Here at Airsoft GI, one of our main goals is to promote safety. In airsoft, the most important piece of equipment is eye protection. Anyone who is near an airsoft gun must wear eye protection at all times! No exceptions! Even when you are not in an actual game, you must wear eye protection.
As a real steel shooter, the primary factor I look for in shooting glasses is the lens. The lens on all my shooting glasses (including sunglasses) must meet or exceed the A.N.S.I. Z87.1. A.N.S.I. stands for the American National Standards Institute, which establishes standards for products, services, processes, systems and personnel in the United States. A.N.S.I. Z87.1 is the national standard for eye and face protection.
I use a pair of Oakley glasses when I am shooting. Every pair of Oakley glasses exceeds the A.N.S.I. Z87.1 standard. The cool thing about this pair of Oakley glasses is it has clear and dark lenses for indoor and outdoor shooting. Whenever I am handling a firearm (shooting at the range or cleaning it at home), I will put that pair of glasses on. Whenever I am at work handling airsoft guns (shooting or not), I will still wear that pair of glasses.
The lenses on my Oakley can be changed within seconds.
For airsoft games, obviously there are only a few types of eye protection which airsofters are allowed to use. In fact, airsoft fields require all airsofters who participate in any airsoft games to wear fully sealed eye protection such as goggles and full face masks.
Over the years, I have been to numerous airsoft games and I found the common mistake that airsofters make (including yours truly) is not setting up your gear properly. A lot of airsofters imitate military operators (Navy SEALs, U.S. Marine Force Recon, etc) and do not realize there are reasons why military operators set up their gear a certain way. Setting up your gear correctly can increase your efficiency and minimize the chance of you getting shot.
Low Profile Plate Carrier w/ Battle Belt
After years and years of T&E (Testing & Evaluating, courtesy of my boss :D), I found out that keeping it simple is the best way to go. Obviously, I am not telling you to go out there and copy me or anyone else. I am telling you to test out your gear before you spend your hard earn money on unnecessary gear. There are a few things that are extremely important for me when I am looking for any tactical gear. First thing I look for is the material. Since I use the same gear in airsoft and real steel, 1000 Denier Cordura is a must on all my tactical gear, especially my plate carrier. 1000 Denier Cordura is more durable, more reliable, and more tear resistance than any other nylon out there. Every products Specter Gear, J-Tech, and Pantac manufactures is 1000 Denier Cordura. Second thing I look for in my tactical gear is stitching. Believe it or not, I have ripped a MOLLE loop from mounting a pouch. It is heart breaking when you thought you had bought a decent piece of gear. Stitching on Specter Gear and J-Tech (Taiwanese Military) is good, since it is designed for the military and law enforcement community. Pantac made its reputation a long time ago as the top of the line Airsoft gear. Third thing I look for in my tactical gear is modularity. I need to the ability to customize as much as possible. Therefore I do not like any type of cross draw vests. With MOLLE plate carriers and most chest rigs, I have the ability to customize where I want my gear, such as pouches, hydration, etc. The final thing I look for is comfort, especially on my plate carrier. Since all the weight is on my plate carrier (ballistic plates, fully loaded magazines, even airsoft magazines eventually get heavy), it is smart and logical to have a little bit of comfort when carrying all that weight. Setting up for success Currently, I run a low profile plate carrier and a battle belt to hold all of my life support equipment ( mags, med kit, etc). First, on my battle belt, starting from left to right, I have 3 pistol magazine pouches, followed by 3 rifle magazine pouches. After that, a utility pouch sits right in the middle of the back side, followed by a rip away IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit). On the 3 o’clock position (right hand side), I have a G-Code R.T.I. holster which contains my secondary. The reason why I have a battle belt (first source of ammo) is because if for some reason I have to ditch my plate carrier, I still have my basic life support equipment (3x pistol mag, 3x rifle mag, utility pouch, medical pouch, and my secondary).
There are a lot of debates on which hard holsters are better. Currently we carry G-Code holsters and BlackHawk! SERPA holsters. I am going to give you my opinion based on my experiences and you can decide for yourself. Before we begin, let me give you my background.
My name is Andrew and I have been playing airsoft since 2006. Over the years, I have been to numerous operations and countless weekend games. More importantly, I have been a firearm enthusiast since 2009. I currently own an AR-15 (M4) and 2 handguns, Glock 17 and Kimber 1911. I have firearm training sessions frequently, almost once per month. I also participate I.D.P.A (International Defensive Pistol Association) and I.P.S.C. (International Practical Shooting Confederation). I have used both BlackHawk! SERPA holsters and G-Code holsters during those firearm training sessions and matches and found the advantages and disadvantages on both brands.
BlackHawk! CQC SERPA
The 3 main different mounting solutions for SERPA holsters.
After extensive research, BlackHawk! was founded in 1993 by a former U.S. Navy SEAL. BlackHawk! is a manufacturer of tactical gear, body armor, and law enforcement duty gear, holsters, hydration systems, protective gloves and gear, apparel and footwear, knives, illumination tools, breaching tools, hunting gear and recoil reducing stocks.
BlackHawk! CQC SERPA holster series first hit the market in 2004, and because of its revolutionary retention system, it quickly attracted everyone in the shooting community, including military and law enforcement around the world. The holster is injection molded from a high strength polymer, therefore it is durable.
