Tommikka

Yes - rentals do mean you need a business You can have a club element, but there’s no benefit to the way of running ….. and of course the unknown element of random rentals off the street is a whole different ball game of consensual ‘player marshalling’ Run it properly There are some fun ways of avoiding / minimising business rates

Not for the running side (as dickheads will be dickheads) and what I would consider a ‘well run’ site should be on a business basis. If an airsoft site is basically a local club for the local airsoft regulalars then why couldn’t it be on a ‘sports club’ basis? (An element of business methodology will be required for using the venue/land, insurance, permission via the council etc) When I refer to event organising we aren’t doing it as a business but as a ‘sports club’ style team But there is a point there ….. and the proof was shown when ‘COVID reopening dates’ happened / didn’t happen Reopening included ‘sports clubs’ and the criteria needed to be Sport England (or equivalent) recognition, and council approval. Council approval was pretty much rubber stamping of the Sport England recognition. Sport England recognition has very specific criteria - paintball does not meet that. But did get endorsed by Sport England for reopening. Recognition includes many things such as a governing body, the scale of player membership, sites/venues operating under governing body standards etc There has been work underway for many years pressing for that, the UKPSF exists and isn’t a compulsory governing body to operate, but is a recognised body across the industry and the home office (Active) Player membership wasn’t sufficient. This year they have passed the threshold UKARA wouldn’t necessarily count as a governing body, but it is a representation for the trade community and is recognised as a way to establish ‘active player membership’ of something (in the threads back at the time there were the other ‘body’s’ such as whatever the airsoft players Union is called. A combination of those could make the way to a recognisable airsoft governing body Come the day of opening being announced by government paintball & airsoft sites announced their first post COVID game dates. Then read the small print. UKPSF cleared the criteria with Sport England paintball member sites read the UKPSF guidelines and were able to get a tick in the box from the council - even though paintball was not on the format sport ‘recognition list’ but did have confirmation of meeting the opening recognition criteria Non member paintball sites may or may not have just opened anyway Airsoft sites then began to announce that they wouldn’t be opening, some may or may not have opened anyway Even with sites run purely as businesses the sports recognition would apply to the activity. It is also not about the moaning every 4 years that dancing, gymnastics, chess, etc are in the Olympics then why can’t my hobby be a sport ? But it opens the doors (literally during COVID) but also to council support, government grants, lottery grants and we’ve now missed the boat on EU grants Got a little airsoft site? Struggling with the basics of running a safe chrono? Talk to your governing body, set up a club with youth opportunities, get a grant to put in safe practices and fund some chronos ….

A chrono could be sourced in the region of £50 to £100 (even cheaper too, but ideally a site should be going for something over £100 to actually go through regular use Back in my early days of paintball, when taking my own gun to a rental site the ‘magic chrono tree’ was often use because the staff couldn’t be bothered to go in the shed and find the site one (assuming that they even had one for the site guns) For events there would be one ‘big red’ box official site chrono, and a long queue which was made twice as long because of those players that had to keep going back to tune down within limit and also keep going back to turn up if they went too low So I bought my own basic yellow handheld so I could set up ready myself then get through official chrono first time I upgraded to an X-radar grey handheld when it was released for the ease of use plus ROF. Both of those were circa £80 to £100 (the x radar has a hardier site version to go on a tripod and doesn’t need the button pressed for manual checking - obviously will cost more) Events would now be expected to have tables of self checking chronos, which would get manned for official checks, and Marshall’s out carrying handhelds A tournament would have a self check chrono area, official handheld 100% check as teams go into the first games. Followed by spot checks These will be using the Virtue clock handheld series. Ours was £200 for the v1 which is still the dogs testicals Upgraded versions will be in the £200 to £300 and I think there’s a new one circa £400 which will give you a back massage as you check the player A site that’s properly serious might want one that collects data & produces reports - but we’re just after something to make a site just make the effort of checking In airsoft I’ve typically seen that the ‘shoot through’ style could be the preference, but they are all just a classic speed gun piece that is ideally optimised to spot a flying thing in a suitable range of velocities - and that’s exactly what the clock looks like Our clock is so much fun and can even chrono a paintball at a distance. (I wouldn’t trust that for accuracy snd don’t know if it could spot a BB from a distance) But I’ve been able to spot a dodgy player and sneakily chrono without them knowing before pouncing.

Wrong It is a valid & valued judgement

All valid reasons and also everywhere has different circumstances But it’s no excuse for failing basic safety standards If it’s not financially viable and they can’t afford to have someone actually check & enforce chrono then it’s verged on the fly by night cowboy

As an event organiser, been there, done that, and literally do have the T shirts, hoodies, etc…. ‘Profit’ just means we didn’t spend enough But we have never run anything for the money, only ‘for players, by players’, and design / run the games that we wanted to play but only getting to watch others Our first events were for the privilege of running the events, income to the site and charity … and our date in the calendar was due to the site finally calling our bluff and giving us a weekend in the quiet season - but benefited in the sense that we opened the event season each year. (Even so far that a commercial organiser that scheduled a game on the same date as ours and ‘allegedly’ were going to end us. That didn’t happen) We have profited. But everything has gone straight back in, or more often two of us have personally ‘invested’ far too much up front for specific events. I know what’s in the accounts, and I’ve a hunch about the ballpark of the rest. That doesn’t count sponsorship. We’ve been very proud of what we’ve done with their products, but as sponsorship is a form of advertising it’s hard to believe they get their VFM - especially having sponsored teams myself, though that started as a joke and ended up with people actually paying for my services One in particular I’m aware of has not only the annual number of days limited, but also a direct cost for just having one person step on site. That’s directly impacted on our event planning & preparation

You would have hoped it was serious But real life doesn’t appear to have these basics in place to ensure the basics are enforced…… On a fairly serious tack of the same subject, a site ought to have insurance and to adhere to VCRA/UKARA principles would be insured ??? and also any basis HSE/council checks a business open to the public ought to have industry standards systems and working practices in place For airsoft/paintball/activity insurance there should be a risk assessment, mitigations and an insurance price based on the remaining risk. An insurer may have just sold a ‘standard’ insurance package for the related industry/activity. But even that will have small print and obligation on the site. Waivers are well known on here for being misnamed / misunderstood - they are not a get out clause relieving a site of responsibility, but a confirmation that the player or their responsible adult understands and will comply with the basic safety requirements - therefore the basis safety requirements should be documented, made available and also complied with by the site. It’s laughable that many sites ‘cannot afford the staff’, but airsoft is supposedly ‘cheaper’ because it has plastic balls that take up less storage space and also don’t degrade in days / hours. There is the argument that it’s a luxury activity when people are choosey on how they spend their money when the economy isn’t great, alongside with the overheads of a site - but airsoft is always ‘cheaper’ even in an economy boom. If the site can’t afford to run the basics of the staff to do safety checks then the price should go up or the business isn’t viable Both airsoft & paintball are arguably sold too cheaply to the player. In paintball the ‘high expense’ is down to street ticket sellers under cutting other brands in the 80s/90s resulting in Delta Force dominance (and its name changes) and then laying on the real extra costs on the day Paintball is now in a trap that no site can up its price as their competition will take the customers. All they can do is put in various price structures and to diversify with multiple activities available - give the options that customers are going to want, and also help sell to stag/hen/corporates with a multi activity day Airsoft really ought to also be run on multi activity sites on a business basis (including zombie experiences etc) If a site is exclusive to airsoft, is it so good a site/experience that it can run a viable business in that manner? Or are they only doing airsoft, not doing the basics and relying on ‘player marshals’ to work for free / pay for the privilege to work ? (Bearing in mind I’m going to be working for free this weekend, and not only that but I’m getting up early Friday morning after getting back from London on the late train, to pickup, drive, work for free, nip off for a wedding reception and work for free the rest of the weekend. But that is for free entry, and build / expand friends business …. Not the entire business model) The rant on the basics of event safety may be over

The ease of HPA abuse (or let’s be a little bit fair that perhaps the player ‘innocently’ fiddles with an Allen key) …. surely the site could easily lock/tag the regulator, tape/tag any access panels to a circuit board? Because they are of course running a clear & consistent chrono and tagging process? And have management/staff who are experienced / capable of watching gameplay to spot usual/unusual ranges being achieved, the sound of appropriate/inappropriate rates of fire and also conduct valid random and where appropriate targeted in game and game entry chrono checks …… ((PS I know that I’m not experienced enough to spot these in airsoft, but in paintball my spidey senses can tingle when one players shooting sounds very different to the rest / usual play, and / or that pop-whoosh-splat/ding has a different ring to it)) Ive chronoed & velocity checked players who have been all good - just well tuned and efficient, but I’ve also caught the odd ‘rogue spike’ that’s magically occurred

…. and that’s why you need a hop-45

(As Rostock has put) There are good reasons and bad reasons to ‘upgrade’ / change parts Buying it and immediately changing half the internals ‘because the internet says so’ is a terrible reason Buying it, using it, and then changing this & that here and there to resolve an issue of why it’s ‘not quite right’ is a good reason Self education is a good reason - provided you have an alternative that works for when you screw up the one your working on

Here you go ….

Do you know Elvis who works down the chip shop? He’s a liar …… and I’m not sure about you 😉 Respecting other people ……. The first person I shot in game was a marshal - serves him right for walking through a bush And the next to vie for the top ten of being shot is photographers …… but most of those times it serves me right for leaning in to get ‘that photo’ of the line of fire Getting shot is part of the game, and for me it’s the whole point of the game I thrive on the adrenaline of “will I / won’t I get shot?”, and “can I get one step closer”, and another step etc The first time I was shot by a BB I did let out a yelp followed by the moment of thinking that it doesn’t hurt (Photographing a game, knealt down just inside a warehouse door as a player ran past outside shooting in, and got the back of my neck) With good lashings of adrenaline I can ‘not feel’ BBs or paintballs, just notice the impact - and I’ve had to have it pointed out to me about my swollen forehead or bleeding head. But on a cold & wet miserable day before I’ve warmed up the slightest thing hurts. The exception is fingers - they always hurt, and now due to a medical condition get the wrong finger tip and I’ll be screaming the site down We play games with consensual shooting of each other - some people are extra cockwombles about it

In the forum menu choose ‘profile’, ‘my attachments’, or click below https://airsoft-forums.uk/attachments/ Then look at what attachments you have, sort by size etc You can either just delete them, or edit the relevant posts to include a rescaled copy. Option one gives you lots of space back, but can make legacy posts irrelevant. Option two gives you some space back, whilst keeping the legacy posts relevant

Ensure that you have a filter for the stirrup pump (they can be added aftermarket if necessary) Clean air is essential. I’ve seen the aftermath of air system contamination and it’s not pretty…. Some pics in the thread here. A contaminated cylinder could seem to be fine, but one day could also explode. The pictures show the result of a flash fill explosion, with the HSE findings that the fill station became contaminated due to someone else’s previous fill from cylinder that had had its nipple oiled (never oil anything around your cylinder) Back in the day fill procedures had become lacking and unrestricted high speed fills were happening - combine a fast fill, heat generation and oil contamination and you have built a diesel engine in a cylinder. Slow down the fills and hopefully that risk is reduced As you’ve highlighted - scuba is out of the question. So stirrup is a ‘good’ compromise for you, and will be good for your health. You will have to work out what works best for you between regular top ups or larger refills: Regular top ups are better for a few cases, that it doesn’t need as much air per top up and also involves less heat (which means you get more benefit from the pressure generated - a hot air fill will drop before you start play due to cooling) Make sure all pumps are full and steady rather than fast and half hearted. This is no problem for me as on the rare occasions the stirrup is used I have peasants to bully into the work / team members to delegate. I’m going to be biased against the cheaper compressors, but users of then either love or hate them. They are far from their bigger cousins, but don’t cost the £££s of a professional compressor etc Home PCP systems aren’t built for regular running (but site systems also don’t get run all day either, they typically get run to fill large holding tanks, then are either automatically off or get turned off and then top off the holding tanks when players have filled) Do pay attention to the manual and check out YouTube etc for advice. Specific models may vary but it looks like the one below (at least 3 or 4 years ago) ought to be used with a water source etc These show a bit of a story with a compressors ‘journey’ in getting it to actually work, but then success once it’s assembled and set up properly: https://youtu.be/OM-0uE9wdQg https://youtu.be/Y3IYrI1KvLg https://youtu.be/UKOsrX0EitU This next one shows a scuba cylinder after 5 years of PCP compressor fills, and though the camera view of the internal looks a bit scary at points it’s highly impressive on the lack of any moisture: https://youtu.be/ZM0BukMuLYw I’d still be reluctant with a personal compressor, but everyone’s needs differ, and they are doable. PCP airguns use less air than paintball, but airsoft also uses less as well. Recommendations will be to use it in a safe place, allowing plenty of time so that you can steadily fill and allow for cooling breaks etc and not at midnight keeping the neighbours awake

Doesn’t this belong on the thread here ….

I can’t help on the modification side, but can with general air. Cylinders - Correct. It’s all the same thing. On a like for like basis 3000psi aluminium is heavier than a 4500psi fibre. But a standard aluminium 48ci is a similar weight to a standard fibre 68ci - the true difference being larger physical capacity of 20ci plus greater pressure potential. A 48ci aluminium is heavier than a stubby 48ci fibre But reality comes down to efficiency and capacity. An HPA airsoft gun shooting 6mm BBs ought to be more efficient than a 0.68” paintball at up to 16 joules / 12 foot pounds / 280 to 300fps You ought to be able to play a game with a 13ci 3000psi aluminium which renders it even lighter (Ultra lite fibre cylinders are lighter - but at more cost) A 3000psi aluminium at £30 to £40 is valid for use in the UK for 10 years (and then can be retested on a 5 year cycle forever - but you could generally buy a new one) A fibre at £150 lasts 5 years between tests and either a maximum of 15 years (lifetime cost of approx £200 depending on where you test) or the newest standard can last forever - but many manufacturers still mark for a maximum 15 years 48ci of 3000psi for 10 years at £30 beats 68ci of 4500psi for 5 or 15 at £150 to £200 (with a rough 50% increase from air pressure that’s about 100ci of 3000psi - double the air for an up front of 5 times the cost The true benefit of fibre 4500s is the range of sizes which allow for fine tuning the ergonomics of a paintball gun/marker. As soon as you run a remote line and carry in a pouch then you’ve thrown away that benefit A 13ci 3000psi cylinder is the most compact option Airsoft does need regulating down to lower pressures than paintball. In paintball we can happily attach any cylinder to any (modern) paintball gun/marker, with an integral regulator as factory standard In airsoft a further inline regulator is typically required, but there are some airsoft guns that can be directly fed by a cylinder. I generally advise against self fill solutions - if the site you play at can’t provide air then it becomes a pain to provide it yourself. A PCP stirrup is up to the job. But must be built well enough for regular use, be filtered, and takes physical effort - the bigger your cylinder the more capacity you need to fill to achieve pressure Home compression systems are now available, but get expensive to be suitable for any amount of use and need to be maintained. A better compromise if needing your own solution is a scuba cylinder to cascade to your playing cylinder. Or instead of spending £150 on a fibre and more on personal fill systems you could have 5 standard aluminium cylinders (ideally filled at a site for free) or an aluminum and a scuba (filled at a dive shop and cascaded to the playing cylinder)

They are listed here: https://airsoft-forums.uk/staff/ But do you actually require admin or a moderator? Moderators will cover general forum use, issues with other members etc and admin would cover background issues of the forum software itself etc Take your pick then either tag them or message them. Tagging moderators does mean that you can get the attention of whoever is about as opposed to messaging which might end up going to one who isn’t available or multiple discussions with individual moderators

Bear in mind that by purchasing from outside of the UK you are the ‘importer’ and are taking responsibility for ensuring that it gets through customs. That includes: 1) any additional charges from HMRC/Border Force and fees from the carrier at point of entry for administering those (though if the retailer has registered with HMRC and charge you UK VAT at the point of sale they should be marking the package and paper work accordingly and you shouldn’t incur further charges/fees) 2) justifying the import of a RIF, ideally with a valid UKARA membership number which the retailer will ideally clearly mark on the package and paper work (Other VCRA defences are available but it’s nobody’s problem but yours if it isn’t accepted on arrival Ask UK retailers if they will import on your behalf even if they don’t list the specific items. That way they deal with the importing via their suppliers and relieve some of the common issues

It’s funny because it’s true

I use this simple hydration system which is compatible with this slightly more advanced hydration tablet system

That’s supposed to be my job

A couple of key points to bear in mind with stirrup pumps are that: 1) If filling from empty then you have a lot of pumping to do to get to any decent level of pressure 2) If topping up then first you have to pump the fill hose pressure as high as the cylinders current pressure before it opens the valve 3) If you have been pumping, and need to rest your muscles then if you disconnect/reconnect then you’ll have to pump the fill hose back up to pressure again

By ‘former firearm’ I don’t mean a deactivated firearm, but converting a firearm to blank

Free trade means that there are no additional trade tariffs such as import duty. While we were in the EU a sale across the EU was treated in the same manner as within the same country. No export/import, but you would pay Polish VAT If there had been only Brexit and the trade agreement then it would be an export from Poland (which then could now be exempt from Polish VAT as an export) and an import to the UK (which would have import VAT due) The Polish exporter could reduce the price by deducting local VAT, could still charge local VAT and you have the potential to reclaim it, (or charge the full price keeping the extra without invoicing it as VAT) But irrespective of Brexit new international trade regulations introduced methods for exporters to register with other countries for their VAT If we were still in the EU then a sale from Poland to UK would still just be treated as a domestic sale paying Polish VAT, and non EU sales such as from Hong Kong would be subject to the new process But we are out of the EU, so the Polish retailer exports to the UK charging UK VAT and paying it directly to UK HMRC Or they don’t, and the UK customer gets a bill on import

On blank firers, my understanding has been that UK legal blank venting cannot go forwards and I would expect vertical venting etc But that’s off the top of my head without checking definitions or any cases, and circumstances could of course differ between manufacturing to UK blank specification, designed / manufacturered to overseas blank specifications subsequently modified for UK and modification of former firearms