PERSONAL DEFENCE WEAPONS
RED CELL
PERSONAL DEFENCE WEAPONS
AS THE UK LOCKDOWN CONTINUES ONCE AGAIN , THE RED CELL CREW HAVE HAD TO WORK REMOTELY TO BRING IN THEIR CONCLUSIONS OF THE LATEST BATCH OF “ AR ” STYLE “ PDW ” MODELS . THIS HAS LED TO SOME PRETTY IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE CHOSEN AEGS AS THEY DETAIL MORE VARIANTS THAN EVER BEFORE !
Yup , lockdown is most definitely getting to us all ,
isn ’ t it ? That said , the Red Cell team have been in constant touch with one another , looking at different AEG models and breaking them down into “ bite-size chunks ” as the sheer volume of “ AR-style ” AEGs out there is just absolutely vast !
This month we decided to take a look at the current crop of “ PDW ” AEGs , picking from our favourite and most trusted manufacturers , as well as throwing in a couple of “ curveballs ” to give you all food for thought .
In fact , the term “ PDW ” itself , as in Personal Defence Weapon , caused quite a debate amongst the crew , as the “ AR ” models that we look at here are brought together by that sliding minimalist stock design and there was some friendly argument as to whether these were “ true PDWs ” or in fact AR “ pistols ”.
US legislation tells us ( in relation to real firearms ) “… a firearm , as defined by 26 U . S . C . 5845 ( a )( 4 ), is made when a handgun or other weapon with an overall length of less than 26 inches , or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length , is assembled or produced from a weapon originally assembled or produced only as a rifle ” and this would indicate most of the airsoft models here fit into that category . The same document goes on to say : “… nonetheless , if a handgun or other weapon with an overall length of less than 26 inches , or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length is assembled or otherwise produced from a weapon originally assembled or produced only as a rifle , such a weapon is a “ weapon made from a rifle ” as defined by 26 U . S . C . 5845 ( a )( 4 ). Such a weapon would not be a “ pistol ” because the weapon was not originally designed , made , and intended to fire a projectile by one hand .”
So , these are not “ pistols ” either , so what are they ? The general consensus is that a model of this length with a retractable stock is simply an ultra-shortbarrelled carbine and , on that basis , the term “ PDW ” actually does fit , as such a compact weapon in the real world would undoubtedly be built for personal or home defence .
What I will say is that , ultimately , these are all great AEGs , consistent , accurate over our foreshortened engagement distances , and certainly ideal for CQB / CQC use , although most of them will hold their own outdoors as well ! So , bottom line is , if you are a smaller player , or someone that just likes REALLY short ARs , then you ’ re going to have a hard time choosing between the models featured here !
But enough with the blah blah blah , let ’ s get down to business and see what the guys had to say about the TWELVE models we put through their paces , both together and in isolation !
40 MARCH 2021