Becoming an Airsoftsniper Part 1

Intro:
For some time now i was thinking of becoming an airsoftsniper and been using a VSR-10 as my platform for just trying out how i work as a sharpshooter in games. It has worked quite well, but i really understand the importance of a good hidingplace.
So i will now try to become a airsoftsniper all the way.

This will be a multipart blogpost and will be evolving all the time. I will probably make a good long PDF of all this when i feel i am done. Bare with me here and i will be fixing with pictures all the time.

1 First off: The Main Weapon

1.1 Research
I have been looking around for something that would fit me. I have tried the KJW M700 Take-down and the TM VSR10 but they always had some problem for me. The KJW was good with some mods, but heavy. The VSR has light but had some work to do on the hop-up which lead to doing the screw-mod on the hop. It would have taken even more money to get it just the way i wanted it. Plus that when lying down it wasn't that comfortable.

Picture taken from x-fire.org

But i had tested 1 weapon that was perfekt in form for me. The L96. I tested a WELL and the problem there was the hop. I wanted a L96 that had it's good form but not a WELL hop...but a VSR-hop because of the rubber in Nineballs Airseal was AWESOME.

So a L96 with a VSR hop that didn't have the side-lever. Hmmm. I remembered that TM had realesed a L96 with the magazine in the right spot and was springloaded.
So ichecked it out. Trying on Youtube first of for a videoreview. But they didn't give me that much. But they answeared my question which was if it used a VSR-hop. AND YES!
It uses a M14 like hop which houses a VSR-rubber and a AEG nub.

HOLY SHIT! Exactly what me and my friend tried to do with a screw mod and metal-hoparm with a H-nub inside. The hopadjustment is done on the outside of the L96 so it's easy to reach but it doesn't risk getting moved as a lever on a VSR. Perfect!

So i am in the process of getting a L96 with 2 mags for starters. I will get it in OD because i wil be painting it in some woodland colour and if the colour starts breaking away it isn't the black shine but still a greenish colour.

1.2 The upgrades
I have placed the upgrades in 3 categorys and decided to go with PDI as my main producer.
The three categorys are: Looks, Power, Accuracy.

1.2.1 Looks:
What i need on my sniper is a light barrel and a fitting for my silencer. So i checked the x-fire website (PDI's main distributor) and found the looks i was going for. It would be a fluted barrel. But it needed a Bull Barrel Base. And then a Conversion adapter that takes 14mm CCW silencers aswell as VSR silencers. All by just flipping the adapter. Why i take the looks first before power and accuracy? Because i need to have my sniper quiet and the adapter helps me with that. This L96 is very quiet from the begining but a little more help it will be even more quiet.

I see it as it's better to be really close and not heard than firing a far distance away and really heard. Getting discovered after only 1 shot and having to run away and risking getting trapped or boxed in is not an option. I want to be able to fire 1 shot with noone knowing where it came from and getting away when noone knows where to start looking.

So the partslist for the looks section:
http://www.x-fire.org/tm_l96/e.bullbarrelbase.html
http://www.x-fire.org/vsr10/e.vsr_bull_barrel_p_fl.html
http://www.x-fire.org/vsr10/e.g_conversionadap.html

1.2.2 Power
The TM L96 only has 300fps of power since it is not allowed to produce a weapon over 320fps of power in Japan. And if i want to get over that 50meter barrier i will have to have some more bang in the gun. And more power means more strain on things. A harder spring will give more power but if i don't fix the inside of the triggerassembly and cylinder i could damage much more than just getting a slamfire.

The trigger in the standard format is a 45 degree and also the pistonend. This is quite good for low powered rifles and in some cases with a lot of work some have got the 45 degree to work quite well with higher powered springs. Well...after redoing all the sears inside the triggerassembly. But i had a 90 degree zerotrigger in my last VSR and the triggerpull was very good. And PDI has their 90 degree V-trigger (also known as the newtype of V-trigger, the old one was 45 degree) and i want to know if it up for the match with the Zerotrigger. The 90 degree has the pro that when locking the piston it releases by just letting the piston push it over after you press the trigger giving you an easy triggerpull. The 45 degree has to push itself past the piston to release itself and gives you a longer triggerpull tha cant be reset since the piston is pushing downward.

Putting in a stronger spring will nor only strain the trigger while cocked, but when it is realesed it will hit the cylinderhead with all it's force which can mean that the threads of both the cylinder and cylinderhead can pop open. And that's not good for the hop-unit at all. So a stronger version of a cylinder is really on the menu.

So the partslist for the Power section is:
http://www.x-fire.org/tm_l96/e.palsonite_hd.html
http://www.x-fire.org/tm_l96/e.newtrigger.html
http://www.x-fire.org/etop/bolt_sp_thicker.html (450fps spring TM L96)

I choose the HD version because it is no-leak and will give me the best regularity in my shots. The New V-trigger comes with a 90 degree pistonend so i can screw that on instead.
Why not the Laylaxparts in trigger and piston? Because i want to try pure PDI to test and later i can elaborate.


1.2.3 Accuracy
The L96 is reviewed as a very accurate weapon for it's low power (about 300fps) and been confirmed hitting at a range of 200 feet without any upgrades. So that's about 50 meters. And for a gun to be really accurate at that range with that low power. I was sure that this gun was good. So what did i need for upgrades in the range department. Well none acctually if i was playing with this in it's original state. But i was going to put much more power in it.

So the parts were Barrel spacers, Nineball Airsealrubber and of course the legendary PDI 6,01mm tightbore barrel. Why not the 6,05? Because the 6,05 has really good accuracy below 50 meters, but my end produkt i am hoping in hitting with good accuarcy and no loobing at 90-100 meters (about 328 feet). So for this i have to have power. So that means this is tha last section to get my attention. But probably i will buy all power and accuarcy upgrades at once to not neglate the acctually most important part of being a sniper, precision.

Parts list for this section:
http://www.x-fire.org/etop/01.html (TM L96 500mm)
http://www.x-fire.org/vsr10/e.g_spacer.html
And a Nineball Airsealrubber

1.3 Pros and Cons with the Gun

1.3.1:Pros

• Magazine in it's right place (Estetic)
  
• VSR hop that won't ware to a righthocked shot or let water in from above
  
• Perfect grip for me
  

1.3.2: Cons

• The piece that takes out 1 bb out of the magazine is in plastic and can easily be broken with a slamfire. Needing to fabricate one in metal.
  

2. The Camoflauge

2.1 Research
A sniper can't get close to it's enemy without good camoflauge. First of i will have to have a good uniform that in itsself will blend into the enviroment and secondly a ghillie to enhance me blending in with things that are around me. Later on it will be trying to make my weapon invisable.

2.2 The uniform
I need a uniform that blends good with the swedish forrest so a more woodlandish camo will be perfekt. My friend that plays as a sniper during games uses CADPAT and i must say that it works really well in the forrest since the Canadian forrest is really simuler to the swedish. I would much rather have the woodland version of the A-TACS camo, but it isn't due until a year or two. So Cadpat will soon be on the way. Although winter i coming and i don't have a good job yet i can wait and put all my thoughts into the weapon and ghillie. I already have some MARPAT and it blends quite well, although not all the way.

So A-TACS woodland in number one place and CADPAT in second.

Secondly what i will have to fix is a balaclava that covers my mouthregion but i can still draw down easy for eating and drinking from my camelbak

2.3The Ghillie
I want a ghillie that isn't a wookie suit because i do not need a full frontal ghillie, since in my opinion you are always behind something, or if you have to have your belly exposed the uniform takes care of masking and ghillie takes care of your outline. Think that you will be about 80 meters away from enemy so the outline is most important.

Picture taken from uksnipersystems.com from their showcase

So i found one that was perfect. I wasn't a suit but a cape more that covered head,shoulder and back.

http://www.combatservicesupport.co.uk/product/13200/sniper_kit/uk_sniper_systems_recon_ghillie_back_panel.html
http://www.combatservicesupport.co.uk/product/11428/sniper_kit/uk_sniper_systems_recon_ghillie_combination.html

It brings me back that it should break my outlines of the body. But if someone is to come close i will be lying on my stomach and not standing up. Plus it gives me perfect access to my front pouches for what ever reason and not being as warm as your usual wookie eveningwear.

3. The backupweapon

3.1 Research
Since my main weapon will be powerfull when i'm done with the upgrades i can't just shoot anyone when they come close with it. Unless i want to get banned from every game ever. So i start thinking. I need a gun that is reliable, something that doesn't catches itself on stuff or can malfuntion because of my way through the woods. I needed a NBB gun that was silent. Of course i know that you all are thinking THE TM Mk23!!!! But no..it is awesome but to big for it to be perfect. Then i saw the Walther P99 NBB...perfect...small that can be used with a silencer in a Serpa-holster. So i can put it on my vest and no need for a droplegholster.

3.2 The Gun
So the gun is a NBB what does that mean? It means that from a GBB (gas blowback) it has No BlowBack that is the slide is static and doesn't have to get moved back. The clear advantage is that the sound from the slide is eliminated and all gas is used to push the BB out the barrel.

And just as the Mk23 the silencer does much more than just look cool.
Why the Walther p99? Well..i've seen and heard it in action and must say i was very impressed. When i was just next to the gun i heard it just as the Mk23. But further away it was almost impossible to hear. And size? Well...let's just say that is you would cut of all the non-essential parts of the Mk23 you would get the P99.

Although i haven't found where it was possible to get ahold of one yet. It is my next quest.

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Next i will try to find a good setup of vest to accommodate the larger magazines of the L96. And what more i need in the vest. What kind of paint i will use on the gun and some of the things around like gloves and underneath the uniform.

A good silencer will also be a object i'll be hunting for.