Chock

Logically that would seem to be okay, since a UKARA registration's function is to ensure that a retailer is selling a RIF to someone who is using it for airsofting, and that is ultimately what you would be doing, but in regards to granting registrations, the UKARA site does actually state that 'to become UKARA registered airsoft player you are required to take part in three games'. So unless you get your parents to do that, then technically it's outside of the requirements for a registration. Having said that, I would ask at the site itself. I'm pretty sure they'd tell you the same thing I have, but if you don't ask then you can't know for sure if they'd say it was a no-no. However, consider this... It isn't actually a legal requirement for someone buying a RIF to have a UKARA registration at all, since all a UKARA registration is, is a convenient way for a retailer to check if the RIF which they sell is going to be used for one of the legitimate purposes listed in the VCR Act (i.e. for airsoft games). The UKARA scheme is not mentioned at all in the text of the VCR Act and is in no way a 'license', although it is mentioned in the VCR Act's guidelines. So if a retailer can be absolutely sure that a RIF which they sell is going to be used in that way, then it is not illegal for them to supply it. An example of where that would be entirely legitimate, is if you were a regular at a site which had a shop, and your parent came in with you and said they wanted to buy a RIF for you as a present. The shop staff could be certain that it was a legitimate sale because they would have seen you regularly skirmishing and would therefore know that the RIF was going to be used for a legitimate purpose, and in fact that would actually be a bit more sound in terms of legality than checking a UKARA number, since how can a retailer really know that someone has not simply gone to three skirmishes, got registered, bought a RIF, and then never gone skirmishing again, nor has any intention of ever doing so again? What would not be okay, is if you gave a parent the money so that they could buy it for you, since it has to be a gift, but of course who would know if that had occurred?

This ZOS 6-24x50 is broadly similar in appearance if it's just the looks you are after, not identical of course, but it isn't that pricey for a scope and would be okay on an airsoft rifle: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sniper-Air-Rifle-Airgun-Gun-Scope-24x50-TELESCOPIC-SIGHT-SWAT-Vector-Optics-/221297157999?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item338656a76f

Welcome aboard

Oooh, very nice indeed.

They are both very decent guns, and so long as you pick a decent gun (and by decent, I mean a reputable make known for having good internal workings), then going off looks is as good a way to choose as any airsoft weapon. As I'm sure you are aware, all airsoft guns (apart from one or two obscure ones), fire 6mm plastic BBs, so the only major difference between, say an AK47 airsoft assault rifle, and an MP5 airsoft submachine gun, is the internal mechanisms and their quality, as opposed to the real AK47 or real MP5, where they are hugely different in that they fire completely different ammo to each other, are built for very different roles, and are built to two very different standards or workmanship, the MP5 being built like a Rolls Royce, and the AK47 being built more like a jeep. But with airsoft, any MP5 or AK47 could be built either like a jeep or a Rolls Royce depending on which company is making the thing, so when it comes to choosing an airsoft gun which looks like a real world gun, your guide to quality is the company which makes the airsoft gun you have your eye on. ICS is a company based in Taiwan (which is a good thing), and they are known for making very good weapons, with internal workings which are extremely durable, the motor's gearbox in an ICS airsoft weapon is modular, it is made of metal, all the gears are metal etc, so you are talking about robust, decent quality and good design when it comes to ICS airsoft guns. They do build cheaper ABS plastic guns, as well as more durable metal ones, but regardless of that, the quality of the internal mechanisms is invariably top notch. So there is very little you would need to do to either of those guns you linked to, they'll be great straight out of the box, although be sure to clean the barrel when it is new, because even new airsoft guns often have a bit of crap in the barrel (it will come with a cleaning rod, you just need to thread a tiny bit of cotton rag through the end of the rod to use it). Having said that, of the two you are looking at, one of them is a standard real world weapon (the MP5 A5) which is much favoured by SWAT teams and the like, the other one is a customised version of an M4 of the kind which would be favoured by SWAT teams as well, but could easily also find itself on a battlefield. And although that M4 is not actually a standard real world M4 that one could buy off the shelf, it is one that could be created in the real world if we bought an M4 and customised it with a lot of after-market bits and pieces, because the M4 is the most popular airsoft gun by a very long way, and so like its real-world counterpart, there are loads of after-market bits for airsoft M4s, which means that an airsoft M4 is an excellent choice of weapon which is very modular in terms of you being able to modify it, which is why when most people ask 'what airsoft weapon should I get to start off with?', almost everyone always says, 'get an M4', although in fairness, most people do in fact usually say get a G&G M4, since they are inexpensive and reliable. But beyond that reason alone to favour the M4 over the MP5, is that particular M4 which you picked, is as it comes, much more able to have stuff attached to it, to make it preferable for CQB and longer ranged fighting. Notably the fact that it has a lot of rails on it, which would allow you to add optics, lasers, tactical lights, grenade launchers etc, etc (yeah I know the MP5 already has a light, but it could get shot out, which could happen to an M4 too, but it's a lot easier to get a replacement light to fit on a rail than it is to get one that fits in that slot on the MP5). The M4 also has a much more robust collapsible stock than the MP5, so would also be slightly better suited to longer ranged fighting. Another reason to favour the M4 is that it has a larger magazine capacity than the MP5, which means you are less likely to run out of ammo at an awkward moment when at your skirmish, and additional mags for it would probably be cheaper to get hold of as well. I'm not saying the MP5 is a bad choice overall, I have two of them myself and they are lighter and generally a bit better in a tight space, but I've also got two M4s and a lot of other guns too (lol, trust me, if you are anything like the rest of us, you'll end up with loads of weapons as well!), and I almost always end up using the M4s, but if you like the MP5, go for it, because it will still be a good choice.

Welcome aboard. Be a bit wary about getting into sniping from the start, it can get expensive very quickly, which is why most people on here, including me, would suggest just going for a fairly standard assault rifle type of set up, seeing how you get on with that, and then maybe looking at sniping a bit further down the line if it still appeals to you. It's true that you can get a sniper airsoft rifle for around 140 quid or so, such as the A&K SVD Dragunov or the Well L96, and both are not bad as they come, but you fairly soon realise that to get the best out of them, you need a decent scope, a barrel and hop up upgrade, a tweak to the trigger mechanism, a customised piston, some very good camo gear, etc, etc, and pretty soon, that 140 quid will seem like the cheap part of getting it together. There are plenty of airsoft snipers out there who have spent well over a grand on souping up their rifle, and those guys will outrange an off the shelf airsoft sniper rifle by a long way. Not only that, but what you will also find after a few skirmishes, is that you get to know which are strong and weak points at the skirmish site, which routes people go, where the choke points are, etc. It's when you know those things that sniping will become a more viable choice. So in addition to that expense and the requirement of knowing the lie of the land a bit better, airsoft sniping is (obviously) at vastly shorter distances than real world sniping, and unlike with real world snipers, you won't have a spotter who is also kitted out with an assault rifle to protect you if people start flanking you. So there is far more chance of you getting closed down and ending up having to switch to a close quarters weapon, such as an MP5K or an AKS74U, or even a decent pistol. With that in mind, you could get an assault weapon which will serve as a suitable back up later on if you do chose to give sniping a try, and it will kind of 'future proof' your initial purchase. So perhaps consider an assault rifle with a folding stock and a fairly shortish barrel, i.e. something which you could feasibly sling over your shoulder if you did chose to carry a sniper rifle. Alternatively, you might consider buying a longer assault rifle, with a view to later converting it into a DMR (designated marksman rifle), which makes you for want of a better description, an 'assault sniper'. Good choices for that role are the longer more traditional variants of the M16 Armalite of the kind which were fielded during the Vietnam War, as opposed to the shorter M4 variants you see most troops carrying these days. But in either case, this is why the Armalite platform is a good starting choice, because it is easily the most upgradeable type of airsoft rifle, so even a short M4 can have a longer barrel and foregrip swapped in, to change is effectiveness at longer engagement ranges..

Have a look at the things on this link: http://airsoftzone.co.uk/starter-packs You'll do far better with one of those than any of those which you linked to, and one or two of them are cheaper too, and they're all a better colour as well.

If there is an army and navy surplus shop near to you (and even if there isn't it would be worth traveling a bit to get to one), then that will absolutely be your best bet for boots, or possibly a militaria fair. Give them a bell before you set off of course, but most army surplus stores sell used (but still decent condition) combat boots for about 20-30 quid. Genuine issue military combat boots are quite literally designed for skirmishing. Not only that, military surplus gear is invariably far better quality for the price than anything else you might find. Perhaps more importantly, if you go to a shop, you can actually try the things on, whereas if you buy online, you're rolling the dice on how good a fit they will be, and the chances are, they won't be. A decent pair of genuine military combat boots will last for years of skirmishing and will prevent you busting an ankle etc. Here's an example of a shop (this one is in Manchester) which sells genuine issue boots for 30 quid: http://www.militarykit.com/product_categories/footwear/military/product_pages/boot_assault_british_army_high_leg_genuine_used_grade_1.html If you can stretch to 40 quid, I can personally recommend these German para boots, since I got mine from that very shop, and they are excellent (fully waterproof too): http://www.militarykit.com/product_categories/footwear/military/product_pages/boot_para_german_army.html

Three essentials? Well we can exclude eye protection, because that's compulsory, although in picking that, I'd personally recommend small mesh goggles, which don't fog up. But for the three essentials, I'd say... Lower face protection: Which is only compulsory if you're under 18. I don't actually like having to wear it, but doing so is sensible, since you get plenty of shots aimed at your head, and a BB will smash your teeth out if it hits them; seen it happen loads of times to people. Neck protection: An Arabian keffiyah (shemagh) will do a good job of protecting your neck and looks the part too, although if you are playing in woodland, a traditional white/black one stands out quite a lot, so if you can, get an olive drab one. A BB to the neck will hurt like hell and probably draw blood, and if it hits your adams apple, it will literally make your eyes water with how much it hurts. Failing that, any other sort of scarf will do as well. Scarves can at a push also serve as lower face protection. Gloves: Your left hand (if you are right handed) will also take a lot of hits, since it is holding the foregrip of your weapon, and like with your neck, the skin is thin, so you will get real nasty blood blisters coming up if a BB hits a finger. Thin leather gloves of the type which modern military pilots wear are a good choice, as are the nomex ones which a lot of fighter pilots wear, since they are a gauntlet style, so they also protect your wrists as well. Pilots have to operate radios and other small switches, so that type of glove does not interfere with your ability to operate fire selectors on weapons, or speed loaders and such, and as will all military surplus, you tend to get very good quality gear at a price which is acceptable. Honourable mentions. Other contenders for essentials could probably include: tactical vest/load carrying vest/plate carrier: The important thing with those is practicality rather than how cool you think it looks, in other words, is it easy to get stuff in and out of the pouches with your eyes shut, if it isn't easy to do that, it's no good, because when you are fighting, the fumble factor will ensure that you lose. knee pads: You actually only need one, because you'll tend to kneel down to take shots on the same knee all the time, but in woodlands, your leg will end up damp if you kneel down just wearing combat pants alone. helmet: A military helmet has good 'pose value', but it's a useful bit of kit in airsofting because it will protect you from a lot of painful hits, some of which will mark your face for days after, particularly if you get hit on the forehead, which again is thin skin and will bleed and swell up. If you have the kind of job where you have to deal with other people face to face, coming into work on monday looking like you have been in a fight is not a good thing. You can find airsoft replicas of military helmets for anything from a tenner upwards, so this doesn't have to break the bank. Avoid a genuine military steel pot helmet, yes they can sometimes be had cheap and are cool (I have a few of them), but they are intended to stop shrapnel from explosions, so they are built heavily and are not comfortable to wear all day long. At a push, a baseball cap will do for airsoft, but a helmet will do a better job. Waterproof combat boots: Offering good ankle support and keeping your feet dry on woodland skirmishes are the two obvious benefits of these, and they can be had cheap from army surplus stores. Genuine military ones are always very decent quality and are designed to be worn for long periods, which is of course ideal for a day skirmishing out in wet weather A speed loader: The little spring, pump-operated speed loaders (which often come in the box with a gun) are small enough to fit into a tiny pouch on your tactical vest, and mean you can stay out in the field a bit longer instead of tramping back to the safe zone, since most of them will hold a couple of hundred BBs. Water bottle: You will get hot when skirmishing, and can dehydrate, so having a drink on your person is a good idea. Tac light: Fairly essential in CQB, one which can be operated by a thumb switch on your rifle's foregrip is the best sort, because you only want the light on when you need it, so you don't give your position away. Rifle sling: The slings which come with guns are almost always cheap pieces of sh*t, which will fail and make you drop your weapon and probably break it, so a few quid spent on a good sling is a sound investment. And you really do not want to be carrying a weapon around all day long, especially a full metal one; even the lighter plastic weapons start feeling pretty goddam heavy after a few hours.

Fairly minimal DIY this one, but swapped the slides on my Kimbers, so that the lower one, which I prefer the frame and grip on, has the longer trademarked slide which is from the top one:

To clarify. Below are the exact definitions of legal terms for UK law: Illegal - something prohibited, or not authorised by law. Guilty - having been found to have violated a criminal law. Offence - a breach of a rule of law. Specific Defence - a defence suitable to answer for a specified offence in any legislation. Shall - must, will be, is Subject to - bound or constrained by So, when Section 37 of the VCR Act states that: 37 Specific defences applying to the offence under s. 36 (1) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under section 36 in respect of any conduct... This pertains to: 36: (1) A person is guilty of an offence if— (a) he manufactures a realistic imitation firearm; ( b ) he modifies an imitation firearm so that it becomes a realistic imitation firearm; ( c) he sells a realistic imitation firearm; or (d) he brings a realistic imitation firearm into Great Britain or causes one to be brought into Great Britain. (2) Subsection (1) has effect subject to the defences in section 37. (note the IF in the preceding bit. More importantly, note that at the end of the list of offences, it states that they are subject to the defences in Section 37, which means, in legal terms, that these defences are caveats to the Law, and the law is limited in scope by those caveats) So let's break this down. Adherence to the Specific Defences listed in Section 37, means that any of those listed are a defence suitable to answer for a potential offence in question. Thus the legislation does not extend to the point where any of those actions are deemed an offence. And if something is suitable to answer to an offence, then anyone who can legitimately use such a Specific Defence will not be found to have done something prohibited by law, therefore they cannot by definition have done anything illegal. This means their actions must therefore be legal, so they cannot be guilty of an offence. This is why specific defences are listed in UK Acts of Parliament, to clarify how and when the law applies. The UK Government do not put these in the legislation because they were bored when drafting it and wanted to pad it out a bit, or thought it might be fun to have them in there, they are part of the legislation to clarify its boundaries exactly, otherwise it would be completely pointless to put them in there.

I wear mesh goggles. Like yourself I've got a wide bridge of my nose, so I had to tweak them a bit (removed the foam padding, filed the shape a bit and refitted the foam). I used to wear some fairly biggish mesh goggles, but swapped them recently with the smaller pair, which were the ones that needed a bit of a tweek to fit well. Normally I wear them with a mesh lower face mask, and I also wear a PASGT helmet (the bigger mesh goggles were a bit of a tight fit with the helmet on, hence the switch to a smaller pair of mesh goggles). However, the other day I bought a cloth lower face mask which can be partially opened via press studs to enable you take a drink. Not skirmished with that yet, but will be doing so soon. I hate lower face protection, but I don't want to get a tooth shot out (and I've seen that happen a lot), so lower face pro it is. Just hope that material one does the job, since it is a bit less claustrophobic than the mesh one. The PASGT helmet does a good job of stopping hits, but I may swap it for a more modern type to which I can attach side pieces because I did get a BB hit down my ear whilst wearing that PASGT helmet a while back, and whilst it did no damage, it wasn't a pleasant experience. I do also have one of those cheapish psuedo gas masks with the fan in it, but even though I reinforced the way the perspex eye bits fit into it, I'm not entirely happy with the way it fits on me and the way it restricts vision, so I've never skirmished with it.

And it is absolutely true, 1990 it was, Caledonian Airways if memory serves. I recall that there were a lot of people on the concourse looking at me, who were obviously thinking 'uh, oh, if that's his girlfriend over there, then he is in BIG trouble.'

Gimme a shout if you are going to Trojan CQB. I go there pretty often.

Yup. I once brought a 20 foot long braided leather bullwhip back from Spain, for a former girlfriend who collected them (don't ask lol). I walked through Customs in Spain with it wrapped in thin tissue paper, and was duly stopped by them. 'You cannot have that in the cabin senor, since it is classed as a weapon.' say they. 'How could I hijack an airliner with a whip? Who do you think I am, Indiana Jones?' say I. Customs do not like jokes by the way. So, the whip had to be handed to a Cabin Crew member for the duration of the flight. Now, picture the scene. There I am coming off the plane at Manchester airport, and I pass through Customs, and there is my girlfriend waiting for me, I walk across the concourse toward her, when this drop dead gorgeous stewardess who I had been chatting to on the flight back comes running up to me, shouting 'Al, Al, you forgot your whip!'

Frankly, if I were considering sticking a RIF in luggage (and in reality I would not, because I don't like the idea of being shot by an air marshall lol), I would be contacting the airport at both ends and the airline concerned too, and probably Customs as well, and only if I got the nod from all concerned would I then be going ahead with doing so. Just get a UKARA. It'll be a crapload less hassle. Incidentally, in answer to the other question, a RIF being in bits would make no difference whatsoever, since it could obviously be put back together.

Read the bit below that part of the Act. And you may not mean to be rude, but you seem to manage it quite well anyway.

Nope, you are wrong on this point. The VCR Act is quite specific in that regard. The section below where it says it is illegal is not a sweeping statement in isolation, it is followed by this wording: 'Subsection (1) has effect subject to the defences in section 37' The defences in Section 37 are the ones I listed. These therefore negate the ability to prosecute if one is importing a RIF if one can legitimately offer one of those defences listed. That is why it says that the legality/illegality of the matter is subject to those Section 37 defences. If this were not the case, all the airsoft retail sites in this country which were importing and selling RIFs would be breaking the law, and they are not, because they ask for a UKARA to ensure their supplying of the RIF was pertaining to a Section 37 defence. That is why they ask for it, they do not have some magical commercial waiver that we do not.

No. That would not be illegal, although you could understand that obviously there would be questions asked if you walked through the scanners at Heathrow with a RIF in your bag. Specifically, the law on the matter says that it is illegal to import a RIF, unless it is for one of the following reasons: A It is for the purposes of a museum or gallery; B It is for the purposes of theatrical performances and of rehearsals for such performances; C It is for the production of films (within the meaning of Part 1 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48)_see section 5B of that Act); D It is for the production of television programmes (within the meaning of the Communications Act 2003 (c. 21)_see section 405(1) of that Act); E It is for the organisation and holding of historical re-enactments organised and held by persons specified or described for the purposes of this section by regulations made by the Secretary of State; F It is for the purposes of functions that a person has in his capacity as a person in the service of Her Majesty. Reason E is the one related to airsoft, and the easiest way to demonstrate that, is with a UKARA registration number, which is why people get them. So if you were stopped at Customs, it would obviously be most expedient to say 'here is my UKARA number, go ahead and check it'. I'm willing to bet that it would not be a five minute wait before you got waved through with a cheery smile, but that is nevertheless the law as it stands.

Nope, you can own a warehouse full of RIFs if you like with no defense at all, the defence part is only relevant when purchasing, and really, that defence is more for the person selling it to you, so they know you are not going to use it for some dodgy reason.

You could just buy another one of the same guns, they are only a tenner if you look about, and since most spare mags cost about a tenner, you'd be no worse off so long as you were happy to use a springer.

You got a sale here too

Which is what my post is about if you read it all the way through. My reference to 'owning a RIF' is in relation to the act of buying one - to end up owning it - it being a response to the OP's query about importation of a RIF. Don't take the quote out of context, or it becomes a straw man, I know you don't need a defence to merely own one. I'm trying to keep the guy out of prison!

Theoretically you could have a legitimate defence for owning a RIF without having a UKARA (UKARA is merely a scheme organised by retailers and airsoft sites to enable retailers to check if you are a regular attendee at airsoft skirmishes, and thus have a defence, enabling them to sell it to you). But there is no law which says you have to apply for a UKARA if you go airsofting. In practice however, a UKARA registration is the most efficient way to prove you have a defensible reason for owning a RIF, and that is particularly true when it comes to importing RIFs, since UK Customs have access to the UKARA database, so it is common practice for retailers on airsoft websites abroad to have a bit on their order form which allows you to put additional comments, so most people put, 'please put this UKARA number - XXXXX - on the packaging'. You'll also see that most foreign airsoft retailers put stuff like: 'it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with your country's rules on the importation of firearms.' on their sites. And they are right to call them firearms, because as far as the EU is concerned, a plastic AK or M4 or Luger or Tommy Gun or whatever, which is in relatively realistic colours, is regarded as a 'Class D firearm'. Thus if Mr Customs X-Rays your parcel with a shiny new airsoft AK74 in it, and sees a gun shape in there, he will open it up to check it ain't a real AK, and will then check if there is anything on the packaging which relates to the legitimacy of one being purchased by you, and if he does not find something like that, such as a UKARA number, or the name of a film production company on the package or whatever, then that parcel will be going in the crusher (or more seriously, be subm,itted as evidence for a prosecution), and you may indeed also be prosecuted, since it absolutely is illegal to import a RIF without a legitimate defence. You can get sentenced to several years in prison for doing so, and/or get a massive fine as well. This is particularly true right now in light of the recent terrorist activities in France and Belgium, where in both cases, the terrorists had AKs. Any package which has a gun shape in it is going to light up the Customs checking process like a Christmas Tree at the moment, and if there's no UKARA or similar easily checkable defence on the package, you could not blame them for destroying your package, and most people would be glad they were vigilant about that, so there's practically no chance that you'd have any comeback on it in terms of compensation for your loss. More importantly, right now, with anti-terrorist measures at a peak, Customs and the CPS would probably like nothing better than to prosecute someone for importing a RIF without legal clearance to do so, because it would make them look good in the eyes of the public. Do not chance it without a UKARA or some other easily checkable defence, or you absolutely will be risking going to prison, and it ain't worth doing time for a toy gun. .