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 Walther WA 2000 Sniper Rifle

Source: Facebook

     When the Walther WA 2000 sniper rifle appeared on the market in 1981, it was a radical departure from the more conventional sniper rifles then in use. Development of the WA 2000 was started by the Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen, a response to the aftermath of the Munich Massacre that took place during the 1972 Summer Olympics. At that time, the standard West German police sniper rifle was the Heckler & Koch G3SG/1. This was simply a regular G3 assault rifle picked off the factory floor when it showed high accuracy on the testing range. A heavy bipod and Zeiss 1.5-6x36 telescopic sight was added to the rifle, creating the G3SG/1. Following the incident, after action reports pointed out the need for a dedicated sniper rifle that could be deployed in urban environments where engagement ranges were shorter. The WA 2000 was one of three designs developed, the other two being the Mauser SP66 (appearing in 1976) and the Heckler & Koch PSG1 (Präzisionsschützengewehr 1; Precision Rifle 1) which was introduced in late 1972.

     The WA 2000, visually, differed from both the SP66 and PSG1 greatly. The WA 2000 is a bullpup design in which the magazine and action are situated behind the trigger group. This permitted the rifle to maintain a standard 26 inch barrel but have a shorter overall length in comparison to a traditional rifle. As an example, the total length of the SP66 is 3.6 feet long while the WA 2000 is 2.9 feet long. This makes using the WA 2000 in the closer confines typical of urban terrain easier. The next visually striking difference is the floating barrel situated between the bottom stock and upper rail. A floating barrel means that the only point of contact the barrel has with the weapon is the connection to the receiver. The benefit is that there are no external factors acting on a floating barrel that could influence accuracy. With traditional barrels, the pressure caused by a bipod, rested stock, or even a sling can act against the barrel, affecting trajectory. In addition, temperature and humidity can warp plastic or wood stock furniture and cause accuracy reduction. Something as basic as draping a camouflage net over the rifle can even have a negative effect on bullet trajectory, especially at range.

     The WA 2000 uses a gas-operated, rotating bolt action and is a semi-automatic weapon. The primary round used in the WA 2000 is the .300 Winchester Magnum and the box magazine holds five rounds. There were three other calibers the WA 2000 could be chambered for, these being .308 Winchester, 7.5x55mm Swiss, and 7.62x51mm NATO. As the latter three rounds are smaller, the box magazine for these calibers holds six rounds. The rifle can use either a one-stage trigger or a two-stage trigger.

     Although not visible in this photograph, the WA 2000 has a adjustable spike bipod mounted on the top of the weapon near the muzzle which is fitted with a flash suppressor. Early makes used a “can” style flash suppressor while the final production make used a different design. The stock furniture is fully adjustable to suit the firer. The WA 2000 does not have iron sights and so it requires optics with the standard one being a Schmidt & Bender 2.5-10x telescopic sight. The sight used in the photograph is not a Schmidt & Bender but a more modern one, as is the scope mount which features a integral upper rail.

     The WA 2000, despite its impressive capability, did not enjoy success. Two factors doomed the rifle. The first was the cost and all in, the WA 2000 topped out at $12,500 when production ended in 1988. In 2025 value, the rifle would have cost $35,010. This was far more than either the West German military or police were willing to pay. By comparison, the H&K PSG1 could be had for under $5,000. The second factor was the WA 2000 was too frail to withstand the rigors of military use. With the military not interested and the West German police opting for the PSG1 and SP66, only 176 examples were made. A small number of German police units adopted the WA 2000 but it wasn't enough to justify continued production.

     Given Japan's strict weapon laws, the WA 2000 shown in the photograph is most likely an airsoft replica. The most common is the Walther licensed Ares WA 2000 which is a spring gun firing 6mm pellets from a 50-round magazine. The Ares WA 2000 does feature Hop-Up and is compatible with using CO2 bottles to work the action rather than the firer using their hand to rack the bolt. Retail cost for a Ares WA 2000 is around $650 to $800. Another replica is the Geneth WA 2000 though this isn't a licensed version and is not well received in regards to quality. In Japan, the Asahi WA 2000 is the de facto airsoft version of the rifle but is quite rare and examples come with a significant cost. Given the markings on the weapon in the photograph, it is not an Asahi as they do not use the Walther logo.

Waifus with Raifus: The Colt M1873 Single Action Army Revolver

Credit: Mikael Jansson

     In 2000, fashion model (and later actress) Devon Aoki posed for a series of photographs shot by the renowned Swedish fashion and portrait photographer Mikael Jansson in Stockholm, Sweden. The results of the shoot later appeared in the November 2000 Dutch fashion magazine “Dutch”. In this particular shot from the series, Devon wields a Colt M1873 Peacemaker revolver. Given Sweden's strict laws and regulations on gun ownership, what she is holding is very likely a non-firing replica.

     More accurately called the Colt Single Action Army (Colt SAA), the Peacemaker entered U.S. Army service in 1873 until 1892 as the branch's standard issue revolver. Production ended in 1941 and many Colt SAA weapons served through the entirety of World War Two. The popularity of the Colt SAA saw production resumed between 1956 and 1974, again from 1976 to 1982, and for a third time in 1994 and ever since, the Colt SAA has continued to roll off the lines at Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company.

     The Colt SAA has been offered in nearly 30 different calibers (and numerous variants) during its life and even today, it can be had in at least 11 calibers. However, the most common ammunition for the Colt SAA for its initial service career was the .45 Colt round. The 11.43x33mmR (.45 Colt) is a rimmed, straight-walled, centerfire cartridge and was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 for use in the Colt SAA. Originally using 40 grains of black powder (later reduced to 34 grains), the round produced a muzzle velocity between 850 to 900 feet per second. Against a man-sized target, the effective range of the original round in the hands of a trained person was 69 to 91 meters. A skilled marksman could manage 114 to 137 meters of effective range. Of course, today, the .45 Colt ammunition sold in shops for current production Colt SAA models has a far higher grain count which produces a longer range.

     The Colt SAA is a single-action revolver (hence the SA in the name) which means to ready the revolver to fire, the operator needs to cock the hammer/striker first. Pulling the trigger initiates the “single action” of releasing the hammer/striker which then fires the bullet. Total ammunition capacity is 6 rounds in a metal cylinder. The usual barrel length of the Colt SAA is 7.5 inches but the replica looks to be the shorter, 5.5 inch barrel. Empty, the Colt SAA has a weight of about 2.3 pounds.

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.

Waifus with Raifus: The Rheinmetall-Borsig 30mm Maschinenkanone 108 Automatic Cannon

Artwork: Noriyasu Yamauchi

     The Rheinmetall-Borsig Maschinenkanone 108 (MK 108) 30mm automatic cannon first appeared in 1940, created by Rheinmetall-Borsig as a company endeavor. In 1942, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM; Reich Aviation Ministry) issued a requirement for a heavy cannon for aircraft which could engage Allied bombers and cripple or even destroy a bomber with minimal ammunition usage. Rheinmetall-Borsig dusted off the MK 108 and presented it to the RLM who, satisfied the cannon met the requirements, accepted the MK 108 for acquisition with the cannon entering operational service in mid-1943. The first aircraft to be equipped with it was the Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2 heavy fighter and the Bf 109G-6/U4.

     The MK 108, by itself, had a weight of 128 pounds with a barrel length of just under 2 feet (23 inches). The action utilized the principle of Advanced Primer Ignition (API) blowback. As is sometimes said of German engineering, this action required exceptional and precision construction and assembly to ensure smooth operation. API blowback works by igniting the primer within the round while the bolt is still moving forward and before the round is fully chambered. The rearward force of the detonating primer both slows the bolt's forward motion to prevent it from slamming into the breech while leaving enough momentum to send the bolt rearward to repeat the cycle. Such an action allowed the MK 108 to have a lighter bolt amd have a low recoil. 

     The MK 108 had a cyclic rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 1,640 feet per second. This was rather low in comparison to other aircraft cannons and created a dangerously short effective range of 200 to 300 meters to ensure hits. While the MK 108 had a far longer maximum range, the round suffered from rapid drop which made accuracy at range poor. Testing showed that at 1,000 meters the round drop was as much as 135 feet from the aim point. However, the MK 108 was never designed to engage fighters (though, a single hit to a fighter could cause significant damage) but the much larger target profiles of bombers.

     The caliber of the MK 108 was 30x90RB. RB stands for Rebated which means the rim of the round has a smaller diameter than the base of the round. The main benefit of a rebated round is that it can be easily converted into differing ammunition without having to change the weapon's action mechanism. While the MK 108 had several ammunition types, the most common used in combat was the 30X90RB Minengeschoß (Mine-Shell) round. A thin-walled, steel cased round, it packed 85 grams of PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetraniotrate) explosive into the nose. Allied bomber crews were able to easily hear the MK 108's distinctive sound when it fired, nicknaming the weapon the “pneumatic hammer.”

     While the MK 108 had some success when equipping propeller driven aircraft, when the MK 108 was installed in turbojet aircraft, the short effective range made scoring hits a very dangerous affair for pilots. The Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters' speed was much higher than Allied bombers and so a successful engagement against bombers from the front or rear (an attack profile to minimize the number of defensive machine-guns that can take the aircraft under fire) was very difficult. With only 360 rounds to feed four MK 108 cannons, Me 262 pilots eventually developed an attack profile in which they flew above the bomber stream and once a target was selected, the pilot would put the Me 262 into a shallow dive which used the plane's speed to avoid escort fighters. Then, the pilot would continue the dive behind and below the bomber then pull up, bleeding off speed. This put the Me 262 around 1,000 meters from the rear of the bomber with the pilot opening fire at 500 meters then pulling away to avoid a collision at 200 meters. The rocket fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 163, had an even higher speed and pilots attacking bombers had between 2-3 seconds to execute an attack before having to pull away. 

     The lack of range saw the Me 262 equipped with 55mm R4M unguided rockets on underwing racks, 12 per wing. On approach, and outside of the bomber's heavy machine-gun range, the pilot would unleash the rockets which would create a spread pattern. Just one or two hits from a R4M was enough to down a bomber.