Chock

Not quite a Martini Henry, but if you look up KTW, they make a lot of classic airsoft rifles, among them a Winchester M1873 Randall, which would sort of look the part and does fit the period as well. Marushin make a replica Enfield No2 revolver, which again isn't the correct pistol, but it does sort of look the part, even though it doesn't break from the top to load like a Webley would. It is possible to buy a genuine Martini Henry for not a lot of money, and you might be able to get a gunsmith to 'airsoft it up' for you, in much the same way as some companies such as Trapper used to convert SVD Dragunovs and AKs into air rifles, although I would think such a conversion to an airsoft probably would not be cheap, nor necessarily easy to do either, but nothing along those lines is really that impossible providing you have the money.

Fine to do that, you have a legit reason in using it at a skirmish. Essentially it would be the same as turning up and using their hire gear RIFs.

When I bought my A&K SVD Dragunov, it had a green stock and foregrip (doesn't have that colour scheme any more, since I've modified it quite a lot), but I thought it looked kind of okay in those two tone colours when it arrived and I unboxed it.

Not quite a Milsim, but sort of along those lines in terms of outfits at least, is an all weekend event at Trojan Airsoft, including staying on site at night if you want to, with a late night BBQ etc. Trojan Airsoft has two NW sites, a woodland site near Macclesfield and a CQB site in an old six storey mill in Stockport town centre (so, only 40 miles from you). The Stockport Weir Mill site has an all weekend 'Red Dawn' themed event this coming Saturday and Sunday. The scenario for the entire weekend is that the UK has been invaded by Soviet troops, so, everyone attending is split into two sides, you have to wear military outfit if you are on the Russian side, whereas you can wear anything you like if you are on the UK partisan force side. 60 quid all in for the entire weekend, or 30 quid for one day, or, if you just wanna do the day but not the evening skirmish, it is 25 quid. I'm going to do the Saturday from 9am til 6pm and miss out the evening skirmish (off to the pub that night instead), and I decided to go on the Brit 'partisan' side, which will apparently be a bit more 'sneaky' according to the organiser and is likely to be a smaller force. Note that the Stockport CQB site has some rules about not using full auto and some rules about pistols only in some locations, so make sure you pack a pistol and a rifle capable of semi-auto or single shot if you want to be able to fight in all locations within the mill. There are also rules about what kind of pyros you can use. If you wanna know more about it, check out their website, where you will find contact details etc: http://trojan-airsoft.com/

If you are in position on your own, i.e. nobody to support you if the bad guys close in on you, then you might want to consider a machine pistol with a high cap mag rather than a hand pistol. But if you do get a pistol, it looks like in choosing an electric pistol that you are sensibly factoring in that we're coming up on winter, where a GBB might not be the best choice as the temperature drops. Since you will be reliant upon that pistol, I'd spend a little bit more cash and get something that you know is very good. I personally really like the more realistic aspects of GBB pistols and have a 1911 for that reason (I do also have an electric Glock), but in your position I'd be inclined to go electric (at least if buying right now and expecting to skirmish in the coming colder months), but in practical terms, I'd go with an AEG MP5K, a shorty AK-47, or chopped down CQB M4, rather than a pistol, because you may have to fend of an entire fire team closing in on you, on your own, and I would't fancy doing that with a single shot 20 round mag pistol. And you evidently know from your previous personal experience, that weapon is going to see some use, probably more us than you might like, being a sniper by preference.

Shiver me timbers matey, it be a LARP (live action role-play) sword ye'll be wanting. Ye can find 'em for about thirty pieces of eight, less if ye search about the Spanish Main (or possibly the interweb) me lad. Yarrrrr, tis made of latex, so ye'll not be sending anyone down to Davey Jones Locker with her: http://www.southernswords.co.uk/high-seas-cutlass---pirate-sword-3603-p.asp

If you don't go with the above suggestions, it's worth knowing that you can actually make them yourself fairly easily if you buy a blank patch and print your design onto iron-on transfer paper from a laser printer (that's probably cost you about a tenner for the paper and the blank patch). Of course doing it that way won't result in a sewn-in design, but the patch itself will be sew-on. That method is sometimes worth considering if your design is intricate and involves a large number of colours, as sewn-in designs can sometimes turn out a bit ropey if the sewing of the design from a plotter is not taken into account when the thing was actually designed, whereas a printed version will of course be entirely faithful to the original design.

Any sort of flat head drift that is smaller or close to the diameter of the pin will do, but using a phillips or pozidriv screwdriver, or in fact any other pointed head tool, will likely damage the pin or at the very least scratch up its surface, since the pins are not likely to be very hard steel; it won't do the screwdriver any favours either, since screwdrivers are not meant to be hit with hammers and mallets (that's one of the places where DIY injuries come from). You should be using the right tool for the job, and that does not have to be expensive. 'Pound shops ' invariably have a few tools in them, they're not normally devastatingly brilliant quality of course, but it is likely they will have punches and flat drifts. Use a small hammer to lightly tap the drift - not a bloody great big lump hammer - as a big hammer will cause damage and transfer shock to other parts of your weapon.

Nice one, good kill ratio too for a first outing. Got an A&K SVD myself with a PSO-1 type sight on it (because it is cool and I wanted one), but yet to really have a good go with it at a skirmish. Might drag it out soon though.

I've been using mesh goggles more recently in combination with one of those mesh lower face protectors. This is because it gets damn hot at indoor CQB and then you're gonna sweat and fog up glasses, or even a mask unless it has a fan. Mesh lets the air get in easily and it would stop anything going for your eyes, and in spite of there being mesh over your eyes, it's so close that you don't focus on it, so it does little in the way of restricting your vision. I do have one of those M04 gas masks and I might try that at indoor this week, but either way they're a better choice than glasses; I would not rely only on shooting glasses alone, they're simply not designed to fully protect you from anything other than a direct hit from straight ahead or ricochet back from your target, and even then such a shot could ping up off your weapon and come under the glasses. Of course by that time it would have depleted much of its energy, but as others have said, you only get one pair of eyes. If you must wear glasses rather than a mask or goggles, then make sure you have a head strap securing them on your face; the last thing you want is them falling off as you leap about trying to duck for cover as someone shoots at you, or one hit knocking them off and then another hitting your eyes if someone lets rip on full auto. Sod law says that shot is going for your face, and at best it's gonna sting like crazy, at worst it would take your eye out.

Well, frankly, 'because I want to' is certainly a valid reason, you don't need any more justification than that really. I would never try to argue that it wasn't if someone had made that choice. Of course as you say, sometimes circumstances, or often finances available, dictate what we can and cannot do, so that being the case, go for it and try to beef it up. Just be aware that you might break it in trying to 'fix' it, and then you'd be really stuck. Not that I'm an expert on shotguns anyway, I only have a cheap CYMA P799 M3 shotgun, which I think is meant to be a Benelli M3 or something similar, and frankly, it's never even been used, I just bought it on a whim years ago because it was cheap and I thought it might look good on the wall, although I did read recently that it's actually not a bad CQB weapon, apparently something like 230fps, which is good enough for short range where you don't wanna be hurting people with 350fps if you can avoid it (or at least I don't anyway), so I might give it a go one day.

You are aware what the letters 'P' and the 'K' in the name 'MP5K' actually stand for aren't you? Pistole (pistol, obviously) and Kurz (short, like the K in Walther PPK, i.e. not that big and intended to be carried about without hassle). The real MP5K weighs only 4.5 lbs (airsoft version is about 3lbs). The MP5K is often called 'the room broom', for obvious reasons, in fact, the A1 variant of the MP5K was produced with no bulky iron sights to allow it to be quick drawn from a holster, but that low weight means it can equally be slung from a 1 point harness sling or attached to drop line from a tac vest, either of which is simple to do since it has a swivel in place of the stock. Doing so still gives one a light loadout but the ability to go a bit heavier if you come up against something a semi-auto pistol cannot engage with quite so well (assuming your pistols are not capable of full auto). Anyway, the point is that carrying an MP5K, or something similar, is to not be sacrificing some flexibility by omly having small single shot pistols, but still be lightly loaded. There's no need to carry tons of MP5K mags, it's a back up. As for the Well MP5K being 'shite' as you delightfully put it, whilst I agree that many Well airsoft weapons are not that great, one or two of them are reasonably decent in my experience, notably two that I've got, the D69 and the G55. They have the virtue of being fairly inexpensive, because they are of course built to a price point, but in spite of that not-very-reassuring low price, I've not had any problems with either of those two weapons. Dissapointingly, the D69 is fairly lightweight plastic, so I wouldn't want to leap about all over the place with it, but it is quite a good-looking WW2-era carbine that can do full auto, I painted mine up with a passable battered fake wood look using a combination of acryllic and flat enamel and varnished it with clear matt, so it actually looks a lot better than they do out of the box and I keep it as a reserve for if one of my other guns conks out at a skirmish. Piccy of the paint job on my D69: The G55 is actually a clone of the Maruzen MP5, but of course not being made in Japan, it can have a lot more metal parts in it than Japanese airsoft weapons are allowed by law, so it's actually a bit better build quality than the Maruzen one in some places, not to mention that with the benefit of hindsight, they were able to improve on flaws in the Maruzen MP5, although most parts are compatible between the two. If there is a fault at all with Well stuff, it's that the magazines, which can often be hard to locate (still can't find a spare for that D69) and that their GBB ones can sometimes have shonky valves (as do the Maruzen ones), but it's actually not that difficult to fix the valve issue. I bought my G55 specifically for use as a back up for when doing dual pistols as mains in CQB incidentally.

Nothing at all wrong with a pistol only loadout. I've seen loads of people do it at CQB sites, and done it myself. You won't get laughed at, not by anone, especially when you zap them whilst they are fumbling with their M4 in a tight doorway. However, since you are going to use semi-auto GBB pistols as primary weapons, I would consider adding two other things to your set up: a decent rubber combat knife in a sheath where you can get it out quickly, so that you can throw it (assuming the site permits this), and a decent small full auto weapon as a back up on a single point sling, something like the Well G55 H&K MP5K GBB, so that you've got something that can really spit out rounds if you need to. You can get that G55 from most places for less than a ton, so it certainly won't break the bank, and it is amazing, pretty solid build quality too, although I'd recommend getting some of the higher capacity mags for it, as it only comes with a 20 round mag, and at its ROF fire (an unbelivable 1,600 rounds per minute, which is actually nearly 400 rpm faster than that bonkers M-134 Minigun which Jesse Ventura is toting in the movie Predator), the 20 round mag will be empty in less than a second on full auto, but in a tight spot it will save your ass, because when people hear the rate of fire that thing is doing, you can bet you're ass they will back up around that corner lol. If on the other hand you are concerned about GBB performance in low ambient temperatures and want to mix GBB with AEG, and have more ammo, then you could also consider either the JG or CYMA MP5Ks, both of which are AEGs with a larger capacity mag. They can be had for around 130 quid, but they don't have the insane ROF that the Well one brings to the party, which you might find is better or worse depending on you preference. Either way, a small full auto back up weapon on a sling will be a good idea alongside your twin pistols. Be sure to get some decent holsters that you can stow and retrieve your weapons from quickly, and make sure at least one of your pistols has a tac light on it, or at a push you can stow one pistol and use a light in your free hand. something on your belt to carry a small gas can and a speed loader might help too, as unless you're going to carry a ton of mags, since you may need to reload and regass a mag in game if your pistol mags are typical of most GBB pistols, i.e. about 20 rounds.

You're sort of 'bringing a knife to a gunfight' there. Or as Corporal Hicks says in Aliens, of his shotgun: 'I like to keep this handy, for close encounters'. Beyond the obvious 'of the third kind' joke, it about says it all where combat shotguns are concerned, they're not really meant to compete with assault rifles, they're for CQB, breaching and occasionally get used as a grenade launcher (with a suitable attachment). Since two of those real world applications for shotguns in combat are not uses Airsoft shotguns have, you've only ticking one box in terms of practicality, and even then, you say it's not CQB, so it's doubtful you're even ticking one box in terms of practicality. Another reason, beyond combat utility, you don't see all soldiers carrying shotguns, is that slug ammo weighs about six times as much as standard Nato 5.56mm ammo. Of course that's not the case for airsoft, where we all shoot the same 6mm ammo, but if you like realism, then it's something to consider. So if you are playing in an open air site, where CQB is not as likely as ranged combat, then why try to reinvent the wheel by altering a shotgun beyond it's obvious and practical purpose, when you can simply solve the problem by using something which is better suited to the fight.

It's your hobby, so it's up to you to decide when you have too many. Bit of give and take in any relationship is what makes it work. Bet you've never said she had too many dresses/shoes/handbags etc or too many eyeliner pencils/eye shadows/nail varnishes. Because as with guns for blokes, a girl can never have too much of that stuff. My house looks like a cross between a trophy room and an arsenal; she puts up rosettes and cups from dog shows she's won when showing off her fancy mutts, I put guns I like on the wall. Neither complains about either. Sorted. In fact, I taught her how to work most of them 'cause she wanted to know. She's actually a pretty good shot with an air rifle

I've got an old Soviet-era camo coat with a fur collar, it is rather heavy because it basically has blanket material layered inside it, which does restrict your arm movement slightly, but not enough to prevent you shouldering a weapon. I added red border guard shoulder boards to it to make it look a bit more 'Russkie'. Toasty warm in that thing even in the coldest temperatures, as you'd expect with some genuine Russian cold weather gear. I got it some time in the 1980s from New Cross Army and Navy Surplus in Manchester, think it cost me 60 quid at the time if I recall correctly, which was a bit pricey back in those days. Has a very good camo pattern on it. For the lower half, I put cycling leggings on under my combat pants (basically a bit like long johns I suppose), that keeps the old legs warm.

Yup true, I was simply comparing the worst case scenario with what that paintball did to point out the vast differences in energy a paintball and a BB putting onto what they hit. A sniper rifle would be really dodgily hot if it could push a 43 BB to 500fps, and if it was my Dragunov doing that, which is already a bitch to cock, I'd probably need Arnie to cock it for me lol. Anyhow, the spec sheet, in case anyone is curious, for the M04 lenses says: Lens Ballistic Protection: 150 m/sec (Approx. 500 FPS) with 6mm 0.20g BB

Even better, a clockwork alarm clock with this sellotaped to it, plus a few fake wires and detonators and a battery: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fake-Red-Dynamite-TNT-Cartoon-Gag-Toy-Prop-Funny-Joke-Cowboy-Clown-Western-/350850372247?pt=US_Costume_Accessories&hash=item51b04fd297

Make sure you have the gun dead level when you have tried aligning everything and are test-firing it, otherwise you might be fooled into thinking it is still curving the trajectory a bit. Doing that deliberately (tilting the gun), incidentally, is a way to offset a crosswind for long range shots, since the side spin counters the wind drift providing you tilt the gun the right way of course. Ironically, that tilting the gun trick is one of the few occasions where holding a pistol (or rifle) in that dumb-ass sideways 'gangsta style' that you see in movies will actually achieve something, providing it is an airsoft gun. If it's a real one, the only likely effect it will have is to break your wrist

If the barrel or chamber is misaligned in some way, the BB is likely to be fouling something as it passes along the barrel, i.e. clipping the side of the barrel. This would effectively do the same thing as the hop up does (i.e. brake the BB on one side and induce a spin on it) but on the side instead of on the top. When the BB spins, it causes the Magnus Effect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_effect So because of the fouling caused by the misalignment, the BB is generating a lift vector, but instead of the lift vector being vertical (which is what the hop up rubber induces, by putting backspin on the BB to give the BB a longer flight time by reducing the air pressure above the BB to generate lift), a sideways spin will reduce the air pressure on one side, and therefore pull the BB to the side, and as the velocity slows but the BB keeps spinning, the vector induced by the spin becomes more influential on the trajectory, which is why you are seeing it appear to veer off at longer ranges.

Beat me to it. I'd agree that's a likely cause. Probably causing a bit of sideways spin on the BB by either the hop or some other bit clipping the BB a little off the centreline. It's definitely worth fixing, since it is more than likely just a case of sorting out the alignment by taking it to bits and carefully reassembling it, which should be easy enough, since as I recall, the SRC manual which comes with their guns are pretty good on that score. So even if you decide you want a fancier AEG or maybe a GBB, you'll at least have a pretty good back up weapon when it is sorted out. As you probably know, SRCs aren't the very best AEGs in the world, as you'd expect with something which only costs just over a ton, but neither are they by any means the worst; in fact they are pretty good for the money and certainly good enough for skirmishing if you are happy with them in all other respects.

Oh i agree with you on many points, as I said, they are a bit of fun for 30-odd quid, with some use in specific circumstances, notably the one I mentioned with the stairwells when you are not likely/expecting to be shot at because anyone who could would be around the next flight of stairs, but are concerned with not going flying down the stairs that you literally cannot see at all, but don't want to announce your presence by flicking your tac light on. I know in this circumstance they are useful, because I've got several knife kills on people announcing their presence with a tac light as they creep around doors on stairwells, and with no direct line of sight to you from them, the IR lights are not going to be an issue. There's no way one could or should expect them to have the same utility as a AN/PVS-14 or some other equally flashy and expensive military kit, nor be as robust. Clearly they are going to be CMOS sensors rather than triple CCD plates and are not going have Schneider Kreuznach lenses in there, but frankly, I've spent thirty quid going up to a bar and buying a round of drinks in some places - cough, cough, Paris - so I think they are a bit of fun for not a great deal of money with the odd occasion where they are of some use. Like i said, just a bit of inexpensive fun for anyone not prepared, inclined or in a position to afford some expensive NVG kit. Anyway, back on the topic in hand and to the OP, what is it on the transformer that is creating the clicking noise? Is it a relay in the thing, or a fault, sometimes a minor short can cause clicking in transformers, so I'd check to see if you haven't got any loose connections or dry solder joints. Sometimes clicking can be caused by loose windings or laminations in a transformer, when the loose parts move back and forth as the voltage fluctuates. Apparently that can be solved by supergluing the offending bit to immobilise them, being sure to let the glue dry thoroughly before cranking it up of course. Failing that, have you considered trying to insulate the sound coming from the transformer? I realise you might not be able to seal it off as it probably has to have some ventilation to dissipate heat, but could you mount it on rubber bushes to prevent it transmitting as much sound to the casing? or put some foam around part of the casing to act as a sound baffle?, or even brace the casing so it cannot vibrate and transmit the sound so well?

Actually those IR projector lights don't really appear that bright when you see them from more than a few feet away, they do show up on video, but really they are only the same as the bulb on the front of a TV remote, and those things are hardly a laser designator, so yes, they do show up a bit, and I'd agree that quick glances through the thing rather than staring at one point for ages would be the smart thing to do. Personally, I think they are more useful for simply being able to see where you are going; this is particularly true in Trojan's Weir Mill site in Stockport, which on things like their Purge CQB night, is completely blacked out, so it's bloody dangerous navigating the stairwells in total darkness (that place is six storeys high). Week before last, some guy fell down a stairwell and cracked his head in that place. The marshals had to declare a ceasefire whilst they sorted him out. Don't think he was too badly hurt in the end, but more than once in that place I've been walking in pitch black and not known there was a stairwell right in front of me, and even just dropping one step when you're not ready for it can hurt a bit. so I'd take a tiny IR light over flipping my tac light on any day of the week, because putting your tac light on in those stairwells is like wearing a bell as far as stealth is concerned and pretty much guarantees you're gonna get a face full of gas blowback pistol shots when you turn the corner!

Here's another thing you can add for a bit of a laugh next time you are doing CQB in the dark. Stick this on your phone to freak everyone out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.j&hl=en It looks and sounds exactly like the one in the movie

Cool. Love it when I find stuff like that in an unexpected place and for so little. Bet that put a smile on your face.