11 Mar Reconbrothers FOF Training Airsoft Gun Setups 2021
Reconbrothers FOF Training Airsoft Gun Setups 2021
As you may know, it has already been 2 years ever since we brought you a blog about our personal force-on-force airsoft gun setups. And for that reason we will now bring you an updated 2021 version today.
But before we dig into this subject, make sure to subscribe to our blog page by filling in the form. Also Make sure to visit our Youtube Channel by clicking the button. Have a look at our store shop.reconbrothers.com for your quality tactical stuff.
Intro
Ever since our last video, a lot has changed in these setups, but also in the way how we utilize them. And that is all thanks to the fact that we had training in the meantime.
What do we use these for?
Well, first it is for tactical courses in countries where shooting lead is very limited. And we do these with our tactical instructors of course.
Secondly, we also have airsoft events where we actually apply these force-on-force techniques. And thirdly, is dry-fire drills we can do at home.
So the main priority with these things for us, is realism. They have to represent a firearm as much as possible. And this mainly because of the things that we do with our company, or intend to do in the future as well.
In fact, using these airsoft platforms for the past couple of years has actually lead us towards a level where we are confident enough in order to do firearm trainings as soon that that is possible again.
Let’s first have a look at the guns themselves when it comes to these setups and let’s begin with the primary first.
Primary Gun
Old Gun
As you may know, a few years back we used to run a Tokyo Marui Next-Gen Recoil Shock, which is an AEG or an electric system. And these were pretty realistic systems for them just being AEGs.
But about a year ago, we got the recommendation from Instructor Delta to have a look into GBBRs.
New Gun
After some serious research we each got ourselves one of these. And to make a long story short, we now basically suffer from a small mental disorder where we can’t seem to be able to go back to an AEG platform anymore, but for the rest we’re totally doing fine.
So the gun base we have here is a Tokyo Marui MWS CQBR Block-1 as they call it. Which is basically an MK18 Mod 0.
Why Tokyo Marui?
If you don’t know that by now, Then you’re not worthy! No, basically the thing is, that these devices come very legit straight out of the box. And we believe that a well engineered product in general is much better than getting something and tweaking it or upgrading it.
Personally we actually don’t do anything about these things, until something breaks.
Pros and Cons
First thing is that it has an amazing recoil. Instructor Delta even compared it to a 5.56 M4 firearm and they are very similar. Also the build quality is really great and the Cerakote on the receiver holds really well.
Now, the downside of this system is that it is pretty hard to get. And aside the gun itself, the magazines are even more rarer than that. In fact, I even got my magazines before I got the gun because they are so difficult to get a hold on.
Aside that, the magazines do have a tendency to jam sometimes. It does not happen a lot, but when it does it is usually at a bad timing, as always. It is easy fixable, but that is pretty much it about this gun. So let’s have a look at our secondary.
Secondary Gun
New Gun
As for our secondary, we have the Cybergun FNS-9 which is a licensed airsoftgun by FN Herstal.
Why Cybergun?
Well, the thing is that we used to run a Tokyo Marui as well which was the P226. And those were fully plastic pistols because of the laws in Japan. Now, the problem with those was, that once we used these in our training sessions or our courses, they actually had a lot of problems with cooldown. And also the fact that they’re not very realistic as them having a plastic slide.
So, we basically looked for something for a while with a metal slide and these came out on top while being something of our taste, because yes, that is also important.
Pros and Cons
First being, it has a pretty good kick to it for it being an airsoft pistol. It has a good weight to it as well, the cooldown is pretty slow which is definitely useful for those training courses. It is ambidextrous, so it can be utilized by lefties and righties. And aside that, the magazines have an integrated base plate. Which is definitely useful for if you happen to drop them with those speed reloads or whatever. So they can take a blow.
And at last, probably the nicest feature about this pistol, is that you’re able to do chamber checks with it for those dry-fire exercises.
About these guns
Just so you know, both these guns are stock guns and they have been running great thus far.
Myths
Due to these being gas systems we know that there are quite a lot of myths going around them.
- One being, for example they need a lot of maintenance. Well, in our experience for them being used for a year already that is not rally true. We actually only needed to maintain them once in while, just like with any other gun.
- Another one of those myth is them being poor performers in cold conditions. We have already been using these at 0°C and we can say that they perform just equally as they do otherwise.
Probably the issue with most people when using these devices in colder temperatures is the fact that if you want to be an action hero and do all your praying and spraying without the need to do any reloads than I can get why these things will start to perform poorer in those conditions.
However if you use them properly, meaning you’re accurate, you’re using techniques and your team tactics and you’re using your team with proper communications, then there is no issue whatsoever. In fact to give you an idea, we shoot more during our training sessions than we actually shoot on these events and even there we don’t face any issues with them.
Grandpa’s Advice
A small side note to all you guys out there. Which you may not realize, is the fact that: “Your training and your physique are actually much more valuable than your gun or your kit alone.” The thing is, you might look cool with all that stuff, but if you can’t run 100 m in your full kit or you don’t know what you’re doing, then you’re not that cool looking anymore.
Power & Ammunition
Green Gas
For the power we obviously use green gas and with these we use the Nimrod green gas. The red one we especially use for those colder days. And both give us about 350 fps depending on the weather conditions, which is perfect because we’re allowed to go up to that 360 fps.
BBs
As for our BBs, we use 0,25 g BBs and 0,28 g BBs. 0,25 is by Xtreme Precision and 0,28 is by Green Devil. The 0,25 mainly being for our pistol and those training courses, because that is usually all pretty up close. And the 0,28 mainly for our primary system for those outdoor conditions.
Accessories
Next we come the accessories when it comes to these 2 systems and with this we only use quality and reliable products, because we used to run the cheap stuff back in the day when we started. And it failed us way too many times and costed us more than we liked in the end.
So only mid to high range products is what we aim for and that is also the exact same mindset behind our webshop.
Primary Gun Accessories
Starting with our primaries first, the minimum necessities in our eyes for a modern setup, is to have at least a sling, a flashlight and an optic.
Sling
Why a sling?
- First it allows you to carry a part of the weight of your gun on your shoulders and thus reduces arm fatigue.
- Secondly, it is an easy weapon carrying tool that allows you to do other stuff or allow for a transition to a secondary.
- And thirdly it can serve as a support tool to steady your aim and manage recoil better.
What sling do we use?
We mainly use 2-point slings. We have tested 1-point and 3-point slings in the past already, but 2-point slings, to us personally, really stood out. Because they are a very stable carrying platform and allow you to do your transition to your secondary without the need to sacrifice your crown jewels. However, they don’t allow you to switch shoulders that easy but that is not really an issue to us.
Old sling
We used to run a Blueforce Padded Vickers Sling which is certainly a really good sling. Because we have used this one for the past 2 to 3 years. But with the knowledge we now have, we can say that it is 1: a very heavy sling. And 2: it is also more a sling used for carrying heavy weapon systems or doing patrols or marches where you don’t need that maneuverability with your weapon system a lot.
New sling
Viper now personally uses the Direct Action® Carbine Sling MKII which is to his opinion probably the best sling out there these days. It is an extremely simple sling and in his eyes, you don’t need any more than this when it comes to a sling.
This sling is very lightweight and comfortable, it is quick-length adjustable. It attaches through simple shock-cord loops which are much easier to replace and cheaper as well than those usual QD mounts these days. And, what we do like about Direct Action® is that they make use of a Hypalon® material which is a strong and grippy material and they applied that in the pull-tab of this sling which is pretty smart in our opinion.
As for Instinct, he still uses the Vickers sling nowadays, but he’s also going to step away from that one. He is currently awaiting the new sling from Tasmanian Tiger® to see what that one is all about.
Mounting & use of the sling
So how has Viper mounted this one? Pretty simple, the front end is looped around the handguard behind his front grip, and the back is looped around the end of the upper receiver. Which gives an incredible maneuverability this way.
Flashlight
Why a flashlight?
- It allows you to light up dark areas or rooms or you can’t see s***.
- Secondly, it can serve as a blinding tool. So you can blind an opponent this way and have a tactical advantage.
- And thirdly, most importantly, is target identification.
What flashlight do we use?
About half a year ago we were looking into reliable flashlights that don’t break the bank. And this way, we came across Streamlight®. Fun fact, when looking for these we got the opportunity to become a retailer ourselves and that is exactly what happened. So, if you’re looking for Streamlight® products you can find them on our shop.
So this way we got ourselves the Streamlight® Protac® Rail Mount 2 with a filter-cap as well.
Why this light in particular? Well, it comes with everything to mount it straight out of the box. It can be mounted on 1913 rails and can be mounted without any tools. It is lightweight, pretty compact, at least water-resistant, impact-resistant as well and its Candela and Lumen output are pretty impressive as well.
Grandpa’s advice regarding Lumen
Because yes guys, Lumen isn’t the only thing you should consider when it comes to getting a flashlight for your weapon. Candela is equally as important. A high Lumen amount can blind you and the guys next to you, and we can know that, because we have already experienced this ourselves.
So if you want to look for some tips on which flashlight fits you should pick for your personal needs, then go have a look at our other video about choosing weapon mounted lights.
Mounting & use of flashlight
So, how have we mounted these? Pretty simple, as much as possible to the front on the right side of the handguard, so it doesn’t interfere with our hand when using it. And on the top we have the pressure mounted, so we can easily use it with our thumb.
How have we programmed these? One click is the low Lumen output which is 60 Lumen. Two clicks is the high Lumen output which gives us 625 Lumen.
Why do we do it like this? Well, with the 60 Lumen output we can see enough to do our clearing while maintaining as unnoticed as possible. And once we have to go all-in, it’s just double click and we have our high output.
Why did we opt for a filter-cap as well? Well, this serves two purposes. One being, it protects the light bulb against incoming projectiles and also secondly, the filter color serves a certain purpose.
For example, a green one creates a less noticeable light-beam than a pure white LED and it also heightens contrast in the dark. A red filter-cap preserves your natural night-vision, and than you also have an IR version which creates an IR-beam which is not visible with the naked eye, but can be detected with IR devices such as night-vision goggles or IR cameras.
Optic
Why an optic?
We know there are plenty of optics available on the market, but we solely want to focus us on red-dots and holographic sights here. The thing with these is that:
- You can reduce your aiming speed significantly, because you don’t need to outline your iron sights.
- It also gives you a better peripheral view than using iron sights.
- And for the people that are not used to shoot with both eyes open, these allow that without the need to train your eyesight and your brain which gives you an advantage because you can see what’s around you much better.
What flashlight do we use?
The optic is the same that we used 2 years ago which is an Aimpoint® PRO. And yes we know it is a pretty expensive optic, but the only thing that we can say here, that applies is “buy once cry once”.
Some might have said we were crazy back then, but we always liked the ruggedness and versatility of these devices and that is exactly once of the aspects why we went for this one. An example of this, is the fact that we can utilize this with an NVG which will definitely happen at some point. Also considering that we’re now moving to firearms, this is definitely a good investment in our eyes.
So, some features of this thing are that 1: it is tougher than the gun it is on, 2: its battery life can last up to 3 years. It can function in any lighting condition, it has an included spacer which can also be removed if we like to do that. It has a built-in knob system which is extremely simple to use and doesn’t require any mounting tools to mount this on the gun. And also, it hasn’t failed us a second.
Mounting & use of optic
How we mounted these, pretty simple, we positioned them as much as possible to the front of the receiver so we keep that nice peripheral view.
What we also did with these is, we give them a killflash in order to protect them from incoming projectiles which is definitely important in FOF. Aside that, this also literally does what the name says, it kills flashes. So sun reflections don’t occur with this.
Another thing with optics is that it is pretty important to have them properly zeroed, otherwise they’re pretty useless. And for this we have created a method about a few years ago on how to zero an optic on an airsoft gun without firing a single shot. We have been using it ever since we developed that method and also created a video about it, we’ll put the link to that video in the description down below.
But anyway, we have been pretty accurate with these ever since then, even though these are airsoft guns, and that means we only have to fire 1 or 2 shots to get a proper accurate hit.
Aside the optic itself, we still also have our back-up iron sights from TM present on the gun, because if the battery happens to fail, then we can still aim with something.
Magazines
If we go to the magazines themselves, you can see that we use Magpul®s on these and that is simply because of the reason that gas magazines don’t like to have shocks. And if we happen to drop them, the Magpul® will decrease the impact a bit, so these are better protected.
Front Grip
Next, we come to our frontgrips and we have used a lot of different models in the past couple of years. But recently we have come across a new company in The Netherlands which is called York Development and they have made these which are pretty impressive designs.
About 2 weeks ago, we got the newest designs of York their foregrips and although we haven’t been able to test them out yet, we know they are pretty impressive, because Viper has tested the old version pretty extensively.
They are very strong, lightweight, ergonomic and low profile. And also the fact that you mount these without the need to of sliding over your rail is pretty smart as well. And aside that, you can use them in 2 directions.
There are 3 versions of this so called “Strutted” design. I use the M version which is a low profile grip. My brother uses the S version which serves as a handstop. And then you also have an L version which really serves as a big foregrip.
Mounting & use of front grip
How we mounted these is pretty self-explanatory. We just placed them in a position where it is comfortable for us to maneuver with our gun and also have the ability to easily access our pressure pad of our light system.
So, that was everything regarding our primary setup, let’s now have a look at our secondary.
Secondary Gun Accessories
So, what are the minimum necessities in our eyes when it comes to a modern pistol setup. Pretty simple, a flashlight and an RMR which is a “Ruggedized Miniature Reflex Sight”. And the reasons to use these are basically the same, as you would have them on a primary.
Before we could make any move on getting a certain pistol setup, we had to deal with a problem first. And that is the problem of holsters. This is a problem most likely everyone has to deal with these days, especially when they get a certain setup with a specific flashlight or a specific RMR.
Holster
We went looking for a solution and found a company in France that makes custom Kydex holsters for many different possibilities. And the company is called TRB-Holsters®, which we by the way also offer through our webshop.
So as an example, this is Viper’s personal holster, from TRB-Holsters®. It has a thickness of 2 mm which is according to their experience the best thickness to offer a lightweight holster, with a good retention and also deform enough to prevent breakage as much as possible.
A nice feature that TRB offers with their holsters is giving them a velvet inside, which protects the pistol against usage of the holster. Furthermore, we have mounted our holsters on a Blade-Tech® Duty Drop & Offset with a thigh-strap which gives us personally a perfect height to do our draws with. It is a mid-ride platform which sits comfortably against the hip and also offers a really good retention.
For us personally, these are the best holsters we’ve used thus far and the really nice thing about TRB-Holsters® is that they can be made for practically any gun setup.
So, once we figured out everything about the holsters, we could make our decision on our pistol and their accessories. And as you can see, we don’t use an RMR yet.
What we do have on our pistol is a flashlight which is in our opinion the most important of the two accessories for what we do.
Flashlight
In particular, we use the Streamlight® LTR-7A® Flex which fits perfectly on the compact size of this gun. So, the features of this flashlight are that it has a output of 500 Lumen and 5000 Candela. It is extremely lightweight, only weighing 33 grams. It also has a strobe function and can be used in an ambidextrous way, just like the pistol, so both for lefties and righties.
The flashlight is also water and shockproof, it can be mounted on nearly any type of pistol and it comes with an interchangeable low and high rear switch which are very easy to utilize. And also, it has served us really well thus far.
So having said that, we basically covered everything we wanted to share about our personal airsoft and FOF gun setups.
Thanks for reading our blog
“Reconbrothers FOF Training Airsoft Gun Setups 2021”
We hope you learned something when it comes to setting up your gun or pistol.
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