This has been a *long* time coming thanks to a heady dose of procrastination about what exactly to put in here. I’ve refined both my load carrier & what I choose to employ as personal firing solutions a lot since returning to the sport. What you’ll see here is primarily what I choose to call my “professional operator loadout” which is what I take for a half or full day milsim. Everything has been refined & customised to meet my play style. The rationale behind each item is simple – I need it to perform its allocated function exactly as required. The only point of failure should be me.
..: Professional Operator Loadout :..
Starting from the top I go with a standard operator’s baseball cap. I prefer a cap over a helmet – its lighter & doesn’t feel restrictive. As well as keeping undergrowth out of my face it stops rain from getting on my eye-pro & the sun out of my eyes.
In terms of eye-pro it really depends on the weather. If its cold enough then I prefer Wiley X’s for comfort & clarity. I can quickly switch protective lenses if the light conditions change & did I mention how unobtrusive they are? If its over about 7 degrees however my Viking heritage comes to the fore & I sweat too much for them to cope. The only eye-pro I’ve come across over the years that can deal with this are the Bolle “Tracker 2”. They feel more “present” than the Wileys, but sometimes beggars can’t be choosers.
In pulling this together I’ve worked out that I’ve been using the same plate carrier now since January 2025. This is a definitely a record, both in terms of me sticking to one platform & it not falling to pieces. I use the Fujin Airsoft Shinto which is light, comfortable & given that it has survived (well at least at the time of writing) 8 months being roundly abused by me, incredibly tough. I really love the quick-detachable system on the waist & shoulders which makes putting it on & off an absolute breeze. Its also fully adjustable so its comfortable & doesn’t get in my way which is important for my “shoot & scoot” style of play.
On the front right hand shoulder I have a Viper “Tactical Elite” grenade pouch. While I don’t rate it for use with any of the blank firing devices I like, its great for retaining my Boafeng UV-5rii radio.
I have a well deserved reputation for *ahem* misplacing team leader/marshall radios & the appropriated grenade pouch seems to have kept a lid on that for the time being.
In the top zipped admin panel I keep a Dynatex charging rod (the modern short version with the flat, circular top – by far the easiest primer to use) & a handful of .209s in a customised thin metal tin. The inside of this has striker pads affixed which keep it from rattling & are a godsend when you find that the Mark V thunderflash you want to chuck has managed to shed the pad somewhere.
Moving down to the chest I have two Condor “Double Pistol” mag pouches mounted into the molle. Four mags might seem a lot, but I use my 1911 as a primary anytime I’m up close, around buildings or lets be honest, with the flimsiest of excuses.
Below this is a Viper “Treble Duo” mag pouch. This holds 4 full size EPM1 midcaps & a pair of half size EPM1 mags. The half size mags are really useful when I’m fighting either prone or in dense cover. The extra movement space this gives might not sound a lot, but it makes enough of a difference for me choose to carry a pair of these in lieu of the full size ones. The Vipers are due to be replaced as the retaining bungee has failed. Whilst I’ve not lost any mags that’s still an unacceptable level of failure so we’ll see how the Condor equivalent performs. You’ll also notice my secret weapon – my tactical Fraggle hanging off the right hand side1.
That take us to the cummerbund. On the right side I have a molle mounted Kydex 1911 holster, adjusted to give me enough retention that I don’t have to worry about losing my sidearm but I can easily draw/stow her as needed. Behind that are two Viper “Grenade” pouches. These are just the basic pouches with a velcro flap to the secure pyro but they fit a Dynatex grenade perfectly. I’ve attached a short length of paracord to each pouch which is then attached to the grenade pin. This means I can pull the pin without worrying about what to do with it as well as making re-priming & loading much quicker as I know exactly where the pin is.
One the left side are another pair of Dynatex as well as an ID Gear “Closed Double” mag pouch with a further pair of full sized EPM1s. If I’m playing at a site with hard floors I’ll swap out two of the Dynatex for a pair of FRAG-C impact grenades. The FRAG-Cs are by far the best impact device out there. They don’t need to land on a specific part – provided the surface they hit is solid they go off. FRAG-Cs don’t need priming & take only a few seconds to swap the spent charge out for a fresh one. Compared to the multi-shot alternative “Qu8ke” these weigh in at 185g vs 450g, are smaller & don’t need to land on a plunger.
I’ve been using the Dynatex since I began – one has be running for nearly 30 years now! The advantage of a timed grenade is that it can be gently rolled under a door or placed round a corner. The good old Dynatex also doesn’t require a solid floor to go off.
Below this is a small Viper “Scrote” pouch which has some Mark V thunderflashes for easy access. My belt has a simple zip-up Mil-Tech “Molle Belt” pouch which contains my emergency meds, high calorie snacks, a silenced bag of 0.28g Rebel BBs & a speedloader. These tend to be for the 1911 mags & I’ve had to break them out for team mates who are running low on several occasions.
..: Firing Solutions :..
Over the years (it has taken years) I’ve tried pretty much every platform out there when it comes to AEGs. I’ve finally settled on the M4 platform as it ticks off my needs. These are:
- Reliable mid-caps
- Pre-cocking
- 11.1v 3000 mAh Li-Po compatible
- Standard upgrade/replacement parts🐾
Mid-caps are important for two reasons – they don’t rattle & they feed well. I’ve tried a number of different marques & the only ones which have reliably fit the bill are the PTS Syndicate EPM1s. They have an excellent capacity – 250 & 170 rounds depending on full/short size & have never let me down by failing to feed.
As of late 2025 there are some other similar capacity makes out there but fellow some of my fellow players have experienced critical issues with them. When I pull the trigger, I expect my RIF to put plastic down range. So whilst they might not be cheap, for me, the EPM1s are worth every penny.
The vast majority of the time I fight in semi-auto. I don’t like to take a shot unless I feel I have a better than even chance of hitting, plus putting a couple of rounds into a target is much less likely to give my position away than a burst. Unless my opponent is in a bush, there’s little to be gained aside from wasting ammo by hosing her. This is why pre-cocking is so important – once you’ve experienced it there’s no going back. I can really notice the delay between pulling the trigger & the response without it. There’s no doubt it gives you an advantage – giving your opposite number even less time to dodge out of the way should they hear the RIF fire.
Speed of response/gearbox cycling is also the reason why I want compatibility with an 11.1v battery to begin with. The 3000 mAh capacity means I never have to worry about my battery giving out during a day (or even a weekender mil-sim) of play. I actually use Titan Version 7.0 11.1v 3000 mAh Li-Ion nunchucks. Yes they are slightly larger than a Li-Po but they still fit a crane stock without it needing modification. They give you all of the advantages of a Li-Po but without the fire risk.
Standard upgrade parts should be obvious – particularly with how hard I play. I don’t want to be waiting weeks for some bespoke rail or stock. After trying a number of different manufacturers I’ve finally settled on Arcturus albeit with a replaced hop up. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with the one it comes with (indeed its superior to those you’d find on many other marques) replacing it with a “Retro Arms AR-15 Pro” unit with a “Maple Leaf Macaron 60 degree” extends the usable range & provides a shot consistency that that matches my requirements.
I prefer to use iron sites – target acquisition is quick & they don’t present any issue with becoming useless in inclement weather.
With regards to a sidearm my preferance has always been for a single stack 1911. Look I have small hands for a guy. I’ve tried double stack Infinity/Hi-capas but they don’t feel right & I don’t have the same intrinsic connection to any other platform.
I’ve been on a quest to find a 1911 make that can both empty a mag fully & still prove useable in cold weather. The KJW platform fits the bill nicely. Reinforced TM compatible internals running on CO₂ which means she’ll empty the 24 round mag. I get 3 mags from single CO₂ canister. This goes down to 2 once you’re playing in conditions below 6°C but I’ve found that she stays perfectly usable even to down to freezing.
Whilst she’s operated flawlessly I’ve replaced the inner barrel with a 6.02mm tightbore & a “Maple Leaf” hop up chamber. The hop rubber is again a “Macaron 60 degree” which extends the range well beyond that which you would normally expect for a GBB pistol.
- What makes him so damned tactical? Clearly its the camo paint on his cheeks. ↩︎