Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE SOCOM Tuned NBB Pistol

This RIF comes with a 24 Month Warranty and Service plan. Find out more here.

Your Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE SOCOM NBB Pistol requires regular maintenance to perform as it should. For an exhaustive maintenance guide, click here.

The Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE SOCOM represents the absolute pinnacle in performance for the SOCOM platform. The BLACKSTONE is built from the most popular NBB pistol and adds in aftermarket upgrades which are handpicked after proving their worth inside the personal RIFs of the Bolster Armouries team. 

The enhanced internals are professionally installed by the highly experienced Bolster Armouries team and are thoroughly tested to ensure the parts function smoothly and effectively together before dispatch. The internals of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM have been fully reworked, including the HOP-up adjuster system and the majority of the trigger parts to provide mechanical accuracy, range and gas efficiency far beyond that of the already impressive base pistol. 

Leaving nothing out, the Bolster Armouries team have worked hard to source some of the rarest and most highly sought-after external components available for the platform, including the "optics ready" Laylax/Nineball Gungnir slide which mounts the primary sighting system of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM; the Vector Optics Frenzy-X 1x20x28 Red dot sight. Let's take a closer look at the BLACKSTONE SOCOM and what makes this custom pistol so special!

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Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE SOCOM-23 NBB 

The primary visual change that separates the BLACKSTONE  SOCOM from a standard NBB is the Laylax/Nineball Gungnir slide. This slide is constructed from high-density ABS polymer and is a reprofiled design, bringing the veteran 1990s SOCOM-23 pistol in line with modern design aesthetics. The slide provides optics-ready functionality and is supplied on the BLACKSTONE SOCOM pre-fitted with a Vector Optics Frenzy-X RDS, the gold standard in pistol reflex sights. The Gungnir slide also features additional serrations at the front of the slide, which are angled to match those at the rear and furnish the BLACKSTONE SOCOM with its aggressive look. 

The top of the slide omits the standard front and rear sight setup of the SOCOM-23, instead opting to remain slick for a snag-free, ultra-smooth draw from your holster. For the very unlikely event that your primary optic becomes unusable in the middle of an intense firefight, the Gungnir slide includes two sets of backup iron sights which are moulded into the slide and are canted to either side of the pistol.  

By tilting the pistol and bringing the standard "blade and notch" type open sights into line with your eye you can continue to engage, even if you left your RDS on since the last time you skirmished! Despite its enhanced profile, the Gungnir slide matches the frame of the original NBB perfectly, giving it a modern look without making the rest of it look too archaic. The markings on the left side of the slide read "Cal. .45 GUNGNIR", appropriately staying faithful to the original SOCOM-23. The marking on the right side reads "Take aim and pull back the trigger", just in case you had forgotten the order in which things are done!

The lower frame of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM is constructed from ABS polymer and provides an enlarged trigger guard, ambidextrous magazine release and two methods to lock the trigger of the pistol. The frame features aggressive diamond checkering at the front and rear straps, with a comfortable crackle texture on either side of the grip to provide a perfect balance between comfort and practicality. With this style of grip texture, the BLACKSTONE will never slip out of your grasp, as long as you do your part! The grip design has also found its way into other popular pistols, evidencing its effectiveness. 

The BLACKSTONE, being based on a pistol designed for deniable operations in extremely hostile environments, features an enlarged trigger guard for use with heavy winter gloves. This allows fast and easy access to the trigger for rapid follow-up shots, but also means when the colder months arrive you can still make full use of your BLACKSTONE SOCOM whilst keeping your trigger finger free of frostbite! 

The front of the trigger guard also features linear texturing which can be used to provide an additional index point to apply downforce to the muzzle of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM. This is known as the "European grip", and is a popular grip method used by competition shooters. This allows for surprisingly rapid and accurate fire from the BLACKSTONE SOCOM platform by helping you keep the muzzle under control. 

The ambidextrous magazine release can be found between the trigger guard and grip, and is a paddle-type design with a serrated surface on either side of the pistol for optimum grip, ensuring that when you need to reload you never slip off the mag release. The dummy control present on the left side at the top of the grip would be the de-cocker on the real version. On the Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE, like other Airsoft SOCOM NBBs, this is a mock control and is only there to keep the pistol adherent to the SOCOM-23's external design. 

At the rear of the frame, we can find the hammer of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM NBB. This is an enhanced design from Laylax/Nineball and is machined from a single piece of aluminium to provide additional strength, more precise engagement with the sears inside, and deeper serrations than the standard hammer to provide improved control. Anyone with any experience using a SOCOM-23 NBB pistol knows too well the utility of cocking the hammer before the first shot, especially if stealth is required. Cocking the hammer back in the BLACKSTONE SOCOM-23 does half the triggers work, meaning you will have an even lighter pull for that all-important first shot. 

To the rear of the dummy decocking lever, we can find the first of our safety mechanisms present in the BLACKSTONE platform. This takes the form of an ambidextrous manual safety which can be activated once the hammer has been cocked. The manual safety is positioned horizontally when the pistol is ready to fire and reveals a red enamel dot just above the control to indicate that the weapon is live. With the hammer cocked back the safety can be rotated into the safe position, revealing a white dot beneath the control to denote the "safe" mode. This safety is ideally positioned to provide a "cocked and locked" carry position, and can swiftly and easily be de-activated thanks to its extended surfaces, allowing a rapid first shot, straight from the draw if needed. 

The secondary safety is hidden within the dummy slide lock/disassembly lever, found on the left side of the frame of the pistol. In any carry condition, this lever can be pushed up in order to lock the trigger, providing an additional level of protection against accidental discharges and allowing you to lock the trigger of your BLACKSTONE SOCOM for storage. This trigger lock can also be used as an alternative to the manual safety if you prefer. 

L.A.M Unit

At the front of the frame, on the "dust cover" we can find a SOCOM-23 universal rail to which mounts the L.A.M unit. This unit provides a red L.E.D. simulating an aiming laser, and a tactical flashlight all rolled into one and gives the SOCOM-23 the appearance and functionality of a real offensive handgun. The power switch for the L.A.M unit can be found on the bottom of the unit and is a rotary dial which requires a 90-degree rotation. 

With the unit turned on you can use the button on the left side of the unit to activate the light and red L.E.D. The toggle switch in the centre of the unit allows the user to select between momentary and constant on, with the centre position providing a secondary "off" function. Pushing the toggle switch to the left selects the constant on function, and pushing it all the way to the right activates momentary on. This L.A.M unit can be replaced with a 20mm Picatinny rail adapter for the SOCOM-23 should you choose to mount a different tactical flashlight to the BLACKSTONE SOCOM. 

US GOVT SOCOM OHG Suppressor - 16mm CW

The BLACKSTONE SOCOM comes equipped with the highly desirable OHG SOCOM Suppressor which is widely regarded as an integral part of the SOCOM-23 and is largely responsible for its ultra-quiet muzzle report. This suppressor sports the classic Knights Armament OHG (Offensive Hand Gun) suppressor looks, and comes packed with a foam filling for effective sound dampening. 

With the suppressor removed, the BLACKSTONE emits a "crack" from its muzzle as it sends a BB down range. With the suppressor added, this "crack" becomes a dull "thud", making the shooter's position hard to pinpoint, and allowing discrete kills at an astonishing range, sniper style! The SOCOM-23 is known as one of the most effective Airsoft platforms to suppress, and with the OHG SOCOM suppressor installed to dampen the muzzle report and the reduced action noise from the use of the Nineball Light Pull Hammer and Sear, there are none quieter than the BLACKSTONE. 

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Optic

Vector Optics Frenzy-X 1x20x28 RD 3MOA IP6 rated

The primary sighting system of the Bolster Armouries BLACKSTONE SOCOM is the Vector Optics Frenzy-X with an enlarged window size of 20x28mm. This sight provides an extremely wide field of view for a slide-mounted optic and suits the role of the BLACKSTONE SOCOM as an offensive handgun perfectly. 

The Frenzy series of red dot sights have quickly become known as the best option available to Airsofters as far as a slide-mounted optic is concerned, sporting precise construction, together with fog, shock and waterproofing (rated IPX6 waterproof up to 1m depth for 30 minutes). The Frenzy-X provides a 3MOA dot which is ideal for pistol use and can be set to any of 8 brightness levels for the visible spectrum, and two levels for the infrared mode (for use with night vision). 

Rated to withstand the recoil of real firearms, the Frenzy-X can reportedly handle the recoil from a .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, so there is absolutely no danger that the sight will let the otherwise flawless BLACKSTONE SOCOM down! The Frenzy is powered by a single CR2032 button cell, meaning batteries are common and affordable. 

The manufacturer quotes that the sight can provide up to 20,000 hours of battery life on its lowest brightness setting, and 40,000 hours on the infrared mode. The sight has a built-in auto shut-down, meaning if the sight detects that it is idle the dot will turn itself off before it burns through your batteries. As we all know there is an endless list of chores before and after an Airsoft skirmish, at least with the Frenzy-X you can rest assured that forgetting your sight is turned on will not make for any unpleasant surprises in the future!

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Internal Enhancements