RAVEN EU 18 PISTOL REVIEW!

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the blog! Today I have another review for you and we'll be looking at my new side-arm: the new RAVEN EU 18 pistol from Nuprol! The RAVEN EU Series 18 pistol is one of the new gas blowback airsoft pistols manufactured and built by NUPROL as part of their RAVEN EU G-Series pistol range.

Before we get into how it performs, let’s first chat about the construction! The pistol features a polymer frame and an alloy slide, meaning it's super lightweight but also durable. On the grip, there is a stipple-like texture, a fire selector and also an extended magazine release.

Like the WE G18C, the EU 18 features a selectable fire GBB system, meaning that it is capable of both single shot and full auto. Out of the box, the pistol has square sights already fitted which allows the player to acquire their target quickly by simply lining up the pistol with their field of view and still maintain accuracy.

What about size? The EU 18 has a Gen 4 frame which allows the grip to fit snuggly in the player’s hand and because it also comes with interchangeable backstraps the fit can be modified for players with even tiny hands – which is really handy for younger players and female players. The grip also features a stipple-like texture which gives it a little more grip and definitely helps when wearing gloves. The frame also features an extended mag release which is super helpful when finding it under fire and makes it easier to release the magazine quickly.

What’s the performance like? I tested mine in almost freezing conditions during an outdoor skirmish and it performed well. It didn’t vent, which can be an issue during cold weather which I was pretty impressed with. I didn't warm the mags before the first test but did afterwards to prevent any possible issues. There were no misfeeds or jams. It fit snuggly in my hand with the small backstrap. What I would like to see, would be a rougher stippling texture and for the stippling to be consistent all over the grip and cover where the trades would be.

The pistol comes with a magazine so you’re ready for the field and extra back straps for different hand sizes. In the box, you also get a spare nozzle and O-ring seals kit, which means you can replace parts of the weapon if they wear down over time. One thing I really like about the EU 18 is that it is also compatible with the WE Europe G-Series parts and accessories so I can use my WE Europe G18C mags with this pistol too – although they do fit a little snugger than the Raven mags.

What’s the cost? The cost of the Raven EU 18 is around £89.99 and the spare magazines retail anywhere from £18 - £25 depending on which airsoft retailer you buy from. The pistol definitely has a great price point, which makes it, in my opinion, a great choice for beginners or players on a budget.

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IWA 2017 SHOW REPORT: NUPROL!

Hey everyone!

We're slowly but surely getting through all the IWA 2017 Show Reports! Next up is my good friends at Nuprol, they have been absolutely smashing the industry lately, bringing out so many new affordable products for Airsofters! 101 Tech USA have also become to official distributors for Nuprol in the US so American Airsofters will soon be able to get their hands on Nuprol Kit. Here's what we saw at IWA 2017!

So first of all it's worth mentioning that the Nuprol stand this year was huuuuge, and it had to be to fit on all the existing and new products!

First up is the Nuprol 2.0 mini gas bottle. It has been out for a little while but I think this will be a big hit amongst Airsofters who want to carry gas on them but not a full sized bottle, these mini 2.0 bottles are perfect for carrying a good amount of gas in pouches without the bulk and weight of a standard bottle.

Next up is the range of Nuprol BBs, you can check out our review of them here. The Nuprol line of BBs come in 0.2g all the way up 0.4g and are also available in most weights as biodegradable and tracer rounds.

During IWA 2017 we got our first look at the Nuprol line of AEGs! More on the specs in a follow up review post!

The Freedom Fighter, tan.

Pioneer Defender, tan.

Recon Alpha, tan.

Sopmod, Recon Alpha, Pioneer Defender, Freedom Fighter and AK21 in tan.

Recon Alpha, black.

Pioneer Defender, black.

Freedom Fighter, black.

Freedom fighter and AK21 in black.

New products

This year we also a tonne of new products! One of my favourites was definitely the Nuprol hardcase in grey! You can check out our review of the hard case here. I absolutely love this new colour and think it will be a big hit with Airsofters. They are also giving the option of either egg shell foam or their new pluck and pull foam which will be available this year! The egg shell foam option is perfect is you have more than one gun and you like to switch things up and the pluck and pull is ideal if you are only going to use your case for one gun with specific accessories.

Another new product that caught my eye are the new pistol cases, these are a pretty neat size and have an overall feel of sturdiness.

The new Nuprol 1.0 gas is another new product that caught our eye! This is new to the range of gases and completes it. It is perfect for pistols with plastic slides and really hot weather days.

Another new product that caught our attention is the new chronograph. The deep red colour is a great choice and definitely an eye catcher! It will retail for around £60 so it is super affordable for Airsofters who want to chrono their guns at home or sites that want to have more chronos but not spend an arm and a leg.

Last but not least is the new Delta Spec Ops Amoeba Honey Badger! The box includes the Nuprol Amoeba AEG, 3 x Keymod rail pieces, a 300rd M4 Hi-Cap magazine, a cleaning rod and the instruction manual. Specs to follow in another review post!

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NUPROL RZR BB REVIEW!

Hey everyone!

So this blog post is in response to a question I get asked all the time – online and in person at skirmishes and now that I’ve ran the new line of Nuprol BBs for a fair few months and through my entire arsenal of RIFs, I feel like I can finally provide you with my thoughts on them. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all heard about the infamous first batch of Nuprol BBs, I tested these back in 2014 and whilst I had no issues with the .28g BBs, I unfortunately did have issues with the other weight BBs which included jamming, misfeeds etc – all information that I relayed back to the team. After taking on board feedback from customers, the team at Nuprol went back to the drawing board and after rigorous testing have now released a new line of BBs, ranging from 0.2gs to 0.4gs, but how do they stack up against their competition?

This review is based on the 0.2g BBs and 0.25g BBs used in a G&G Armament CM16 SRL, ASG Scorpion EVO 3A1, Krytac Trident SPR, G&G RK74-T, a WE Sig P226 and the WE M&P.

My usual go to brand of BBs for most of my time in Airsoft has been the tried and tested Blaster BBs from ASG, I have swayed and sampled other brands over the last couple of years but Blasters are the ones I always end up going back to. I did really like the pink .28g BBs from the first batch of Nuprols beebs as like I said, I luckily didn’t have any issues with that weight so when the team brought out their new line, I jumped at the offer to test them to see how these new ones compared to the old. Danny and Ross kindly sent over a package full of 0.2g and 0.25g BBs – the former for CQB and the latter for when I play MilSims and Urban games.

First up on the agenda was the 0.2g BBs which I have ran through all of the guns listed above at my home site Strike Force CQB. I usually use .2g BBs for CQB because there’s no wind and no obstacles like undergrowth etc and also handed a few bottles out to friends and players on my visits to get as many opinions as I could. 

I found that the .2gs ran well in all of my own rifles, which range from beginner RIFs such as the G&G Combat Machine to more advanced RIFs like my Evo. I had no jams or misfeeds. Everything ran smoothly.

For the .25gs, these were my choice for the urban setting of The Fire Service College in Moreton in Marsh for HTIS Operation Blue Fox 2. I use a heavier weight for urban and outdoor sites because of wind and undergrowth, and I’m pretty happy to say that the results were consistent with those of the 0.2g beebs for this event I used my CM16 and the EVO, both RIFs ran well with no feeding issues or jams.

I really feel that Nuprol have taken the feedback given to them and worked on a product that is really affordable and of high quality for the end user. I am also glad to see how well the new line has been received and how Airsofters responded to them after the last batch.

One thing I really like about the new line of BBs is the new bottle design, it’s bigger so holds 300 more rounds – great value for money and the new shape has two flat edges to prevent spillages (obviously some will spill out depending on how its dropped/knocked etc but the new bottle helps prevent the whole bottle emptying. The bottle is also a misty black colour which I think looks really smart. The bottles are colour coded to distinguish their weights but the BBs are white – I think that is my only complaint, I loved the colour coding of the BBs in their first batch!

Prices are pretty similar from across the board. At Land Warrior prices start from £6.99 for a bottle of 3300 .2gs! Check them out here!

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NUPROL LARGE HARDCASE REVIEW!

Hey everyone! 

So our last review of 2016 is here and we have the Large Hard Rifle Case from Nuprol! The team at Nuprol kindly supplied FFA with a green hard case at our 2nd birthday skirmish in November to keep all our custom RIFs in and we have finally given it a good few outings so let's get into the review!

The Nuprol Large Hard Case is exactly what it says on the tin - a large, hard rifle case designed to carry (or store) and transport Airsoft guns to and from games safely. Now there are a lot of hard cases on the market, so really, what makes this special?

Well, I think personally what makes this particular product a notable one is the value for money you get - the Nuprol team have packed a tonne of higher end features into a unit costing a budget friendly £59.99. Now I've paid a lot more for a lot less in weapon cases so for me the price point is spot on. Let's have a look at the features of the case! It comes in 3 colours - Green, Black and Tan, it weighs just 2.5kg, has 4 easy to close latches to keep it securely closed and 2 padlock holes on the front edge to allow the weapon to be locked up - perfect for travelling. The case also has an IP67 waterproof rating which is pretty handy when travelling to games on rainy days (Scotland :P). With Dimensions of 103x33x15cm externally and 98x29x12.5cm internally it's also a pretty sizable case - I managed to fit both my G&G CM16 SRL and the G&G RK74-T in at the same time.

Both the top and bottom pieces have a thick foam insert to hold the rifles in place securely when the case is closed. The foam doesn't feel cheap and springs back to its original shape once the RIF has been removed from the case.

The case also features a carry handle on the side and one on the top to make transporting the case as easy as possible. I really like how ergonomic the handles are, even when the case is weighed down by heavy RIFs the handles don't cut into your hand and they feel pretty robust - there is no sign of them failing during transport . The dual handles also in my opinion set off the look of the case.

Lastly, the most important feature of the case is, its wheels! Yep, you read that correctly, that is my favourite aspect of the case. There are currently no other cases on the market with wheels for such a low price. For those who can't afford the big name brands such a Peli etc these cases are a great solution to storing and transporting Airsoft weapons.























Overall, I am really impressed with the Nuprol Hard Cases, they are fit for the job, feel sturdy, have a tonne of great features and they look more expensive than they actually are. I found it difficult to find anything I don't like about the case - it can be pretty loud when rolling it along, but that can't be helped! Haha

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THE NORTHERN SHOOTING SHOW!

Airsoft has been gaining speed in the world of shooting sports at an enormous rate in the last 5 or so years and with this growth comes an Airsoft presence in the world of events. The very first Northern Shooting Show was held at the Yorkshire Events Centre in Harrogate, Yorkshire and was a mix of real steel, Airgun and ‘The Airsoft Experience’ all in one show. Whilst not the first show of its kind, it has been highly anticipated by the Airsoft community since it was announced last year!

The Airsoft Experience was designed to introduce members of the British shooting scene to our sport and the team at Airsoft Action pitched up a tent to show our support! In true Airsoft community fashion there was a varied display to be seen as within the experience we saw Airsoft stores such as JD Airsoft, The Grange, Pro Airsoft Supplies and ASPUK, some of our favourite brands Nuprol and ASG, Stirling Airsoft providing fee taster sessions within their mini inflatable Airsoft skirmish site and a full Practical Pistol course so the punters could try another side to our sport to name a few.

There were many highlights of this event – seeing the highly anticipated ASG CZ 805 Bren in person for the first time, checking out some of the new products from Nuprol such as their new range of magazines and testing the latest generation of Alpha Tec Hex Grenade – 2016 is sure to be a great year for Airsofters and their kit.

The main highlight of this show for me however was definitely having a taster session of Practical Pistol with the team at the Grange, and dare I say it, since I’ve been trawling the internet looking at competition pistols and shooters belts – all in the trademark pink! (Shifting the blame onto you there Herman!) What I love about this side of the sport is that Practical Pistol is all about accuracy and speed, and the loadouts! They are brightly coloured and completely different to the Skirmish aspect. I enjoyed this so much I definitely think it will definitely become a new addiction for sure!

As well as the Airsoft experience skirmishers could try their hand at new activities such as clay pigeon shooting, archery, plinking, shooting real steel .22s and also attend gun safety talks.

Overall, the Northern Shooting Show was a resounding success, with tickets priced from £9 per day the event was great value for money! It was great to catch up with old friends and make new ones! Although I would’ve liked to have seen more retailers and brands at the show, it was great to see such a large Airsoft presence and try new aspects of our sport/hobby, and experience what the rest of the shooting industry has to offer us. I anticipate that the turn out next year will be even better! Here’s to the Airsoft Experience 2017!

Hardwick, K. (2016). The Northern Shooting Show. Airsoft Action. 63 (July), 31.

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