Suggestions for a disabled (would-be) new player

[Joe_Swanson]

Hi folks! 

I did check to see if there were any threads about this but was unsuccessful. 

For background, I was in a car accident a few years ago that left me with a traumatic brain injury and a lower spine that can best be described as "fucky" and/or "horrific". I can walk, sometimes even run, but my mobility isn't great and I do use a wheelchair on occasion. 

I have been involved in shooting sports since I was a child, mostly clay pigeon, waterfowling and the occasional deer stalk. 

I was an army cadet for most of my childhood and was an award winning marksman with the old cadet rifle (L98A1). I've also spent some time in the states and done a fair bit of pistol shooting. Whilst I still enjoy some of these activities I would like to take up a more active pastime and discovered airsoft whilst skimming through YouTube. 

What I would like to ask is pretty simple (I think) and that is;

What advice would you give to a new player whose mobility is a bit limited, and, 

What weapons would you recommend taking the previous question in mind? 

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you may be able to give. 

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

Hi Joe,

Quite a difficult question to answer 

Id suggest visiting a site and playing a days play renting equipment to firstly see how you get on.

Ive had days just marshalling when I get home absolutely shattered and have walked 8 miles , in woodland, up steep hills, crossing rivers - without running like the players do.

I have sciatica , which can give me quite a bit of grief after a day out in the woods (absolutely nothing compared to yourself I guess)

But what I’m trying to say it that it can be quite a bit of a demand on the body.

Wear decent boots, and let the marshals and site operator know of your condition and that you may (would you) need a hand at some points ?

There are a few videos of players stateside and here in the uk of chaps who are full time in a motorised wheelchair and they seem to have a blast, with some assistance. 
 

Best to try it out and see how you get on, it is more demanding than a “walk in the park” but a tremendous rush and a great laugh 

If you do decide to invest in equipment, go lightweight with a polymer rif (cos you will be carrying it all day) and hi-cap mags (3 would more than likely last you a game or two) without the need for carrying more.

Sniping can be lightweight, but a bit of a challenge on your patience , waiting for 20 mins to get that 1 shot ?

 

[BigStew]

I would consider CQB over wood and. flat stable ground, smaller playing area with shorter games. i eco the light gear something polymer body possibly a bullpup

 

[Joe_Swanson]

Hi Joe,

Quite a difficult question to answer 

Id suggest visiting a site and playing a days play renting equipment to firstly see how you get on.

Ive had days just marshalling when I get home absolutely shattered and have walked 8 miles , in woodland, up steep hills, crossing rivers - without running like the players do.

I have sciatica , which can give me quite a bit of grief after a day out in the woods (absolutely nothing compared to yourself I guess)

But what I’m trying to say it that it can be quite a bit of a demand on the body.

Wear decent boots, and let the marshals and site operator know of your condition and that you may (would you) need a hand at some points ?

There are a few videos of players stateside and here in the uk of chaps who are full time in a motorised wheelchair and they seem to have a blast, with some assistance. 
 

Best to try it out and see how you get on, it is more demanding than a “walk in the park” but a tremendous rush and a great laugh 

If you do decide to invest in equipment, go lightweight with a polymer rif (cos you will be carrying it all day) and hi-cap mags (3 would more than likely last you a game or two) without the need for carrying more.

Sniping can be lightweight, but a bit of a challenge on your patience , waiting for 20 mins to get that 1 shot ?

Hi! Thanks for the advice, has given me a few things to consider. 

I'm planning on going to a couple of days/skirmishes at some sites local to me. I've got some excellent boots as I like something that supports my ankle, they're Chicura Doggo Boa (or something like that) and I can't reccomend them enough. 

Will have to hire equipment for the first few spins, I do own some RIFs but they're all either .177 BB or pellet or .22 pellet, so I would assume no good for skirmishing. I also have a Umarex HDR, it's a bloody handcannon that fires a .50 calibre solid rubber ball or paintball, getting hit with it is like being kicked by a horse, so I wouldn't want to fire it at someone unless I really didn't like them! ? 

Sniping could be fun, similar to deer stalking which is something I've done a bit of, plus I know I'm a fairly decent shot. 

I would consider CQB over wood and. flat stable ground, smaller playing area with shorter games. i eco the light gear something polymer body possibly a bullpup

 Hi! AFAIK the site closest to me is relatively flat (being in the east of England, flat is the default setting). 

I've been having a look around, lots of options when it comes to weapons! I've used a bullpup in the past and I like them, though I know many don't. 

I have the cafe concession at a local shopping area (calling it a mall would be very generous) and one of the other stores is a military surplus store owned by a former Royal Marine, so will pop in and pick his brains with regards to load bearing gear and the like. 

 

[BigStew]

Hi! Thanks for the advice, has given me a few things to consider. 

I'm planning on going to a couple of days/skirmishes at some sites local to me. I've got some excellent boots as I like something that supports my ankle, they're Chicura Doggo Boa (or something like that) and I can't reccomend them enough. 

Will have to hire equipment for the first few spins, I do own some RIFs but they're all either .177 BB or pellet or .22 pellet, so I would assume no good for skirmishing. I also have a Umarex HDR, it's a bloody handcannon that fires a .50 calibre solid rubber ball or paintball, getting hit with it is like being kicked by a horse, so I wouldn't want to fire it at someone unless I really didn't like them! ? 

Sniping could be fun, similar to deer stalking which is something I've done a bit of, plus I know I'm a fairly decent shot. 

 Hi! AFAIK the site closest to me is relatively flat (being in the east of England, flat is the default setting). 

I've been having a look around, lots of options when it comes to weapons! I've used a bullpup in the past and I like them, though I know many don't. 

I have the cafe concession at a local shopping area (calling it a mall would be very generous) and one of the other stores is a military surplus store owned by a former Royal Marine, so will pop in and pick his brains with regards to load bearing gear and the like. 

should have implied with flat lacking trip hazards or sinking in something. regards gear. light gun ( i have soft spots for p90 MP5) run high caps so you only need one or two so all you need is belt,mag pouchs, dump pouch and make sure you get good boots with ankle support 

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Hi Joe,

As a fellow East ~Anglian I'll second Stew.  I fucked over properly the first year that I played.  Dead branches in long grass trapping my feet each time.  You'll find the CQB in Snetterton has a good(ish) flat(ish) clear surface.

I'll echo Stew (again!) and say keep it light.  My skirmish rig is belt, pistol holster, 1 x fastmag pouch, one deep .308 ammo pouch for spare BBs/speedloader/grenades/spare or empty mag, 1 x 500ml water bottle.  The rest of my kit (gas/sarnies/big bag of 'just in case' BBs, big bottle of water, poncho, etc) gets dumped at re-spawn in a rucksack.  

Polymer MP5 or similar lightweight rif and you're good to go.  You don't need a load of load carrying gear as I learned the hard way when I started.  Playing with all your kit on ones person led to a Skorpion/kit bag full of cheese and onion pasty...  ?

I play with arthritis as does my regular airsoft buddy.  When our hips play up we lumber about like a pair of dinosaurs.  We still enjoy ourselves.  Some days all I can do is hide in a likely spot and wait for the enemy to turn up before blatting a load in the back.  

Good luck with your first few games.  What's your local site?

 

[Tackle]

Hi Joe, all of the above advice is excellent, I'll echo it by saying plastic gun, as long as its a reasonable brand then whatever you like the look of should be fine, accompanied by three hi-caps should be more than enough for your needs, even with a heavy trigger finger. 

As for load carrying equipment, again the lighter the better will benefit you at this stage, in fact I'd seriously consider a grab bag, (something like thishttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234816279020?hash=item36ac2411ec:g:Kl8AAOSw3Xhjld2a&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoNgXFPc5xPm4RRY%2B79dia5ERL%2BOokatw%2Bo1NCwCJwqwLIx6SSgJWHB8%2FzWohgks9F9QTFbavmufe4QBWrE%2By534lgQJuxUnRGZ5iZ93qwFc9ywNhl5STyLXVQ2EeFNr2X7Slxbk9NCwIK4QpevT2hZiN5LOluomqdWLToBZLNlRcSZjepQ5J7S%2FpAVtFeq3fWXuo8sRb%2Bwc2x7AKxMDd1%2Fw%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7aE79ysYQ), essentially a tactical handbag with exterior pockets for easy access to your mags, & a larger centre pocket, enough for 500-1000ml water bottle, the big mouth nalgenes are great & easy to top up in the safezone, couple of chocky bars of your choice, spare battery for your rifle & a small bag of bb's for topping up in case some games don't involve a trip back to the safe zone between turnarounds. 

Literally it'll be about 3kg at the most, & easy to take off if you need a breather, the numerous tactical vests available may look the part, but layers of heavy sweat inducing nylon are overkill at this point. 

Decent footwear is a must, again doesn't have to be military issue or Gucci af, comfortable pair of walking boots with ankle support will do. 

Eye Pro is a must, glasses/goggles or full face is down to you, just be aware that teeth can get chipped, seen it a couple of times myself, expensive to put right & reallyy spoils your day lol. 

As for sites to play, recommend you look at man-made stuff, cqb or similar rather than woodland, for the next few months it'll be slippery af & every step is littered with trip hazards potentially. 

& don't feel the need to emulate those around you, play at your own pace while you quite literally find your feet, I currently have mobility problems but doesn't stop me racking up the kills, 

#sneakymotherfuckerforthewin

Literally slow & steady wins the race. 

Good luck mate, keep us posted & ask here before you spend any money, we'll stop you buying any lemons lol. 

 

[Rogerborg]

I do own some RIFs but they're all either .177 BB or pellet or .22 pellet, so I would assume no good for skirmishing. I also have a Umarex HDR, it's a bloody handcannon that fires a .50 calibre solid rubber ball or paintball, getting hit with it is like being kicked by a horse, so I wouldn't want to fire it at someone unless I really didn't like them

Ahoy, welcome, and no. No, no, and no. Airsoft uses 6mm plastic BBs in the 0.2 - 0.5g range, at about 1.1J auto, up to 2.5J for bolt actions.  Please, please don't show up to show off some "home defence" gear that's legally spurious.

Sniping could be fun, similar to deer stalking which is something I've done a bit of, plus I know I'm a fairly decent shot.

Airsoft sniping is fun, but we can all put a crosshair on a target and pull a trigger.  After that, it comes down to how well your toy gun is shooting, and the vagaries of weather and airsoft physics. You can forget holdover at airsoft ranges - the way airsoft hop works means that your BB will go pretty much straight, then plummet sharply. 

I don't mean to come across too harshly, just to be clear that in airsoft most of your shots are going to miss, and that you're there to take hits in good cheer, not to make them. If you come with that attitude, you'll be welcome anywhere and you're likely to find folk who are happy to help and support you.  People have played airsoft in wheelchairs, or motorised 4x4 or 6x6 mini-tanks.

Whether you can compete is going to be entirely dependent on your local site.  Indoor CQB is a good shout, you can have a great time playing a slow walking game and covering choke points, and playing with a light SMG/PDW or pistol is viable.  In woodland, you'll find a much wider variety of sites. Some of them are flat, dry and compact with loads of cover, some of them involve lonnnng slogs through swamps to engage and respawn.  So please don't be disillusioned if you start out playing at one of the latter sites - other alternatives are available.

Give it a try, you'll find that airsofters are a very welcoming bunch.  Just ask someone about their guns and see if you can get us to shut up.