill needs to come into play, skill doesn't weigh anything, skill doesn't slow you down, or make it more difficult to fit through doorways. But you cant buy skill, you can buy kit. You can spend 800 bucks on that CPC or that ridiculously upgraded AEG, but one of the great things about Airsoft is that ability to apply skill is more important than your ability to spend money.

Knowing what to do in a situation and doing it not only makes you an asset player, makes you a leader in the game. Makes you an asset to your team.

I like to challenge myself once in a while, instead of grabbing that AEG I will go for the 30 dollar tri-shot. That really makes you apply skills rather than the ease of use of an AEG. Makes you have to think through your movements and tactics, rather than trying to make up for a lack of that in a hail of bb's.

Whether you want to debate it or not, Airsoft is an Arms race, getting that new gun, putting in that new bucking. Always competing for the equipment used, when the best tool is the thing that fills that FAST helmet. Knowing the basics of firearms training and knowing how to apply real world tactics to Airsoft makes or breaks a team.

Finding what works for you is the most important thing, whats the most comfortable piece of gear, what  makes you feel the coolest using it. Lets face it, us airsofters are masters of self delusion, especially from the beginning, but we can see it into the seasoned players of the game. "Gotta get that polar star, that'll make me unstoppable."

There are so many layers to this internal debate in airsoft, because:
Magazine pouches are made to do one thing, HOLD MAGAZINES, Plate carriers were made to CARRY PLATES! HSGI's hold magazines, they do it well, but so does the BFG or even a lower quality Pantac pouch.

Your gear should never hold you back, it should allow you to harness your skills to the highest ability possible.

I try and use what works, and not buy into the all the KIT=Better player bias, but it can be hard to get away as it is deeply engrained in our mindsets. 

Singing praise of the JPC

I had my fill of bulky, heavy plate carriers; I had drug my Conderp Defender to Pegasus, and while not bad, it was not an optimal piece of equipment. Heavy, bulky, and HUGE were major issues, and with the 90 degree weather it was really, REALLY hot. Also, Conderp.

I have been through my fair share of different plate carriers: First Choice Armour, Matrix CIRAS, Condor Defender, TMC 6094..Probably a few I missed, but they all, (Arguable not the 6094) are extremely bulky and unwieldy indoors.

The bulk is arguably better for warmth, and it has the ability to carry quite a bit more than a super low profile chest rig or plate carrier with the added benefit of having the capability to carry a plate.

That is where the JPC comes in, designed by CRYE industries, it is the latest technology in plate carriers. The Crye was designed to provide the lowest profile possible in a plate carrier platform.
But the beauty of the JPC is the cummerbund, and the weight. The medium is a crazy 1.3Lbs, and it has the side carrying capacity of a cummerbund. Its really a modern marvel in the tactical gear markert. Arguable only bested by again, Crye, with their 'Airlite' model.

Only problem is the Crye is 250 dollars, and you have a hard time finding one in stock. As you guys know, I am not the high roller of our airsoft community, I am as budget minded as the noob. But one who does not want to look like a noob anymore.

So, the Flyye was the obvious choice. At 73 dollars, with the Flyye name, it was a steal.

I have been really impressed with the flyye, i've fielded it twice and can sense it is a keeper. (At least, for a while) Only problem I have encountered is the bungee cord magazine retentions breaking, but that can be easily remedied with mil-spec cord.

Its lightweightness and low profile makes it a dream to field, while in my current configuration being able to hold 5 M4 magazines + one in the gun, IFAK, Knife, and Admin pouch.

I will follow this up after a few more games to really try and get my opinion on the JPC design and my current setup, so stay tuned!

RIP Mikhail Kalashnikov

A matter much more important than the Christmas season has just came up, Mikhail Kalashnikov has died at the age of 94.
Mikhail Kalashnikov developed the modern 'Assault' rifle' for the 20th century.
The Ak47, firing its 7.62x39 cartridge, is still debated to be the best rifle even to today. 60 years since the dawn of its existence.

His only american counterpart is John Moses browning, and in my humble opinion.
John M. Browning < Mikhail Kalashnikov
People still have the 'Ak vs Ar' debate, and the AK was developed almost 40 years before the AR. Engineering at its best, when your product is still relevant 70 years after its birth, you have created a masterpiece.
If you want to read more about the Kalashnikov, scroll down to "The AK74".

Mikhail's first try at firearms design. A Sub Machine gun, (1941) was not adopted.

Ah, the Christmas season

The Christmas season, or 'The Holidays' for the easily offended Communists, is an interesting time to be an Airsofter. Its either you don't know what to get your friends and family who happens to airsoft, or you are worried you are going to get that crossman LPEG.
Either way its a frustrating, but also rewarding time for airsofters, as you get to give the gift of gear. ALLAH POTAT.
Some great gift ideas for the advanced airsofter in your life would be a gift card to their favorite airsoft store. You cannot go wrong, they know what they want/'need', but you dont. Its not lazy, it is smart.
Because getting something you don't need or even want is not fun. You have no idea what to do with it, and you feel bad selling it on Ebay or trading it.

If you still feel gift cards are lazy, even though I think they are the best option, you cannot go wrong with optics (Non magnified, Dot type) ,ammunition for their real firearms they may or may not own. A great gift is a box of ammo with a promise of a trip to the range.(Or other shooting location) Or even rail accessories, you are hard pressed to go wrong with anything magpul.

Another thing, take advantage of the Black Friday and Early christmas deals! Black friday is by far the best time to score a deal on some airsoft gear, but be careful, do your homework. A lot of guns that are priced low are there for a reason. They suck.

Buy early! Being lazy could cost you 47.50 in one day air shipping, or a crappy present. Give yourself at least two weeks of time till the big day.

Airsofters are finicky people, this makes gift buying really difficult. If they dont like it, they probably wont keep it. Dont be surprised or offended if they trade or sell it to buy another piece of gear.

But small, buy quality. Your gift does not have to be the newest and coolest gun, a small piece of gear made by a well renowned company will suit better if not the same. If you notice they are missing a glove, or just need a new pair of gloves for example, I would suggest buying a 23 dollar pair of Mechanix gloves.They will last for ever, and special forces members have been known to use them as well. A new sling, boots, eye protection, or even a pouch made by companies like Blue force gear, Crye, Oakley, will make an Airsofter VERY happy. They will use a piece of gear they like for a long time. When a product is built to last, and they like it, you have given a great gift.

Those are all my tips and tricks for surviving the holiday season with an Airsofter.

Them Feels. (Missing my GBBR)

If you read my "About me" Page on here, you would know I owned an upgraded WA GBBR recently.
I've always envied the GBBR users at our local fields, even while seeing their downsides. Cooldown, limited magazine capacity, COST. But I still yearned for one.
About three months ago, that feeling overtook me. I posted my baby, my VFC M16, on Airsoft Craigslist,'looking to trade for GBBR'. Took about three weeks, and many lame offers. Some offers were to good to be true also.  But when a guy offered an upgraded Western Arms GBBR, I took it.

When it arrived, the intense similarity to my REAL Ar15 astounded me. And the first time I shot it, I was hooked. He had put in a CNC aluminum bolt carrier, IA bolt (Nozzle), and NPAS,200% buffer spring and an steel lower parts kit.

The first time I shot it, WOW. Felt very foreign, as I was so accustomed to using an AEG. It felt..Awesome. The trigger response was literally instantaneous, and chrisp. And you could fire it on semi-auto faster than you could blazing away on full auto. The full auto was slow, at best, but it really allowed you to use it, and make those shots COUNT!

Magazines, were..EXPENSIVE, but the realism of having to dump close to empty magazines out of safety and reusing when all your other magazines were out was, Realistic. G&P Pmags hold around 35-40 rounds, giving INSANE realism, I had two.

The plastic lower and upper receiver that came on the WA, were disappointing at best. Plasticy, almost toy like, a metal replacement would cost around 200 bucks! LOLNOPE. I had broken the trigger guard, but had 'fixed' with super glue, and the upper receiver threads were. Stripping.

I loved it anyway. But I guess I loved Airsofting in the winter more, because as winter approached, I knew I wouldn't be able to use it. :(

So, I packaged it up, and shipped it off for an Ares TAVOR (Read below)
To be honest, I will probably be picking up another GBBR at some point. Beginning of summer 2014??...Maybe. Likely.

The AK74

The venerable AK47, Developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947, it has become the worlds most popular service rifle. The long stroke gas piston design makes an incredibly reliable, and tough firearm. The rifle being able to fire even while minor dust and debris that would stop a weapon using a gas impingement system in its tracks.  Accurate enough, though not capable to deliver MOA standards set by the AR, it is a rifle capable of modern firefight engagements. The round fired by the AK47 is that of the 7.62x39, this round, in Kalashnikov's own words, is "The best service cartridge for modern war". Its large, 30 caliber, 128 grain bullet that moves at an impressive 2500 feet per second. This makes the Ak47 arguable difficult to control on fully automatic, but is still useable in rapid firing.

In the 70's, as the Russians watched the Americans switch from our well-renowned M1 Garands to the new M16. The M16 firing the 5.56 round,puny by 7.62x39 standards. The 5.56 flings a 55g, 22 caliber bullet at 3,000 feet per second. (Read more the 5.56 BELOW) The russians were intrigued by our switch from our even larger than 7.62x39, 30-06 round. They saw we had found that the smaller cartridge had led to a soldier's ability to carry more ammunition, and discharge a full magazine with greater speeds.

And the Ak74 was born! Kalashnikov did not want to switch to a smaller caliber for the AK, but he was influenced by the russian government. The round they created was the 5.45x39, its a very similar cartridge to the 5.56 NATO.

AK's in airsoft mean the russian crowd, they have developed more of a subculture rather than a group. The 'Russian Crowd' are in a whole, quite picky on the gear and their choice of weapons. For them, it seems, its AK or nothing at all. It may be the Russian philosophy that leads them to cling to the AK. Basic, Effective, No BS.

Unless you have a death wish, don't bring the AK into 'modern' times, unless it is with the approval of Kalashnikov himself. (Cite the KREBS AK)
http://www.evike.com/products/35760/ If you use this monstrocity, there without a doubt, will be your family, gathered around the table, writing your obituary.

I recently picked up a quite old echo1 AK74, the price was right, and I needed a backup gun. I was especially excited when I magnet tested the receiver and they tested positive for steel. This means, in my limited knowledge, that this is a DBOYS made from old VFC molds.

Im excited to get out and try the new AK. I haven't played in about 4 weeks, and it feels like a lifetime!