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Latest family reunion Do you ever get the feeling its time for a bigger sofa?

Just want to see some of the kaleidoscopic bruises from BB's that some of you guys must surely have. I'll start. Loving the deep burgundy dappling with a greenish edge fading to yellow.

I have been summoned! So, I've done a lot of testing around this with my HPA m21 build and it really does come down to what you value more and what power limits you're working with. I will preface this by saying that I value effective range, so that's all the testing I work with. I don't care if you can spray your AEG at a 75m target and maybe hit it with 1 of 10 BBs, I measure if you the gun can consistently hit a man-sized target 9/10 times at a certain range. Some sites operate DMRs at 1.48J, which is utterly pointless in my opinion as you gain barely anything (I didn't notice any visible increase in effective range) but you trade off the ability to point-blank shoot, which can come up more often than you'd think. Some sites operate DMRs at 1.64J, which is a bit more arguable in its use since you do notice a slight difference. I noticed just about 5m more effective range (if that, honestly...) when running my m21 at 1.64J on .4s, however again you're trading off that MED for a, in my opinion, negligible increase in effective range. My local site runs DMRs at 1.64J with a 30m MED which I've looked at and decided I'm never running a DMR there because just about 5m more effective range vs not being able to shoot at anyone within 30m is a no-brainer for me. However, some sites allow DMRs up to 1.88J (which is what it was most places back when we measured in fps) with either a 20m or 30m MED. At this point I feel like you gain enough of a benefit to counteract the drawback, though mostly just in the marksman role, as I noticed I started to hit an effective range of about 10m more than my 1.14J setup while running 1.88J on .4s (I would probably use .43s or maybe experiment with .45s at this power, I just didn't have any). 1.88J with a 20m MED is where I'd run a DMR, otherwise I'm just going to run 1.14J or I'll use a BASR instead at 2.3J. I cannot stress enough how useful having no MED is; it won't come up all the time, but you'll remember every time you get hit out because you've had to swap to your pistol since the enemy are too close. Running a 1.14J "DMR" is a great idea and I've had a lot of success with it, even with my spring TM VSR build which is also a 1.14J build (it's consistently around 1.1J). An effective range of 60m is what I've achieved running my m21 at 1.14J on .32s and it's more than enough; I've been out-ranging the braggarts who claim their AEG hits out to 70m and even contending with a lot of the BASRs people seem to run (a lot of people don't put enough time and effort into their builds...), so I'm happy with it. You can go heavier for a little more consistency, but I go .32s because after that is where ammo gets exponentially more expensive and the benefits I get from heavier BBs at 1.14J isn't worth the investment at the moment. Let me make a few career jumps then we'll talk again Out of the box it... isn't that great. When you're trying to take long range shots, you really start to feel the 0.8J and the fact it can't hop much heavier than a .28 out of the box. I love my TM m14, but I've put a lot of money into it and wanted the TM externals for my HPA m21 build because it was going to be my magnum opus 1.14J build (and oh boy is it ever...). If you want something more affordable and you're not too bothered about a lack of trades / slightly worse quality externals, go with a Cyma m14. I have a Cyma m14 that I've set up as a Vietnam-era m21, though I will convert it to a DMR stock when I can afford one / one is in stock somewhere, and it's fantastic. It will likely come out of the box at around 1J if you order it in the UK (they're higher power out of the factory, but I believe most places reduce the power before selling them because otherwise they're a section 5 firearm out of the box!), but a quick hop rubber and barrel change will have it shooting incredibly well for the price point. My Cyma m14 build has cost me... about £130 in total because I got mine from TG before Brexit, but a Cyma m14 is £150 from Patrol Base, plus Maple Leaf macaron (£10), Omega nub (£5) and a ZCI stainless steel inner barrel (£25) will be a pretty powerful setup for under £200. It's what's in mine and while I haven't run it in a long time it was performing almost as well as my super-expensive TM m21 setup. Almost because it's not as quiet and not quite as consistent, but it's more than enough! Upgrading the gearbox internals of an m14 isn't too difficult either, but it's a laborious process. Dismantling the m14 takes a lot of time and care because there are springy bits all over the gearbox that you have to remove to get inside since the fire-selector and trigger contacts are on the outside of the gearbox. It's easy once you know the gearbox, but the first time will take you hours... You and me both; it's why I'm now transitioning away from AEGs (will use my NGRS 416d until I can get an MWS or more mags for my AKM). HPA for sneakybeaky, GBB for speedyboi clackclackclack. If you wanted to do a GBBR DMR build, I'd recommend the MWS platform on red gas. I haven't done my MWS build yet, but it's something I might toy with the idea if I can get the external parts to turn it into a mk12 SPR. Now, with gas guns you definitely lose consistency, however what you lose in consistency you gain in FUN. Seriously, I took my AKM out for its first game day over the weekend and my decision to start transitioning completely away from AEGs was just solidified in my mind. Every kill was more satisfying because 35rd magazines and cool-guy-oper8r-tac-reloads and firing it was an absolute blast with the recoil. You will get fantastic range on a GBBR if it's set up right and it's far easier to work on than any gearbox AEG, but it won't be the most "competitive" choice. However, that can be a wonderful catalyst for improving your drills and general gameplay performance as you're essentially playing with a handicap that you'll have to make up the gap with your own skills. Anyway, that's enough from me. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

since this has been revived, I thought I'd update. AEG is running fine to be honest and the only modification currently is a little cover for the ambi mag release as I have a tendency to knock the release on my chest rig, which is annoying. I designed and 3D printed a cover to stop this happening.

I told my friend the other day that I built a model of the Himalayas. He asked "to scale?" I replied "no, just to look at".

That's appropriate for that site, it's just a way for people with stuff to donate to find other people who can pass it on. Whether it's a particularly useful site or not will depend on the number of people using it. With genuine respect, if you know a bloke who's accepting stuff, why not tell us who it is? If people can't get their stuff to him via you, they may be able to do it themselves. Every little helps, right?

FTFY

Importing a rif without a defence is an offence under Section 49 (improper importation) Customs Excise Managament Act 1979 as rifs are defined as a prohibited and restricted item by virtue of Section 36 VCRA therefore liable to seizure under Section 139 (General power of seizure) CEMA 1979. The spanner in the works is if you have a valid defence under Section 37 VCRA as granted by the secretary of state (skirmisher) then the above prohibition and rstriction doesnt apply, however the officer 99.9% of the time wont know this part of the legislation. When goods are seized a BOR156/BOR162 should be issued which is a warning letter and a receipt for goods or a General Notice Of Seizure will be issued together with a notice 1a and Notice 12. The Notice 12 explains the right of appeal and gives a template of the letter that can be sent to Borderforce to appeal the seizure. Everyone has a right of appeal even when they are blatantly breaking the rules and it progresses to what is called a condemnation hearing at a magistrates court where a magistrate decides on the balance of probability if the seizure was right. If Borderforce are ruled as being wrong then the goods (or value) are returned or the goods are condemned and the importer pays legal costs. If i was to send a rif through the border i would accompany it with relevant evidence of my defence and a copy of the legislation to back me up or include it all in the box if i was to have it sent unaccompanied. But as i said most officers dont know the intricacies of airsofting/VCRA and dont see firearms in any form except on telly so will assume everything is a real firearm so default to seizure. If anyone has any specific questions let me know

Are you bagging on Army Armament mock-Glocks from personal experience? My AA R17 has been fine for maybe 1,000 rounds, using its own mag or WE mags. If that doesn't sound like much, I'd suggest counting how many pistol shots you actually go through in a day. Paying TM or even WE prices for a woodland hip-hanger has never made sense to me, and my R17 has been fine as a CQB primary. If and when it fails, I'm minded to just buy another (and end up with loads of spares) than sink money into it or pay more for another brand which might fail out of the box.

Ok people the topic of donating kit to the Ukraine has been up and down like a nuns knickers in the Vatican so I’ve been looking in to it and I will be getting it done . Basically I’ve got an old mate who sells army surplus kit so obviously he’s been shifting an awful lot of his inventory in that direction and has the connections to actually get it their AND to the right people and is more than happy to pass it on for free if people want or the other idea we had was he sells the kit and the money (100%) will go to Ukrainian aid charities . Their absolutely desperate for anything that can hold armor and mags(he said their making their own armor in country) , helmets , tac vests basically load carrying kit , any pouches need to be able to take AK mags(he said M4 pouches aren’t much use as the ones that need the kit are being issued near 100% AK’s only) so either actual AK mag pouches or big utility pouches/dump pouches and the like , color wise the kit needs to be OG/DPM/OD or desert pattern . what I’m looking to do is some time in the next wk gather up what I can to get to him and then drive to his warehouse just outside Bristol to give him what I’ve collected . I’ll be driving up the M4 from Swansea so can stop off at the services to meet and collect and I’m also willing to go up the M5 as far as Gloucester’ish to collect from their as well before heading back down to Bristol . Going to be a few days before I set a date (only started organizing an hr ago!) but from what Mike said they are absolutely desperate for plate carriers real helmets etc etc . Cheers Druid .

Yeah for us is more like: We are 4 people and there is one defender, once he fires he might hit the first but the other 3 need to literally bukkake him in plastic. Defense knows where we are, so being sneaky doesn't work anymore and we need to get the overmatch.. Unfortunately people still think BBs are evil and must be avoided at all costs

I see this way too much. Come around a corner and someone has the angle on you and you pull up your gun thinking they will beat you to it, and they duck. Well guess what now you have the advantage as you keep your sights on their position and take them out the instant the pop back up. Tactics 101 know when you have the advantage and keep it.

My usual site is £25 or & 20 for site members, which is a fair price imo. For woodland sites I'd probably go as far as £30, but it would have to have decent facilities or something special to justify the extra cost. For urban sites I'd be happy to pay a bit more as running costs are generally higher. I also take travel costs into account as I don't drive and public transport gets expensive, for example the couple of times I played at Echilon in Gravesend it cost me more to get there on the train than the green fees

Yup, I mostly post two things in my thread: Really good/fun games, or shit days where everything goes wrong. The "Joe average" days where nothing particularly fun/good/bad/whatever happens I usually don't write about. Also I am pretty sure you guys have these issues as well, but since it's the site owner's responsibility to kick idiots out and not yours (as paying customers), you probably don't even notice it, I think it's also due to the large numbers of people you have on site. We're a small community so everything feels amplified, I'm pretty confident that if I had, say, 100 people in my club I wouldn't post that much about kicking cunts off because it would be "normal administration"

I think we all accept that airsoft is an expensive hobby, but then again, most hobbies that people commit to are. I have friends that are into various hobbies; fishing, golf, cycling etc and all spend an equal if not greater amount on their chosen activity than I do on airsoft. To answer the original question, site fees in the £25-30 I think are fairly typical and fair. With various family and work commitments I rarely get the chance to go more than once a month though. Lunch is a nice to have (sometimes!) but not essential, and I tend to buy my consumables in bulk from other retailers rather than the site shops. My regular site, Ground Zero, is huge at approximately 150 acres. Renting that much land in the south of England is not going to be cheap. They recently increased their prices by £2 to £27 for members and £32 for non-members. I still don't think that's too bad, and fully accept that sites, like many other businesses, need to try and recoup the losses caused by Covid.

That was mesmerising... Ah that's better. No more red. Although I was a little tempted to leave some of it as weathering

Any 1911 fans out there? Here's the latest build that I tried. It won't be replacing my glock for skirmishes anytime soon, but a cool build nonetheless.. Did you know people do bowling with 1911's? Apparently it's called "pin shooting" and there are specific styles of 1911's catered to that. Here's the post that inspired this build -> https://www.thearmorylife.com/bowling-with-a-pistol-a-guide-to-pin-shooting/ Wanted to get a short compensator like the real-steel examples in the article, but couldn't find any similar so I went with a 45" muzzle chamfer instead. With the looser tolerances of airsoft it doesn't look as blended to the bushing as RS, but I think I like it. I had to learn the hard way that stainless takes a lot longer than you think to grind out using hand tools...😅 In certain angles it makes the bore of the outer barrel look bigger than it actually is some real-steel examples that I referenced:

So I managed to put a few rounds through the gun at work today. It uses the same gearbox as all the other DE guns with the falcon system. At about 10/15m I was getting a grouping of around 2" or so (using valken .20g outside. I then shot at sign about 30/35m maybe which was about a foot square and after adjusting for wind I was hitting it pretty consistent. The gun feels very solid. No creeks anywhere. The only part that has a bit of movement is the stock when extended half way or more but even then it's not that much. I thought I'd highlight a few bits that might be useful and nice touches. First up is the battery compartment. It's pretty airy in there, especially if your a fellow 904G owner. as you can see plenty of room for larger sticks or crane batteries.b The stock has 6 extendable positions plus a couple for the cheek rest. It has a nice rubber pad at the end. A little detail that I thought was nice was a window to show what position the stock was in. The charging handle is ambidextrous and can be swapped over easily. You pull the charging handle back along 2 sprung loaded stainless steel tubes too access the hope unit. Hop now exposed through the large ejection window. This stays open until you press the catch and it snaps shut. Next is the grip. Feels good in the hand. Has a nice rubber texture on it. Definitely more comfortable than my 904G and H. Lastly one slight downside. The stock when folded doesn't click into anything to make it stay fully closed to the rifles body. There's a bit of free play before force is needed to fold it back to lock it out. Easily solved with a bit of velcro, or something. This is the amount 'free play' Hope that helps someone.

Glock is a KWA don't know of any other company that copied the KSC/KWA NS2/System 7 design. the KSC/KWA are really well made guns let down by a poor hop. you only really see them these days sold rebranded as ASG but parts are still available. Regards the AK from it's outer condition it's just a Tokyo Marui AK47 full stock design from the late 90s( still in production). the moulding on the body says ASGK that's a Japanese industry regulatory body( fancy having one of those). that follows on that the glock is a Taiwanese KWA as if it were KSC it would have the ASGK marking for the Japanese market puts it mid 2000s when glock was getting arsy about trades. the wiring loom is bog standard from back in the day nothing to stopping you putting new connectors. the fuse box is just big enough for the connectors to hold the same type of fuse you get in a house hold plug. will run fine on a 7.4 lipo no problem.

The kit is a good start. I would raise the holster and mag pouches a little higher up your legs. As the real ones would sit around your pocket area and not the thigh. As for the MP5, a few bits will need to change. The forgrip was early type, I believe octagon airsoft still have some. The lower will need to be the SEF type lower and not the navy type. The original torch was not a maglight, It's a streamlight SL20. I'm happy to help you go through the mp5 as built one myself.

I've been got in the forehead by a tri shot from a less than 10m before. Definitely felt that one lol. Had a predator style triangle on my forehead for days

The Esstac pouches are good, mine securely hold my Glock 19,17 and P226 magazines without issue. However they aren’t Velcro flapped..

From personal experience I actually have an AA Glock in pieces in a box of bits somewhere around here. As a general rule I don’t comment about guns where I don’t currently own one (and can prove it with pics) and have at least a couple of range training session with it. I bought the AA as on a visual inspection it looked decent and the price was too good not to try it. I had the same idea as the original poster that if I was going to change a whole bunch of bits I might as well save as much money on the base pistol as possible. Like RDB my measure of performance is practical pistol style shooting. limited use (around 3000 BBs) showed that the tolerances and materials were not particularly good. There was extensive wear on the parts and consistency was poor by my standards (for torso hits at 10m it was ok but at that distance I expect at least a consistent 6” group which is well within the capability of a WE Glock straight from the box once the hop rubber has broken in). Based on the current wear on my example my best guess is that it’s probably more than 50% worn out so probably only good for about 6000 bbs before it makes more sense to buy a new one than repair the one you have. I Have several WE glocks that are way over this with nothing more than a new hop rubber and a hammer bearing. Mag is still going strong after a few new o rings so not a total wash out.

Merged topics please keep posts here

Oh don't get me wrong, I've bought dozens of Rifs over the years, I just don't collect them. I'll get something new and sell the old one. Most I've had at any one time (nit including pistols) is maybe 4. That being said, I'm sorely tempted to get an M41a 😍

Nothing to worry about their He’s well versed in sanitizing anything he’s handling .👍

That's normal for most chargers. I have about 50-60 LiPo packs at the moment for my RC hobbies as well as Airsoft, they all get stored at 3.8v per cell with no noticeable ill effects.

That's hardly 'weaning' though - they are just heavier M4s.

I have 6 M4s. In my defence, I have two sons that play as well, so that's a main gun and a spare each. Three of the M4s are ICS guns in various configurations. I have the flexibility to mix and match parts should one go down, or I want a different setup for Woodland or CQB etc. Every time I deviate from the M4 platform with another gun type, I find myself wishing it was an M4. Unlike what some heathens on this thread tell you (looking at you @rocketdogbert 😜) , the correct formula for owning M4s is: N = N+1. N representing the number of M4s you currently own. So carry on. 😁

For the sake of commodity, it makes sense to have multiple of X platform, you have ONE set of mags, ONE rig and cross compatibility between upgrades and spares (that is a stretch because apart from gearbox specific stuff like tappet plates and mosfets, most guns use the same exact internal components).. But let's be honest, you don't really need more than two, one long and one short. Maybe a third to keep as a loaner. Most of the times you can get away with a single gun (say 10" barrel) for both woodland and cqb games. I have two M4s, both in the 9.5/10" range, for tournament purposes (we all use M4s so we can exchange mags). In theory I only need one but then again, if it shits itself I have a spare. I could use a very short one for cqb but a) I never play CQB and b) I have a King Arms PDW for that, which can be turned into a 5.56 rifle once the proprietary lower dies with a very simple receiver swap. Once you start having two/three different platforms (say M4, AK and MP5) it becomes a somewhat logistic nightmare because you then need either dedicated rigs or something you can swap inserts/pouches/placards like a Spiritus Systems chassis or one of the latest plate carriers.

I'd suggest taco style pouches. They'll take pretty much anything. If you fancy something in Tan I have a couple of WAS taco style pistol pouches available...

I don't count ammo cost really, always cheaper to buy away from the site. Especially if you run a machine gun! I like Awa herts. The walk on has gone up to £30, but with that we have also seen site development. Plus you can't play all the areas in one day so there's a bit of variety. Another place is £25 but you know you will bee playing up and down or across the site. I'd rather spend the extra fiver. You can get a burger at lunch if you want or bring food. But as far a walk on fee goes I'm good with that all day long.

Mine is stiff, but no so stiff that you can't adjust click per click. If I remember correctly, usually when the adjustment was too stiff, then usually something was done wrong during re-assembly. I access the through the magwell, my fingers are just long enough

IIRC the whole RFD thing was done by some shops as the status of high powered sniper rifles wasn't 100% clear. Or maybe they just wanted to sell air guns too

When Borderforce seize or detain something you should receive paperwork, either a BOR156/BOR162 or a General Notice Of Seizure together with a Notice 1A which explains how to appeal on page 13

I have sent off my G&G 308 MBR to negative Airsoft to make that a DMR so will let you know how that goes once it's done.

So to sell (Retail) airsoft weapons in the UK you need a UKARA license. UKARA also say it helps to have a RFD license. They also require you to have certain business insurance relating to airsoft to protect staff and customers with public liability. For me a small new site this is a lot of paperwork and money. I might be wrong about the above but that's how I understand it. Hopefully will venture into this one day!

Sounds divine good sir 👌

It's an interesting model, but I can't see it working in the UK. We're a cramped, crowded island with few areas of secure, isolated land that aren't in regular use, or subject to having public randos rambling onto them. Sites here sadly tend to get kicked off the land as soon as the landowner finds any other way of making money from it. Even if you could find a bit of land that's unused on a given weekend, landowners might not want to have it covered in plastic, or take on any vicarious liability. Indemnity for players might be do-able, Shooters Rights or similar could cover it. I say "could" because their underwriter will be set up to cover people shooting at things or beasties, rather than at other people who are shooting back. Still, it'll be fine on paper until it's not.

Now those are some beautiful guns. Thank you for the pictures Nick 🙂

When your daughter asks "Do you have a pistol I can use in drama class tomorrow?" and at first you're Then you remember that it's CURRENT_YEAR, and a school, and Scotland, and then you're more Not without a contract in triplicate, missy.

I'm surprised that airsoft remains so cheap. My two regular sites are £26.50 outdoors and just £25 for a full day of indoors. Neither do "free" food, but I'm fine with not having the price of a tepid hot dog costed in. The Depot 2.0 is now up to £36 a day, which is when I start to question the value for a site still under development. Although I'd be amazed if their income comes close to paying the rates on the building - I'd assume they're doing some sort of "sports charity" wheeze again. As just noted elsewhere, I reckon the real rate of inflation is running at well above the headline 4.9% CPI, given the hundreds of billions of new fiat that we've shaken from the magic money tree. That necessarily reduces the value of what's in our pockets. It's amazing that prices haven't risen further and faster. On that, if you're waiting for RIF and consumable prices to come down before buying, I wouldn't. Money printing and now sharp rises in fuel and energy are only going to drive prices higher. True, not when comparing site vs site. However, when comparing playing versus watching Netlix, it's a real consideration. At 50 to 70 mile round trips to the nearest sites now, I can't ignore the costs of fuel any more. Of course, this is all in the context of a hobby where we think £100 for a toy is bargain-basement. I'm sure many of us could find a season's play just by thinning our collections a bit. I've got RIFs in baskets at two retailers, but in both cases I've hovered over the buy button and thought "Wouldn't you rather spend that money on playing instead?"

Order a standard CYMA M14. They shoot at 400fps as out of the box. Change the hop rubber and add a simple mosfet, fit an optic and you're done. If your local site is 425 or 450fps an AR type platform may be easier to work on pissing about with different springs etc.

Just take the design in and have a chat. You would not believe some of the 'technical drawings' they will have seen!

Airsoft sniper forum has some great guides on the specifics of building a DMR. The key is consistency, so gas isn't a great choice. HPA is a good pick if you really don't want to go aeg, but it's expensive. For platforms, some sites want you to have a real world full power cartridge firing weapon, some don't mind, some just want a fixed stock, check your local sites. Personally I'm using a nuprol ak21 with a UKSR stock, which has pretty solid externals so ripe for a DMR build, but it's based on an intermediate cartridge platform. For power, it ranges drastically at different sites, check your local, it may not even be worth running dmr power. In which case may I suggest the precision assault rifle? Essentially the concept of a DMR at <1.14j, set to hop the heaviest bb you can as accurately as you can. I'll mention @Impulse to preach about this further

That’s a bottle top allowing you to drink through the GSR respirator …… but of course that did not exist in 1980