The Big Interview : Kelly Hardwick (Femme Fatale Airsoft)

femme-fatale-2Kelly Louise Hardwick is Femme Fatale Airsoft – one of the biggest names in the UK Airsofting community. She’s hugely popular on social media, blogs regularly, writes for the UK’s leading Airsoft publication and goes out to Airsofting events across the length and breadth of the country. We spoke to her about her experiences….

How are you?

I’m really good thank you.

How did FFA start?

I started Airsoft as a hobby in August 2014, and then I had a car accident, and lost my job in November of that year and created the blog to fill my spare time. It’s snowballed and snowballed since then (laughs). After the accident, I thought, I’m going to have a look at all the kit I wanted to buy when I was able to play again. And after searching the internet for around 9 hours, over two days, I was like ‘why isn’t there anything for women?’. And two, ‘there’s not really anything out there that encourages women’.

There was a massive gap in any information available to help women. And, there was a quote that was in a book that I read when I was 16 years old, that said ‘be the change you want to see in the world’, so I thought, ‘Why not?’.

The problem was, I was new to it anyway. So it’s been a massive, massive learning curve. And it’s been me trying to find me feet in airsoft, which I have, quite quickly.

What’s happened over the past two years for you then?

A lot! The blog has enabled me to travel, meet new people and be a part of some amazing experiences. One of the most notable would be that in July 2015, I got approached by Airsoft Action magazine, and I became the first female contributor to a UK Airsoft Publication. I’ve been lucky to travel internationally with them to the IWA in Nuremburg (annual trade show). It’s been crazy, absolutely crazy…I have travelled up to 800 miles at weekends to play airsoft. I love it, I absolutely love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been a crazy, crazy two years.

Just give us a ballpark on the Airsoft. How many sites have you been to?

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Kelly on top of a chopper, with some smoke grenades of the kind used in some airsoft adventures….

I would say I’ve probably been to about 20 to 30 sites, in the last two years. So my home site is Strikeforce CQB in Gloucester. That’s the site I play the most often. The furthest north I’ve been to is Edinburgh, in Dalkeith, that was a long trip! And then the furthest south I’ve been is the UCAP Sandpit in Kent. I play more southern sites than I do any other. I think the south has a better selection of CQB sites. I would say a lot of the northern sites are woodland, and I don’t play woodland too often.

Airsoft’s quite an unusual sport. How would you describe airsoft for the uninitiated?

How I had it described to be was that it’s like a real-life Call Of Duty, but you’re the player, if you see what I mean. It’s a fun hobby. Everyone’s really friendly. You shoot each other with plastic pellets, and they don’t hurt that much.

Tell us a bit more about the Airsoft community. It seems quite secret and underground. What is it like? Who goes?

I would say that one of the best things about Airsoft is the community. I think if you know about it, you know about it. If you’ve never heard of airsoft, you won’t have any idea. This one game can bring so many people together. You can get builders, doctors, people from all walks of life and we all run around woods, dressed as soldiers playing with toy guns! I think the advertising for the sites/shops are more prevalent than they used to be. Some people in general don’t really understand what we do but more people know about it now. I read in a newspaper article once that the UKARA website had around 15,000 people registered on it in 2012. And the industry as a whole has grown 5 fold since then so i
t’s constantly expanding, so more people know about it which is only a good thing.

On a normal game day, you’ll turn up at the site, get everything from your car and get your kit to the safe zone to get ready. Safe zones are anything from purpose built, to gazebos. Anything works. It’s a very odd sport (laughs). After that, once everyone has turned up, we all get kitted up, and sling plastic for a bit.

What is there out there, in terms of unusual or interesting Airsofting locations?

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FFA checks out the CZ805 from ASG.

There are some that I’ve heard of that sound really interesting, I really want to play them but I haven’t had a chance yet such as Red 1 The Boat. I think the most interesting sites I’ve been to so far are the Mall in Reading, it’s a shopping mall, and it’s so strange! You’ve got all the shops, all the windows, all the escalators. The escalators don’t work because obviously, with BBs everywhere that would be dangerous. But, it’s bizarre because, you obviously recognise shopping centres in the daylight, when they’re really busy, but it’s really eerie to see it dark, with no one in it.

I’d say another interesting site I’ve been to is the Gaol in Rutland. It’s an old Category C men’s prison. So it’s not like high security, but all the cells are still there, all the gates, everything like that. It’s dead cool.

What is the gender balance like in the sport?

I would say, the gender balance is predominantly male, and it always has been. Do I think it always will be? Maybe. I think it takes a special sort of person to play airsoft. You have to enjoy getting shot at, and a little bit of pain! (laughs).

I think from when I first started two years ago, the industry has moved forward quite a lot. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of well known female players, and I spent ages looking for them! You’ve obviously got big name players like Desert Fox, Scout The Doggie, on the male side. There were only a couple of really female players making waves such as Unicorn Leah, Airsoft Hasmeen and Adella Relentless. And there weren’t many companies making tactical clothes for women, now, there’s a lot more coming into the market with brands such as 5-11 Tactical (http://www.511tactical.com) making a lot more women’s tactical clothing, which is great.

What’s it like being a woman Airsofter?

You have to learn how to put a load out together, and if you’ve not got thing specifically made for you, it can be quite difficult. It is nice to have that female presence online and on the field to help with any questions.

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Kelly has shown that girls can smash stereotypes in her alter ego as FFA

There’s one thing about women, as well, they seem to play harder than some of the guys do. It’s insane. Some of the women – and I make a point of meeting as many female Airsofters as I can, just so we can get more of a female solidarity thing going. Spice Girls / girl power sort of thing  – and.. some of them are crazy. Absolutely crazy, and it’s amazing to see.

What does your loadout for your typical event consist of?

For my primaries, I have two favourites, my two go-tos. G&G sent me a custom CM16 SR-L. Basically, it’s a mash up between the first Black Rose, and the CM16 SRL with a Key Mod rail system. That’s my favourite gun to use. It’s got a custom Cerakoted real steel red dot sight, and it’s got a mini launcher – 40 BBs of pure terror, out of one tiny little launcher. And I’ve got my Scorpio Evo by ASG as well. That has no pink on it, so that’s my serious gun for games I can’t really take the pink one to. It’s a good all rounder.

As for my sidearms I’ve got two. I’ve got the WE, M&P the M Force one. It’s got a silver vented slide with a gold barrel. It’s got a pink grip. It’s very blingy! And then, for serious games I’ve got my CZ P-09, by ASG. That’s got no pink on it!

I was wondering how feminine you are with your presentation!

See people have an issue with the pink! Pink’s not my favourite colour, believe it or not. Purple is, but there’s not a lot of kit out there in purple, so pink’s a good substitute. Because it’s a fun hobby, I like to have fun loadouts. What’s the harm with a little pink here and a little pink there? (Laughs).

In terms of your ‘brand’, Femme Fatale Airsoft, it’s been very successful what do you plan to do next with it?

I’ve never really thought about it. Because it started out as a fun hobby. And I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun. I just take each day as it comes. One thing I like about it is I get to travel with it, I get to meet new people and obviously I’d say, representing the hobby in a positive light. I’ve no specific plans for where to take it next so we’ll see where it takes me.

You can follow Femme Fatale Airsoft on her blog. She’s also on Instagram, YoutubeFacebook and Twitter

Airgun Channels On YT : 5 Of The Best

airgun-logo-biggerOne of the best ways to learn about shooting is by seeing and hearing about it from the experts. And a great way to do that is on video streaming sites like Youtube. You can learn everything from how to play guitar, to cooking a sunday roast on this mammoth video site. The stats are mind-blowing: 300 hours of video are uploaded to the site every single minute, and 3.25 billion hours of video are watched every month. Some of these focus on the world of shooting, with airgun reviews, features, and much more.

To help you sort the wheat from the chaff, we’ve put together this list of some of the best airgun channels out there.

1. The Airgun Show

Probably the most famous UK airgun show out there, presenter Mat Manning guides viewers through the world of guns, gear and more.  With hunting, night shooting, field testing, exhibition visits and more, it’s a thorough, informative, and fun weekly show, and it hits the internet at 7.30pm every Tuesday.

2. The Airgun Gear Show

With 60,500+ subscribers and counting, this is a fun, slightly wacky, and fact packed show about airguns for aficionados and beginners alike. If you want to keep up to date with the latest developments and new releases by the major manufacturers like Weihrauch, BSA, Air Arms and more, then it’s a great place to start.

Check out the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AirgunGearShow

3. Replica Airguns

This US channel showcases some of the finest looking replica airguns out there, from classic wild west handguns like the ASG Dan Wesson, to the modern looking military sidearms like the Sig Sauer P226 by ASG. It’s a fantastic resource, and, with 168,000 subscribers, a popular one.

 

4. Twang And Bang

Launched in 2012, this US channel is an exciting insight into the world of guns, with a mixture of full octane, real firearms, alongside some reviews and features on airguns. 286k subscribers tune in regularly to see eye opening features like this one, on the World’s Most Powerful Airgun, vs Wall Studs…

Check out the Twang And Bang channel here.

5.  Airgun Web TV

Airgun fanatic Rick Eutsler shares his tips, reviews and features on everything airgun related. The content often takes in airguns beyond UK maximum power regulations, but due to the thoroughness and quality critique, it’s worth tuning in when Rick reviews airguns available for purchase here in the UK.

Olympics Rio 2016: Shooting & Archery Roundup

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Image Courtesy of National Olympic Committee

The Summer Olympics took place in Rio last month, with 11,000 athletes representing 207 Olympic Committees. USA won the overall trophy haul, with 46 gold medals, and 121 medals in total. Meanwhile, it produced an exciting set of results in the shooting and archery events.

Olympics Shooting Results

Team GB’s Ed Ling and Steve Scott both brought home bronze medals. Steve attained a perfect score of 30 in the double trap to beat team mate Tim Kneale. Scott’s career has been inspired by veteran British shooter George Digweed, as he told ShootingUK. “George Digweed was my idol and when I was working there (West Kent Shooting School) at 16 or 17, he was shooting Double Trap. I never knew about the discipline, but he asked me if I wanted to have a go and I got the bug for it. I thought ‘I’ll give this a go properly’.”

Fehaid Al-deehani won gold in the event, competing as an ‘independent Olympic Athlete’, while Italy’s Marco Innocenti took silver. Ed Ling got third place in the Men’s Trap shooting event, with the top place going to Josip Glasnovic, who was followed by Italy’s Giovanni Pellielo.

Olympics Archery Results

In archery, 128 athletes competed across 4 events, using recurve bows under World Archery rules. Korea restablished its supremacy in the event, taking back its crown from the USA, the country that aced the 2012 London Olympics, in the team event. The trio of Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun beat the US 6-0 to win their fourth title in the past 5 Olympics. Korea took all 4 golds avilable at the event, with Ku Bonchan and Chang Hyejin taking two each in the men’s and women’s individual competitions. Team GB’s Patrick Huston went out in the second round.

A world record was set by world number 2 archer Kim Woojin in the 72 arrow ranking round. You can see it here:

 

Stay tuned to our blog for more archery and shooting features, news and reviews coming your way.

Girls With Guns: 5 Of The Best

#GirlsWithGuns is now a thing! If you’re passionate about shooting, you can’t have failed to notice that it’s often a man dominated hobby and sport. From hunting, to sport to pest control, it’s usually guys who are wielding the shotgun or airgun. But things are changing. With female shooting clubs and female shooters popping up in the media and all around the country, women’s participation in shooting has increased massively. Here we take a look at 5 of the biggest and best female shooters and clubs around.

  1. Amber Hill
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Amber Hill on target at an ISSF event

The 18 year old British Skeet Shooting representative at this year’s Rio Olympics isn’t just a pretty face. She’s now seen doing glamorous photoshoots in tabloids and has 39k Instagram followers. But to passionate shooters like ourselves she’s better known as the girl who won Gold at her first Senior Olympic Skeet World Cup in 2013. Two years later she repeated the feat at ISSF World Cup Final in Cyprus. She capped it off by winning BBC Young Sports Personality that year, a major accolade.

Unfortunately she wasn’t able to hit her usual standards at Rio earlier this year in the Olympics, but she has time on her side, and will now be targeting silverware at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

 

  1. Femme Fatale Airsoft

Midlands Airsofter Kelly Louise Hardwick is a passionate shooter and blogger who has built up a huge online following for this underground sport. Almost 29k Instagram followers keep up to date with her exploits in the world of MilSim, at airsoft get togethers around the country. She also does regular Youtube Q & As, like this one here.

If you want to learn about the hyper realistic world of airsoft combat, it’s worth looking out for her content. Her blog is here.

  1. Shotgun And Chelsea Bun Club

This pioneering ladies shooting club recently celebrated its 5 year anniversary:

Set up by Victoria Knowles Lacks in 2011, the club has risen to success, providing a welcoming and inclusive place where women can experience up to 50 clay pigeon shooting events a year, hosted up and down the country.  

With a strong social media presence, the club has made huge strides in encouraging ladies into the sport. They’ve even branched out into fly fishing events and have their own annual awards ceremony. You can learn more at their official site

  1. Jodie Marsh

Infamous glamour model, body builder, and TV personality Jodie Marsh recently took her hand to hunting, in a recent documentary for TLC, ‘Jodie Goes Hunting’. An unlikely advocate for the sport, Jodie is a fierce vegetarian who met famous game hunter Rachel Carrie (who co-founded Femme Fatales, see below) for the show, going on hunts, meeting people from her family and learning more about humane culling of animals. The show certainly raised the profile for hunting, reaching her 606k Twitter followers and opening up viewers unfamiliar with it.

  1. Femme Fatales

Going by the handle @shewolfshoot on Twitter, like SCBC, Femme Fatales is another UK female-online shooting community. Their website states that they wish to ‘challenge the misconception that shooting is a man’s sport’ and challengers them to ‘‘not use being a girl as an excuse – use it as ammunition! – or more accurately: glammunition!”

With regular events up and down the country, as far apart as Northumberland and Somerset, the club provides an excellent method of entry for women looking for an exciting outdoor hobby into the world of clay shooting. You can learn more by heading to their official site, here. 

Welcome To The Pellpax Blog!

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That’s me, Darren R Kirk, and Pellpax is the business I run from our base in Norwich

Hello, friends and customers, it’s my pleasure as the Director of Pellpax to welcome you all to our new blog. To introduce ourselves, Pellpax is the leading retailer of airguns online. We sell a host of products, including airguns, bushcraft, archery gear, shotguns, watercraft equipment, and much more, to people across the UK, from our base in Norwich.

As a Registered Firearms Dealer we’re licensed to sell weapons, and we have a face to face service delivering airguns and shotguns to your door, with our very own team of drivers out every week. We have also recently acquired our explosives licence, allowing us to transport live ammunition. These services are unique among our online competitors, and makes us stand out from the crowd.

Due to a lot of hard work, ingenuity, and diligence, our business has grown massively in the past couple of years, and this is why we are now reaching out to firearms, outdoor and archery enthusiasts across the Britain with the launch of our very own blog.

Those people who are passionate about these subjects will get to read hints, tips, reviews, news and interviews as we aim to bring you the very best content.

We hope you enjoy it, and stay tuned, enjoy the read, and subscribe to our email updates for fresh content, offers, updates and more.