Waifus with Raifus: The SIG Sauer MCX-Rattler

Source: @rukalee on X™.

     It is probably a bad idea to leave a poor tip at the local maid café when the wait staff have access to firearms. This “meido” (メイド) is sighting in on a cheap customer with a 6mm airsoft version of the SIG Sauer MCX-Rattler chambered for the .300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK) cartridge. There are several airsoft manufacturers of the MCX-Rattler to include Cybergun, PROW, and Salvo Precision. This particular airsoft is a custom build as it is using a SIG Air low-profile retractable stock along with a dummy suppressor styled after SIG Sauer's SRD762 series suppressor. The frame hardware is also custom as it features a foregrip which the real MCX-Rattler doesn't come with as standard. Her weapon is using a Unity high-profile, fast micro-mount upon which is an Aimpoint T2 micro red dot sight.

     As for the actual MCX-Rattler, the model shown is the pistol version that uses a 5.5” barrel. The barrel is made of cold hammer forged steel while the forend uses metal alloy to keep weight down. Empty, the weapon has a weight of 5.1 pounds and a overall length of 1.9 feet (without the suppressor). The civilian version is semi-automatic and uses a gas-operated, short-stroke piston action. The gas system is adjustable. The trigger is a flat, SIG blade match style while a top Picatinny rail is standard. The weapon is fed using a 30-round box magazine.

     The .300 AAC Blackout round, produced by the Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC), has a caliber of 7.62x35mm and can be used in any 5.56mm NATO compatible box magazine. The cartridge is designed as a intermediate round that falls between the standard 5.56x45mm round and the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol round. Its primary use is in shorter barreled weapons (such as the M4 Carbine) where it delivers improved muzzle velocity similar to the Russian 7.62x39mm round and while the 300 BLK round's accuracy drops off faster than the 5.56mm cartridge, the 300 BLK has the same energy at 700 meters as the 5.56mm round does at 500 meters. The 300 BLK subsonic round variant permits usage of silencers and suppressors. Out of a 9 inch barrel, the effective range of the 300 BLK cartridge is 440 meters with a muzzle velocity of 2,050 feet per second.

     Since 2022, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has utilized the SIG Sauer MCX Rattler chambered for both 5.56mm and 300 BLK as PDWs (Personal Defense Weapons). Other countries that utilize the 300 BLK cartridge include the Netherlands (used by the Dutch Maritime Special Operations Force), Germany (by the Schleswig-Holstein state police and the Kommando Spezialkräfte [Special Forces Command]), and the United Kingdom.

Waifus with Raifus: The KRISS Vector Origin CRB Gen 2

Source: @nataliafadeev on Instagram

     This installment of “Waifus with Raifus” features Natalia Fadeev. A former Israeli Defense Force military policeman, Fadeev now makes content featuring herself dressed in alluring outfits along with military weapons. Going by the online handle “Gun Waifu”, Fadeev participates in (and promotes) the sport of airsoft in addition to being a positive influence on women looking to make a career of the military. She is seen here posing with one of her many airsoft weapons, a licensed 6mm replica of the Vector Origin CRB Gen 2 carbine designed and built by KRISS USA, Inc.

     The Vector's distinctive profile is due to KRISS' Super V Recoil Mitigation System (RMS). The weapon uses a delayed blowback, closed bolt action and the Vector's small bolt assembly is linked to a low-mass slider. This slider is slotted into channels within the frame that run perpendicular to the barrel. The system is housed in the area just behind the magazine well. Upon firing, the Super V RMS shunts the blowback energy downward and this acts as a counter to the barrel's rise. Another interesting feature of the Vector (again contributing to its appearance) is that the barrel of the weapon is actually below the trigger group. This positioning, in combination with the Super V RMS, makes the Vector easy to control and permits quick follow-up shots with very little adjustment.

     The Vector Origin CRB Gen 2 is available on the civilian market, retailing for $2,300. Unlike the airsoft version, the genuine Vector is fitted with a 16” barrel (hence the carbine label) and is semi-automatic. It comes chambered in the .45ACP round and it uses a standard Glock 21 magazine. This normally holds 13 rounds but it is fitted with a KRISS MagEx 17+ kit which makes a total capacity of 30 rounds. This extended magazine is shown in the photograph. The barrel is made from 4140 chrome-molybdenum alloy steel and finished with black nitride. The trigger is 2-stage and has a quick reset.

     The Vector Origin has a empty weight of 8 pounds with an overall length, with extended stock, of 3.2 feet. Speaking of the stock, it folds to the right, laying flush along the weapon's side and has a total of 6 positions of adjustment. The Vector Origin comes standard with flip-up front and rear sights, a top Picatinny rail for optics, and three other Picatinny rails on either side of the front frame and bottom. The weapon comes with a front grip on the underside rail (not see in the photograph).

     As for Fadeev's airsoft version, it is very likely a Krytac Vector SMG V2 AEG (Automatic Electric Gun). Krytac is the only airsoft company that holds the license from KRISS to produce the Vector in either GBB (Gas Blowback) or AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) models. Firing 6mm pellets, the Krytac Vector AEG has a muzzle velocity between 345 feet per second up to a maximum of 370. Maximum rate of fire is 21 rounds per minute with a magazine capacity of 50 rounds or 95 rounds if using the extended magazine (shown in the photograph). Power comes from a 11.1 volt LiPo (Lithium-Polymer) battery which drives a bonded neodymium (NdFeB) magnet, high-torque motor. Empty weight is 5.7 pounds with a length (stock extended) of 2.2 feet. Fadeev looks to have added a Nitro.Vo SRS (Strike Rail System) which fits over the front of the weapon, extending the length of the Picatinny rails to permit the fitting of a wider range of accessories and offer a longer handguard. The SRS is made of lightweight aluminum. Fadeev had also added a holographic sight that includes a rail for a magnifier. What brand it is cannot be made out.

Russo-Ukrainian War: Training with Airsoft

Source: Sky News Ukraine

     Two Ukrainian soldiers photographed during training sometime in July 2025. The wire mesh goggles and mask worn by the soldier in the foreground might look very familiar to people who participate in airsoft games. Airsoft, which first started in Japan in the 1970s, is now played around the world and it consists of teams competing against each other with the sides utilizing airsoft weapons which fire 6mm spherical pellets. The Ukrainian Army, as far back as 2023, began using airsoft firearms to conduct training. Specifically, they are using AEG airsoft weapons.

     AEG, standing for Automatic Electric Gun, is the most common type of powered airsoft weapon. Based on airsoft spring guns (the cheapest type of airsoft weapon...requiring the firer to cock the weapon after each shot), the AEG uses a rechargeable battery pack to power an electric motor which handles the task of charging the weapon. As such, many AEG weapons are selective fire, permitting the operator to shoot single shot, 3-round burst fire, or conduct fully automatic fire. The typical AEG has a muzzle velocity of between 300 to 390 feet per second with an average range of around 200 feet. Getting struck by a 6mm pellet is said to feel like getting a sharp pinch.

     So, why use airsoft? It offers a number of advantages with the most obvious being safety and the prevention of serious injury. As the Ukrainian Army is at a disadvantage in regards to manpower versus the Russian Federation, airsoft reduces the chances of death or critical injury if the training is being conducted with small arms ammunition (even blanks can be deadly). Given that many AEG airsoft guns are externally replicas of genuine assault rifles, it provides the recruit or soldier with practical experience in handling the weapon. Likewise, AEG weapons are relatively inexpensive compared to their real counterparts and the cost of 6mm ammunition is far cheaper than small arms cartridges.

     Another obvious advantage is it permits realistic combat training that encompasses the broad spectrum of battlefield tactics across various terrain and situations. OPFOR (Opposition Forces) can be utilized to engage soldiers in combat simulations without much risk of harm during firefights which makes such “live fire” training far more real where there is no mistaking being struck and thus trainees can experience what it is to take “casualties” and how to deal with such situations. Also, airsoft training is more economical in comparison to using MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) equipment which is expensive, cumbersome for infantrymen to wear the required sensors in addition to their regular combat loads, and requires lasers to be fitted to weapons. This, in addition to the time needed to maintain MILES gear and replacement cost for damaged lasers and sensors.

     Airsoft, while providing limited benefit to marksmanship, is no replacement for training with actual battle rifles on shooting ranges with live ammunition...all under the guidance of instructors who can assist the soldier within the relative safety of a controlled environment.

     The AEG rifles shown in the photograph are replicas of the Colt M4A1 CQBR (Close Quarter Battle Receiver) using SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar Modification) accessories, notably the Knight's Armament Company rail interface system (NSN: 1005-01-416-1089) as the rifle's forearm. What make the AEGs are cannot be told with any certainty but Specna Arms is a possible candidate, if only by the design of the magazine.