In recent years retro rifles have made a resurgence in both the airsoft world and real steel shooting. With people, recreating rifles from periods during certain conflicts or just getting them for the aesthetic. People have found that in some cases retro rifles are just as good as some of your cool Gucchi high-speed guns.

So in the Redwolf office, we are pretty obsessed with retro rifles and building them out to what they would have been like during a a certain conflict or period in time. So we thought we would tell you why you should get and use retro airsoft rifles as well as give you some options on what you could build with the guns. So, sit back grab a beer, and let us guide you through what retro airsoft rifles you could choose.

What is a Retro Rifle

So retro rifles are guns from the past that are either no longer in service or have gone through an iteration change making them different from the original design in some way. You would probably think that guns from WW2 are retro, while yes they are however they are now considered more classics than anything.

Retro rifles can be from as recent as 10 years ago, and the M4 can technically be considered a retro rifle, Do you feel old yet? Especially if you grew up in the 2000s with the GWOT (Global War on Terror) happening while playing the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare thinking that the guns our troops were using at the time were the pinnacle of gun technology. However, the M4s they used then are now considered retro. So in this blog, we will mainly consider retro rifles to be from the 70’s to the 00’s. Anything from World War 2 or before is technically retro but will stick to this time period because that’s our bread and butter.

Administrative results said it best when you think of a thirty-year-old gun you think of something like the XM177 or some sort of Vietnam gun but in reality It’s the M4. It was 30 years ago that the US started to issue flat-top M4 carbines after troops at the Battle of Mogadishu complained that their M16s were too long for fighting in the narrow streets while the Delta guys had no issue with their short CAR-15 rifles.

Should you use Retro Rifle?

So there will probably be two reasons why you will be running a retro rifle: 1. You are using it for a specific reason, whether it be for the certain loadout you are running or for a feature of that specific retro rifle, or 2. You just think it looks cool and has that specific aesthetic that you love. I can confidently say that I have bought guns just for the aesthetic alone.

Sometimes you just get nostalgia for some guns whether it be because you used it in a video game when you were younger or seen it in a movie. Whatever the reason you get a retro rifle it is always good to see what the guns of the past are like to get an appreciation of where they have come from and what they’re like today.

Some retro rifles might even offer better accuracy, For example, the M16A2 has a 20-inch barrel allowing for longer range with your airsoft rifle. However, you may find that some retro rifles will have downsides, for example, the M16 again is long. Making it difficult to use in tight CBQ fields due to its length, other retro guns can also be clunky and cumbersome to use, however, that just comes down to the user preference.

For airsoft today, apart from length and a few external parts there is no real difference between say a type 1 AK 47 and a Fully kitted out modern AK12 because internally they still shoot plastic BBs at the same power (depending on model & brand) and can both be upgraded the same way. So, in reality, airsoft retro rifles can just be chosen for the looks because you won’t get that same jump in technology that the real steel guns have gone through. However, if you buy a very old airsoft gun, say a stock gun from 10 or more years ago you will see a big performance difference to today's modern reproduction guns this is just due to new technology for airsoft being developed.

Who makes Airsoft Retro Rifles?

Most well-known brands will have a line of retro-style guns, usually, this is just a line of older style M4s such as the M16, XM177E2, and GWOT M4A1. If you are after something rarer for example a galil or something else you may have to search about it as they just aren't as popular as the AR platform.

VFC, Classic Army, King Arms, GHK, Tokyo Marui, and CYMA all have a variety of retro guns available, it's just really up to you which brand to choose. We would highly recommend the VFC GBBR lineup as they have a lot of retro-style Vietnam/Cold War & GWOT guns from the XM177 to the G36.

Retro Rifles You Can Build

So now we get to the good part! We have compiled a list of retro guns that you can replicate in airsoft. Now keep in mind that some parts are hard to get or are no longer in production but can be replaced to still make it look the way you want. So some of the builds we suggest below might not be 100% clone correct but you still get the look you are going for.

Black Hawk Down ‘” Garry Gordon rifle” AR15 

In the early 1990s, the U.S. was engaged in a humanitarian mission in Somalia, primarily involving Army Rangers and Delta Force operators. This mission gained fame through the movie "Black Hawk Down," which highlighted Delta Force and made Gordon Carbine a cultural icon. Gary Gordon was a Delta Force operative who sacrificed his life in Mogadishu while protecting pilot Mike Durant. He, along with Randy Shughart, received the Medal of Honor posthumously for their bravery.                                                                                                                                                            

Gordon's carbine differed significantly from standard Delta rifles. At that time, there was no set standard as they were allowed to experiment with their rifles to see what worked for them.  This innovation was groundbreaking for operator rifles in 1993 and set the path for the standard M4 carbine we see today.

So for this, it’s a bit simple but some parts can be difficult to find. So to start with the rifle you will need a fixed carry handle M4, if you want to get a super clone correct you will need to get an M723. The VFC Colt M16A2 Carbine Airsoft Rifle GBBR or DNA RO723 Carbine GBB Rifle both are the correct barrel length for the build.  For optics, you will need to get a Picatinny rail for the carry handle which can be found on eBay or Amazon for cheap. You can go two ways for your optic: 1, find an Aimpoint 3000/5000 but you will be paying upward of $300 for this very old optic, or 2, do what they did in the movie and use an Aimpoint Comp M2. Thankfully you can use the Tokyo Marui New Pro Sight which is in the style of an M2.

Next is the flashlight now the flashlight they used was a Surefire 660, the same as the Aimpoint these are no longer in production and are hard to find so we recommend that you use any flashlight you see fit. You can get a replica of the surefire 660 however you will have to do your research to find these. To mount the flashlight you can either tape it to your handguard or get a barrel mount from Amazon or eBay and mount it under your front site (this will require modification).

Lastly, the suppressor used is the ops Ops Inc suppressors, again they are expensive so the FCW OPS MK12 Dummy Suppressor will do although the collar (the part that goes on the barrel first) is not included in this package, so you may have to source it yourself or get it 3d printed. Then once it's all assembled you can spray paint it if you want with a tan/green/brown paint job if you wish.

Blood Diamond Car 15

Blood Diamond is a 2006 political war thriller directed by Edward Zwick. Set during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s, the film follows Danny Archer, a mercenary and diamond smuggler. After Solomon Vandy, a fisherman, discovers a rare pink diamond while working in the mines, Archer sees an opportunity for profit. He teams up with Vandy and a journalist, Maddy Bowen, to find the pink diamond, all while Vandy seeks to reunite with his family. The film delves into themes of conflict, ethical dilemmas in the diamond trade, and the human cost of war.

The Blood Diamond Car 15 was made famous by the YouTuber administrative results. He cloned the Blood Diamond Car 15  pretty much exactly as is in the movie, after posting a video about this rifle it went viral in the gun community. Others soon started replicating it and wanted to build the rifle both in real steel and in airsoft.

Building the Blood Diamond Car 15 is very easy as the same gun used in the black hawk down movie was used in Blood Diamond, albeit a slightly different setup. For this build, you will need a fixed carry handle gun again this time with a shorter barrel. The VFC M733 Commando Airsoft M4 GBB Rifle or Tokyo Marui M733 Commando Airsoft AEG Rifle will be the correct airsoft replicas for this retro build.

So same as the black hawn down the optic is the aimpoint comp M2 so the the Tokyo Marui New Pro Sight will do fine again. Just remember to get a Picatinny carry handle mount to mount the optic. Next is the flashlight they used a Surefire 660, again these are no longer in production and are hard to find so we recommend that you use any flashlight you see fit. In the movie, the flashlight is mounted under the front sight with a barrel to Picatinny mount, the real mount is called a weaver mount but you can find copies of these on the internet. The flash hider/moderator used in the movie is a custom-made one that is supposed to disguise the sound of the m4 and make it sound like an AK, for this, you can get an XM177 E2 flash hider and then chop off the end where the ports in it are. Lastly, all you need to do is paint it, In the movie it has a tan/green/brown paint job however if you want to paint it to match the surroundings you can.

Cold War Soviet AK

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States, lasting roughly from 1947 to 1991. It was characterized by ideological conflict, military buildup, and proxy wars, but did not escalate into direct military confrontation between the superpowers. The era saw the establishment of opposing military alliances, such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and was marked by events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.

The AK-74 became the standard infantry rifle for Soviet and later Russian forces in the early 1970s, replacing the older AK-47. Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK-74 was chambered in 5.45×39mm, offering improved accuracy, reduced recoil, and a flatter trajectory compared to the 7.62×39mm round used in the AK-47. Its lightweight design, reliability, and effectiveness made it a favored choice for military forces, contributing to its widespread adoption during the Cold War and beyond.

This will be one of the easiest rifles to clone as the Russians just ran their rifles in its stock configuration (mostly). So the rifle you would need to clone a late cold war soviet AK is mostly just an AK-74 mainly the wood furniture ones as the plastic hand guards did not come into use until later. So the GHK AK74 GBBR is exactly what you need if you want a gas rifle or the LCT AK74 Airsoft AEG Rifle is an electric rifle is more what you are after. And that’s pretty much it the only thing I would say to add to give it a little more style is a Russian Tourniquet to the stock, just wrap it around,  like you see some Russian soldiers doing.

Black Ops 1 Colt commando 

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 1 is my favorite game and probably one of the best games of the franchise, so I had to include this iconic gun (I know the commando is in Black Ops: Cold War but that game was.. meh).  Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game released in 2010 and developed by Treyarch. Set during the Cold War era, the game follows protagonist Alex Mason as he participates in covert operations and battles against various enemies, including the CIA and Soviet forces. The story unfolds through a series of flashbacks and interrogations, revealing a complex storyline involving mind control, espionage, and covert military operations.

The Colt commando in the game seems to be a slightly weird-looking Colt XM177 E2 with a chopped carry handle with a modern Troy flip-up sight?!?!  We will give them the benefit of the doubt considering it looks cool. So the base gun you will need is a flat top M4 with the Car 15 style handguard and short barrel, so the Tokyo Marui M4 MWS Carbine is perfect for this although the barrel is too long so you could replace the barrel or get another gun like the Tokyo Marui MWS CQBR BLOCK 1 GBBR and just replace the handguard.

Then you will need to flip up the rear sight like the VFC QRS Sight will do fine just for looks but there are others out there if you do a little digging. Also, you will need to Mount this sight backward as in the game it is backward. Why? We don’t know, I'm guessing the animator didn't know guns all that well. The last thing you will need is a canteen sling which can be found cheap on eBay, just make sure it's in green. Then just wrap it around the gun like in the game and that’s you good to go.

Rhodesian FAL

Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, was a former British colony that unilaterally declared independence in 1965, governed by a white minority under Prime Minister Ian Smith. This led to increasing international isolation and sanctions as the country resisted majority rule. The Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979) was fought between the government and nationalist movements, primarily the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), resulting in significant political and social upheaval.

The Rhodesian FAL, while not an exact variant of the Belgian FN FAL battle rifle, became famous during this era as the standard infantry weapon for Rhodesian forces due to its reliability and effectiveness in combat. It has since become a cultural icon, representing both the armed struggle of the time and the complexities of the conflict, while its design influenced many military firearms worldwide, giving it the nickname “The Right Arm of the Free World”.

For this build, you are quite limited to what airsoft replica you can use as there is only really one correct FAL on the market right now, and that is the VFC FAL (LAR) GBBR and that is pretty much all you need for the gun itself as it has no attachments.  Now the Rhodesian infantry ran the FAL in two different ways one was just as it is in the box or they painted it.

Conclusion

We hope you found this blog useful regarding retro guns and the various types you can build. While we've covered some of the more popular models, there are a few other guns we didn't touch upon that are worth exploring.

Retro firearms have a rich history and unique characteristics that appeal to many enthusiasts. Each model has its own story, which can make choosing the right one for your build a journey. We encourage you to dive deeper into the world of retro guns and discover the ones that resonate with you. Doing your research can uncover lesser-known facts about past wars or conflicts. Whether it's sourcing parts, understanding historical significance, or learning about different assembly techniques, there's a wealth of information out there.

Building a retro gun can be a rewarding experience, not just for the final product but for the knowledge and skills you gain along the way. So, take your time, explore various resources, and consider what features are most important to you. Happy building!