Customer Spotlight: Socom Tactical

We like to take some time and meet get to know our customers a little better. We want to shed some more light on their business – Who are the people behind the companies? How did they get involved in this mad industry?

This week we caught up with store manager Lewis Money from Socom Tactical. His shop is bases in Fleet, Hampshire and will be 10 years old next year. We managed to grab ten minutes from his busy day to find out what goes on in the engine room of HMS Socom and what their plans are for the future.



So what got you into Airsoft?
It was initially my brother, I found an M4 in the house when I was 15 which was his and learnt about it from him, saved up that year and bought myself a JG G36 and booked me and a friend in for a game straight away. After that, I was hooked and got a part time job ASAP so I could buy myself everything I wanted.

Who is the better player at your shop?
It’s difficult as Ed and I like being team players and as a squad 4 or 5 of us work great together and communicate, but Scott is very sneaky and can easily take out a whole team on his own by sneaking around

What is your favourite thing about airsoft?
The freedom to basically dress up and do any loadout you want from any era, fictional or real life. I have a wardrobe full of clothes and at least 2 RIFs to run with each one, the hard part is picking which one!

What would you like to see change/improve in airsoft?
Community Facebook groups; Unfortunately, I’ve left a load of them due to toxicity in them and stick more to the ‘owners group’ ones or just browse on Reddit every now and then where people give more constructive and positive feedback. In short, I would like to see the community attitudes improved, but its the internet so not much chance of that happening.

What made you decide to open your Shop?
The shop was opened by my boss in 2009 who was tired of larger companies with bad customer service, lack of parts and accessory options. He started mainly with accessories instead of RIFs and was the go-to place for niche and alternative accessories not really seen in the UK.

Is this your first location or have you moved shops?
This is our first location, but are currently looking for larger premises in the local area as we have hugely outgrown this shop

What are the popular brands at your store?
Our most popular brands are Oper8 Tactical for the vast amount of handy accessories they produce and for RIFs, probably Arthurian Airsoft which flies off the shelf to both new and regular players. Another popular brand is Rocket/SHS as we have a lot of local techs in the area 

What’s hot at the moment?
At the moment, the AAP-01 pistols have been going fairly quickly as well as Emerson Gear clothing, I think a lot of people are updating their gear ready for when sites open.

Is there anything that has just come onto the market that you think it’s going to be HOT?
Not at the moment, I haven’t seen many new products pop up that have a wow factor, but I imagine if ASG or Cybergun release another licenced pistol then they’ll be popular as every gun has its own following, I still think the hype of the AAP-01 will carry on this year though.

Is there anything that has come onto the market that’s made you think “what the!?”
Yes, the SRC Maverick. As a lover of FN Herstal guns, the Maverick looks like a cheap knock off of a cheap knock off and just reminds me of a toy I had when I was younger.

What are the plans for you in the future?
Firstly move to new premises with space for a range and even host pistol shooting nights (when we can) to bring the social side of airsoft into the shop and then look at a 2nd retail store in a different part of the country.

If people want to know more, how can people find you?
You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as Socom Tactical Airsoft or when the lockdown is over and we can reopen, you can find our shop in Fleet, Hampshire – www.socomtactical.net