Aunty Pasty

If you can afford it, buy whatever you're happy with and want rather than buy something cheaper that you don't really want with the view of upgrading it. However I do realise that not everybody can afford to splash out a lot of money up front so do go for this option.
 
Personally I'm the buy a good gun and leave it alone type of person.

I like your review. That's a nice bag!

Was it a hire gun? If it's your 1st game with a hire gun you probably did not adjust the hope so your range may have been a bit shorter than most other players.
 
If in the future you want to get a red dot sight you probably can just do with a 1x (i.e. no magnification).

I'd go GHK too. I've a G5 and I'm lusting after the GHK AK74 which has steel and wood externals. The internals are not steel but some kind of decent alloy.

Echo pretty much what the Colonel said. It's one of the sites I go to along with their Maidenhead site, The Mall and UCAP greenops. It can be a bit mucky/muddy but everything does wash out. Most scenarios are at range as opposed to CQB although there are buildings in some play areas they're essentially shed size so it's not room clearing or anything like that. I think they're offering hotdogs at lunchtime now but it's not enough for lunch so bring your own stuff as well.
 
I may sign up for this Sunday. If not I'll probably go to Maidenhead the week after. It's been awhile since I've gone there.

Echo pretty much what the Colonel said. It's one of the sites I go to along with their Maidenhead site, The Mall and UCAP greenops. It can be a bit mucky/muddy but everything does wash out. Most scenarios are at range as opposed to CQB although there are buildings in some play areas they're essentially shed size so it's not room clearing or anything like that. I think they're offering hotdogs at lunchtime now but it's not enough for lunch so bring your own stuff as well.
 
I may sign up for this Sunday. If not I'll probably go to Maidenhead the week after. It's been awhile since I've gone there.

I've given out bbs in the past. I carry a small speedloader and sometimes small bottles that contains about 500 bbs each. In a lot of cases the player is just caught short if the game has gone on longer than expected. Usually they offer to top me up when we get back to the safe zone but it's no big deal if they don't.

I bought a vest at first but it doesn't fit very well (i'm quite short) and when carrying a full load of gas mags and metal pistol the weight wasn't distributed very well so I decided to invest in a molle chest rig with some pouches. Unfortunately they haven't arrived yet but my thoughts are that being more adjustable I should be able to get more comfortable with it.

I've given out bbs in the past. I carry a small speedloader and sometimes small bottles that contains about 500 bbs each. In a lot of cases the player is just caught short if the game has gone on longer than expected. Usually they offer to top me up when we get back to the safe zone but it's no big deal if they don't.

I've given out bbs in the past. I carry a small speedloader and sometimes small bottles that contains about 500 bbs each. In a lot of cases the player is just caught short if the game has gone on longer than expected. Usually they offer to top me up when we get back to the safe zone but it's no big deal if they don't.

Multicam Black... it is fairly new, looks great, can work in urban and woodland environments, and you could still use some of your existing kit with it. On the downside it is not cheap or as easily available as other camoflague patterns.

I settled for an SRC hard case too after using a cheap chinese soft case for a few months. The SRC cases are usually about £60 depending on where you look. I wasn't too happy with the soft case. Although it did do it's job there wasn't that much padding and the rifle tended to move around a bit inside which I believe lead to a little paint being worn away on the fire selector switch. I've been quite happy with my SRC case so far. It only JUST fits into the boot of my Golf so if you look at other cases, bear in mind the width of the case.

I settled for an SRC hard case too after using a cheap chinese soft case for a few months. The SRC cases are usually about £60 depending on where you look. I wasn't too happy with the soft case. Although it did do it's job there wasn't that much padding and the rifle tended to move around a bit inside which I believe lead to a little paint being worn away on the fire selector switch. I've been quite happy with my SRC case so far. It only JUST fits into the boot of my Golf so if you look at other cases, bear in mind the width of the case.

G&G - Excellent overall, very little problems with the combat machine series (such as some magazines require a bit of tape to feed properly) Very good reputation.
 
Classic Army - Again, excellent guns, built very nicely. I'd avoid their Sportline series as the plastic they use for the receivers are very fragile.
 
King Arms - Pretty much the same as Classic Army, but with a more 'exotic' variety of guns available. An underrated company.
 
ICS - Fantastic guns, good reputation about almost all of their rifles, my L86 is built like a tank and performs brilliantly after some tinkering with the hop up. I've noticed that their M4's are shaped differently compared to the standard Marui/clone M4's, but that's probably to do with the split-gearbox design. Airsoft-Ed has extensive knowledge on their L85's, if you have any questions about them, ask him.
 
GHK - veeerrrryyyyy nice GBBR's. Nothing but praise from their owners. Realistic finish and solid performance, the G5 is a pretty good cold-weather gun despite it being a GBBR. But I'd recommend doing your own research on them before plunging into the gbbr route.
 
G&P - Great platform for building an aeg, finish is nice on all their guns, however they're a bit pricey for what they offer.
 
A&K/P&J - I've only ever owned their spring SVD, but I have heard nothing but praise about their aeg's, try and purchase one from Taiwangun as UK retailers overprice them.
 
JG/Golden Eagle - Aged, since the "Golden Eagle" re-brand, prices for them have increased dramatically for the soul purpose of making money from them, they're overhyped by such retailers, claiming that they're "better than Tokyo Marui - JBBG" but there's nothing special about them. If you find a JG online, purchase it from (again) Taiwangun or other Hong Kong/Taiwanese websites. I'd avoid purchasing second-hand, normally heavily used and poorly maintained. Also popular for their VSR clones as they are cheap and, to some extent, built better than the Marui version.
 
Cyma - Fantastic value for money, their AK's are very reliable, but avoid their M4's as they're a bit crap, as expereinced by Airsoft_Mr B. They've recently introduced some tri-shot M870's in metal and plastic varients, not much is known about them but they look to be nice little shotguns.
 
Tokyo Marui - Their standard aeg's have aged.. Poorly. For how much they cost, you can get a MUCH nicer and better performing gun, same with their Tr-shot shotguns. However, their Recoil guns and gas blow backs are still considered the best on the market by many, understandably so.
 
Cybergun - Same as Echo1, they put trade marks on existing cheap aeg's then overprice them for it.
 
WE - Hit and miss, personally. Their aeg's are good, using the same materials that they build their GBB's from, gearbox's are pretty bog standard. If you're going to purchase their GBB rifles, don't bother replacing parts as soon as you get one, wait for the parts to break then start to replace them. They do however require an NPAS which makes the fps adjustable. My Hi-Power and AK fell apart, but I think my AK fell apart due to the recoil kit I put in it. Says it all really.
 
Well - Eh, avoid. Their Gen 1, 2 and 3 L96's are good, the Gen 3 is better built but needs upgrading if you want it to be somewhat useable on the field.
 
KWA - Good guns, but proprietary parts are a bit annoying. Their ERG is fantastic, crisp recoil and solid performance. Excellent gas guns, especially the popular MP9, amazing performance from such a little gun. The noise it makes is scary.
 
Double Eagle - Shotguns are fantastic, however everything else they've made is a bit mediocre.
 
Jin Peng - Lol,
 
Tippman - Their M4 has good reputation so far, HPA so requires extra money being spent to make it work, definitely worth it though.
 
Systema - I'll leave them to your own judgement, people that own them praise them but people that don't own them tend to talk crap about them. However, they perform amazingly, very quiet guns, but I'll never own one.
 
Celcius - Better than Systema as they're constantly innovating and offering different upgrade options for their guns. Reputation is good, price is ok for what they offer.
 
Real Sword - Excellent guns, people buy them for their realistic features and finish, and for their unique guns that they offer.
 
Ares/Star - From what I've heard from people on the forums, the problems that their guns have are a bit of a widespread myth, from my own experience they're just as reliable as any other aeg. But do your own research about them and come to your own judgement about them.
 
Krytac - Excellent guns for the money, better gearbox's and overall design than most aeg's in the same price range on the market.
 
Dytac - What G&P should have been. Fantastic looking guns with better-than-standard internals, people have been running 11v lipos through them without issues. Definitely recommend them over G&P any day.
 
SRC - Eh, avoid. Mediocre quality for the price that you pay. Their G36's are nice, but comparable to JG's G36's in terms of performance.
 
APS - Comparable to Classic Army, slightly lower quality but solid guns overall.
 
D-boys - Popular for their cheap Scar-L's & Scar-H's, most of their guns have a poor finish, the paint they use for their M4's feels like a chalk board, good guns though. Their AK's are nice, most of them being made from steel and wood but you don't pay the Real Sword price for one (albeit their finish is poorer.)
 
Aim Top - Solidly built guns, but the externals are a bit naff. Comparable to JG.
 
LCT - Realistic fit and finish, but they're pretty much a conversation piece, I've noticed they're more attention grabbing than PTW's (probably over-exaggerating). Which isn't a bad thing at all.
 
S&T - Toyish externals, especally with their Tar 21's, a good option if you want a cheap exotic gun that won't fall apart straight away.
 
Snow Wolf - Like with S&T, a good option if you want a cheap exotic gun, they're only popular for their M82's and M41A pulse rifle.
 
Evolution - They seem to be well built, but I don't know much about them.
 
AGM - Again, same with S&T, a good option if you want a cheap exotic gun (primarily their WW2 weapons such as the popular MP44 and Sten gun.) quality and performance is comparable to stock JG's.
 
Echo1 - They essentially re-brand JG's, AGM's and other cheap manufacturers and overprice them because they'll include an extra magazine. Essentially, they're a money making gimmick.
 
CAA - Comparable to Classic Army, nice externals, standard internals, the furniture for their M4's looks absolutely horrendous IMO. Like G&P, they're a bit overpriced for what they are.
 
Hope that helps.

Just add an accompanying note saying you're about to buy a gun from them soon and you need to get yourself onto the database. I did mine at ZeroOneAirsoft. You get an email when you're entered onto the database and I put my order in straight afterwards.

Try bigger tweaks to the adjustments. They are not as sensitive as you'd think. Some of the cheaper clones actually have it moving in the opposite way that they're marked. Set up your iron sights and holographic sight and give it a big adjustment until you actually see it change alignment with the iron sight, then fine tune it.

Hey Welcome Randy. I guess you're pretty close to where I am (Woking). I was down at UCAP GreenOps weekend just gone actually. Big turnout that day. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Mall in Reading yet which should be reachable for you.
 
Have fun shopping for stuff!

A group of us airsofters were walking to a game zone and passed a group of paintballers coming back the other way. I overhear one kid in the paintball group say to his friend: "These guys must be experts." Bless.

A group of us airsofters were walking to a game zone and passed a group of paintballers coming back the other way. I overhear one kid in the paintball group say to his friend: "These guys must be experts." Bless.

Would you consider going GBBR? The GHK M4 is in a similar price bracket.

I was speaking to some guy who was kitted out with all sorts of pouches and carrying all sorts of stuff. He said he was like a mobile quartermaster as he ended up carrying all his friends stuff as well. So they're all off running around light and free and he was left lumbering around like a pack mule.

I was speaking to some guy who was kitted out with all sorts of pouches and carrying all sorts of stuff. He said he was like a mobile quartermaster as he ended up carrying all his friends stuff as well. So they're all off running around light and free and he was left lumbering around like a pack mule.

It sounds sexy but it could just mean you're throwing more bbs to the wrong place. On an LMG I see their point. On a rifle, not so much.

I've heard a few stories too. The marshals are decent people and the guy who runs it is friendly enough but I wouldn't buy from his store or get him to fix my gun if there was a problem.

Winds me up, used to stay back trying to avoid BBs..
 
Now if we have an objective and unlimited respawns im all about the attack. Like I mentioned somewhere else there is no Kill Death Ratio, it does not matter how many times you get hit, just win the frigging match!!
 
I was at the Mall on sunday, they had a showcase game for half an hour, suppodsedly in their new site next door but it was not ready GRRRR so we were in C&A. The enemy team on the top level, us on the bottom defending a cone with a light on. Only ONE player came down a level to attempt to see a defender or reach the objective..
Totally pointless. Half an hour with them watching the top of the stairs and escalator and us guarding the bottom... Me and my pal tried rushing up the stairs and escalator once or twice but just got cut down..
 
A waste of half an hour and £7.50 in honesty...
 
 
 
I understand if your old, tired, less able etc. Sitting out on a round or hanging about in the spawn if you need to, but playing the game like team death match trying your hardest to hide and avoid BBs kinda defeats the purpose and the spirit of the game and the hard work the site and marshalls have put in to make the objective type games seem fun.