Tommikka

They ought to send you declaration forms that need to be completed, but the original post still has the 2022 PDF declaration linked amongst the text

Just reiterating others “Crazy money” and “value for money” are entirely contextual and very personal We have hobbies that involve playing games funded from our disposable income (ideally, otherwise that does become crazy money, or in the words of the wise Mr Micawber is the difference between happiness and misery) Airsoft does not need to cost much money, you just need some fairly inexpensive basics and some consumables, but there are those that spend high amounts on cosmetic looks, tiny little tweaks or both. Last night in a team chat, I was informed that “Those are expensive, dude” 1) He’s younger than me, and should have stopped saying dude last century 2) No shit Sherlock, and he doesn’t know the full expense I went to on the whole lot - but they are functional and will both contribute to ergonomics and potentially annoy ‘purists’. Money well spent to me, properly ‘crazy money’ to others

Maybe ….. Salisbury, but Basingstoke was also useful for a Salisbury - Andover - Basingstoke - London trip

VAT will be due on anything imported. If the overseas retailer has registered with HMRC and the order total is below £135 then you pay them at the point of sale, they declare on the customs form and they pay HMRC periodically https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty If it is worth over £135, or they have not registered for UK VAT then you are liable at the point of entry, and an additional handling charge will be made Import duty etc is seperate and depends on the item category Expect to be charged an extra 20% plus a handling fee and to allow extra time - the time can be frustrating I imported an item recently which I needed by November, but would have been useful by the end of August Ordered on 4th August Arrived in the UK on 8th August and sat awaiting customs clearance until 22nd. (It in fact spent the last week with a provisional VAT calculation pending sign off) Released from customs on the night of the 22nd and at the Basingstoke depot on the morning of the 23rd I paid and collected in person on the 24th on the way to my weekend and it was used on field on the 25th The declared value was $294.70 and I also paid $99 international postage VAT assessed as £45.73 (20% of £228.65) Parcel force fee of £12

It’s what you do with it that counts However at the start of the day in the safe zone other players can only judge your barrel length. They don’t know what practice you have put in to hone your skills with it

It will depend on the site, and also their insurance You would need to approach some sites ask and show them For unusual items it may be a matter of providing them as site effects

I could have been at DSEI this week, but have been doing other work things and not been able to dedicate a day out. It would have been interesting, particularly that Future Soldier stand - Future Soldier covers many things, and in my current role the context is at very high level on the structuring of the Army, but a few years back I was involved in a few projects under the Future Soldier programme and I did get to go out on the Plain to get a hands on understanding of the equipment, needs and experience of those out on the ground (AKA play with the cool toys) with current equipment, future and potential future equipment. A good one I once saw was two side by side displays - integrated future soldier with all the fancy equipment like the guy photographed above, under development and trials to military specifications but next to ‘eBay soldier’ equipped with off the shelf gadgets - highlighting that the vision of the high tech soldier of tomorrow was what ‘todays soldier’ was at that time encountering with the opposition in Afghanistan etc As @The_Lord_Ponchopoints out all these come as added weight (plus other issues*) Project Payne is frustrating for those involved. Every time the load is lightened, or redistributed the result tends to be that more gets carried and if in doubt the extra thing carried is ammunition Project Payne is named after a soldier at Normandy who had been photographed to illustrate the equipment carried by infantry in June 1944, and is used to illustrate customisable load carrying that is suitable for the task and minimising carrying just in case. Another example highlighted in Payne was Long Tan where the Australians on patrol found themselves in action for hours but didn’t run out of ammunition, despite opting to go out with only the standard load * For example quick release body armour /webbing - Make a vehicle more survivable over an IED/mine and then you get live soldiers trapped in an upside down or submerged vehicle, or body armour that protects you from being shot but slows you down making it more likely that you get shot

Strictly speaking they were always illegal in Russia anyway, which is one of the reasons why they only opened an office in Russia last November But laws don’t count in Russia if your Putins mate and / or pay him off. …. and of course Wagner never were mercenaries, they have always been a deniable part of the Russian army

My experience is similar

There is a bit of real life physics to the ‘history’ of binary triggers (I’m not going to remember the proper science as I’m an old man now, so the following is vagueness, and any language may not be technically correct) There are real life guns that by design did / do have a physical binary trigger There is also trigger ‘bounce’ where some manual triggers will fail to stop the return, which could be poorly adjusted (deliberately or not) and the trigger sear hasn’t aligned in time to stop the cycle, could have a worn sear or the ‘load’ doesn’t have enough pressure to fully cycle (which can trigger multiple shots or replicate full auto If you’ve ever used/seen a Tippmann at a paintball rental site and the site staff have not fully refilled the Co2/air then you may have experienced ‘burping’ as the pressure drops and it can’t fully cycle to stop on the sear When there’s an electronic trigger then various ‘modes’ may get added, either as formal modes or by tweaking a few variables in the settings These would include semi (keep shooting whilst pulling), full auto (keep shooting whilst held), bursts and bounce (multiple shots per pull) A ramping mode may be added which would be semi auto until you sustained a number of shots and then replicate full auto as long as you pull within a time limit In paintball you would sometimes see guns released with an US/international circuit board and a UK board. The US board would have all modes, UK would exclude full auto If you / your supplier grey imported, (or you preordered and received yours from the first limited runs) you may find the board was US which may or may not have helpfully had a red / green LED fitted to highlight that difference This then brought the question of legality of more than one shot per pull Then turn up to a UK event and only be allowed to use semi, perhaps ‘accidentally’ with bounce for a binary effect ROF kept increasing until everyone set rules, then you may end up with electronics to be required to run on ‘modes’ capped to 10.5bps / semi capped (if settings allow) / semi uncapped for mechanicals or boards that don’t support caps If you had any finger skills then just use a mechanical, fit a double trigger and ‘walk’ your fingers. With practice you could shoot a greater ROF than any of the capped modes ……… My issue with full auto is the safety situation, that if you get caught in a bush then it will keep firing, but other modes capable of replicating full auto need you to keep moving the trigger so have less of a safety issue (of the trigger - not necessarily the person pulling it) …….. I would support a site using whatever modes that they choose, provided it’s legal, they think of the safety, and it’s suitable for the site / types of players If we are grown ups then we accept being shot and that there may be more BBs following once you put your hand up - that’s fine if the shooter then stops. If it’s a mixed crowd of regulars / rentals / newbies then it’s dickish to be hammering out streams …….. It is less of a matter about the type of gun/trigger but more a case of who is pulling the trigger

UK legal blank voters have the barrel blocked to ensure that they cannot be converted to fire projectiles from live rounds and also to ensure that the vented gas does not go forwards Blank firers do vent their gas

Here’s a drift, which I’ll deliberately make to target those of you who are professionals in this area —— because you might have the ability to redirect out of date elements, and could help with training materials ……. (Of course he’s also taking donations to build the main kits) A fellow by the name of witzy has been doing a number of things to support Ukraine, and is currently putting together IFAK kits for combatants etc He is both a paintballer and airsofter, as player and organiser If you do Facebook the following videos should come up, if anyone is able to help with expired surpluses he can me messaged directly on his profile https://www.facebook.com/stephen.witts.5 https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02a3r4waeUthKGP8s9QnbeK43XEEqHDECNJT2gDnamejLjns95DMUQxeUBtN78ZNX8l&id=1169423901 https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0zEekY57jEGhFaa5a83FG6q7nNzbFCNqTY17qjaHASoVX57gsFyKHtGVKCLbShS1hl&id=1169423901 Even if not, his run through of the contents give some of the uses of the elements of a ‘more serious’ first aid kit For our kinds of use leave out what you don’t know what to do with and add the ‘lesser’ basics of plasters, liquid plasters, tape, creams, pills appropriate to you such as allergy, aches & pains etc Hopefully as a player we just need something to stop a scratch, graze, cut, pyro burn from ending the day, and be able to ease something worse until others turn up

@Vryko I’ll upgrade this answer to refer to other paintball type goggles than Dye. Dye has had great marketing success, and are also compact designs - especially the i4. All goggles can differ considerably for different heads, if you have a small enough head with the right proportions then Dyes can be perfect, if you have a large head or chin then not so. (Which can also be an attraction in airsoft but not so much if it’s your teeth getting shot) The i3, i4 & i5 are all what I would describe as premium goggles with equivalent features in other ranges of premium goggles My preferred goggles are GI / VForce grills, and they have been designed around glasses with slits in the foam plus space in the eye area If possible get to one of the few retail shops attached to paintball / airsoft warehouses and try some on with your glasses An alternative idea is to then take your preferred goggles to an opticians and try them with different frames Prescription inserts for goggles could be the best compromise as they remove the frame / temples which avoids the awkward process of putting them all on and taking them off

There was an incident a few years back where an argument took place over a player who had sneakily got behind enemy lines. This ended with a player being booted in the chest, and that quickly broadcast across the community. The reason for the use of their boot followed more slowly - a knife had been drawn

I think @Cr0-Magnons post with just 2 points makes it very clear that the site has management issues

You’re wrong A UK compliant blank firing pistol wouldn’t be a Section 5 firearm and wouldn’t need a firearms certificate. The VCRA is another piece of legislation, anything covered within the VCRA is not automatically excluded from the firearms act. The VCRA does not explicitly refer to blank firers, but the firearms does explicitly reference blank firers and their ammunition as to those that do comply to UK standards & section 5 requirements and whether or not blank ammunition would be subject to controls There is a ‘statutory instrument’ that adds to the VCRA with definitions of ‘blank firing imitation firearms’ Airsoft did fall within firearms legislation as well with airsoft guns within the definition of a ‘low power air weapon’ until an amendment was made under section 57a: 57a Exemption for airsoft guns (1)An “airsoft gun” is not to be regarded as a firearm for the purposes of this Act. (2)An “airsoft gun” is a barrelled weapon of any description which— (a)is designed to discharge only a small plastic missile (whether or not it is also capable of discharging any other kind of missile), and (b)is not capable of discharging a missile (of any kind) with kinetic energy at the muzzle of the weapon that exceeds the permitted level. (3)“Small plastic missile” means a missile that— (a)is made wholly or partly from plastics, (b)is spherical, and (c)does not exceed 8 millimetres in diameter. (4)The permitted kinetic energy level is— (a)in the case of a weapon which is capable of discharging two or more missiles successively without repeated pressure on the trigger, 1.3 joules; (b)in any other case, 2.5 joules.] This exemption is explicitly for airsoft guns that fire plastic BB within 8mm and within the 1.3 or 2.5 joule limits Note that there is an interpretation that air weapons etc are firearms and therefore could not at the same time be RIFs / IFs (this is my interpretation) - but there has been case law that decided otherwise, thus an airgun that was a firearm under the firearms act also at the same time was a Realistic Imitation due to the look of the design The VCRA is legislation governing the sale / manufacture / import - it doesn’t govern the use (Different styles of usage of RIFs within the VCRA define what a retailer can take as a valid use to justify sale rather than dictating the actual use after a sale) Gun shops do sell blank firers such as starter pistols in bright VCRA style colours, and the industry do protect themselves from a VCRA type prosecution requiring theatrical & reenactment defences etc Irrespective of an airsoft gun having being a valid purchase under the VCRA there can still be legal issues with inappropriate use - such as wandering around a town centre AKA don’t be a dick with an airsoft gun The same applies to blank firers

Possession of and the discharging of a firearm in a public place ? I hope that he has his ‘good reason’ lined up. If he’s providing SFX, then I assume the site management has squared away the use of blank firers as SFX and why they have requested it from a customer / have authorised a customer to do so. The sites risk assessment & mitigations have taken this into account and the insurers made aware of course - and other customers have been advised, it’s in the waiver that they’ve signed to be aware of as well.

Permitting players to remove eye protection is a major disaster It should be totally clear what is and is not a safe area. Sites that have remote game areas and may therefore have players out for multiple games can have in field safe zones which means you can permit players to enter a safe area and remove goggles without contradicting basic safety rules

I don’t trust anyone I look both ways on roundabouts, in all directions at mini roundabouts and both ways in one way streets An an event many many years ago (I’ve a feeling maybe 2009 due to venue Im picturing in my mind - Swynnerton) …… The game zone was open for site walking on the pre game day, with some activities such as laser tag So masks were not required - which makes sense, though there was a casualty that year or the next year with a laser tag player who face planted a breeze block wall (extra embarrassing for his ambulance trip as he was/still is a nurse) On game day masks were not required before x time. Allowing players to walk the long distances to the starting rally points. For me this lasted only a couple of minutes when those in front of me strolling along without masks on decided to shoot up a bush. For me that triggered dropping my mask over my face and attempting to explain the inconsistency of a lack of goggles plus random shooting Other than that I have permitted masks off when on sites for pre game works - but with rules. We must have ‘control’ of that area, know what game zones and routes will be in use for rentals etc, be in contact with Marshall’s, have distance / physical objects between us and any areas etc Goggles must be at the ready for instant covering

I’m in

Just a little scary story about dry firing ……. New marshal blinded in one eye with CO2 from an empty paintball gun …… https://www.scotsman.com/news/paintball-gun-shot-leaves-ex-soldier-blind-in-one-eye-2444047 Safe zone has a clue in its name Health and safety has a bad name from the over zealous clip board brigade, but the HSE are the primary source of exposing H&S myths. Prior to Health and safety being put into legislation it was a matter of routine to die in the UKs building sites and factories. That has mostly been stopped The most simple form of safety is to apply common sense - which is extremely uncommon When a site cannot be bothered to enforce dry firing & unloading discipline in the safe zone, that’s when you need to wonder about other basics

Been there done that Also been the giver Has it got puppies and ice cream ?

Barrel sock / condom - I’m not surprised that it was brought up at an airsoft & paintball site. The surprising thing would be that it’s not more common. Basic rental paintball tends to have gun racks on the way out to play, and safety keeps them out of the safe zone When you bring in own gunners then you need to keep the safe zone safe - my first experience of this was that we were required to leave ours in the staff shed (we were playing at a rental site with our own guns, mixed among the rental players) Event & tournament paintball requires barrel blocking as well as degassing etc before leaving the game area - and the standard is battle socks They are also useful for dead players - put it in the rules that the barrel blocker must be fitted when eliminated and the casually wandering sneaky player without their barrel blocked should be more obvious to challenge them Once they are known of its hard to argue against them as a safety product They come for free as standard with a new paintball gun, or around £5 or £6 to buy at retail prices

That is a push fit female to female like this: https://palmerspursuit.com/products/1-4-push-connect-coupler?_pos=1&_sid=c859f49c6&_ss=r (Measure the size and/or look for markings in the hose - in the links below for simplicity I assume that your macro line is 1/4”) To remove it just simply push the end inwards, tension on the hose line is reduced and you pull out the hose line while maintaining inward pressure on the fitting Check that all the lines still have a clean flat cut. If you need to cut any lines then don’t attempt to do so with a knife or razor blade, it will never be clean enough for a reliable push fit. You would need a macro line cutter: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-760004-3-12-7-Plastic-Rubber/dp/B015HA1NNA/ref=asc_df_B015HA1NNA/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=226152056294&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6469370261426534244&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007044&hvtargid=pla-350034674810&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Choose your quick disconnect fittings, eg female with an auto check valve so that it seals the airsource avoiding air loss https://palmerspursuit.com/products/copy-of-quick-disconnect-with-back-check-parker?_pos=3&_sid=93de23bea&_ss=r To fit these you would need 1/8” NPT to push to fit, such as (assuming 1/8” push fit) https://palmerspursuit.com/collections/push-connect-tube-fittings/products/1-8-npt-female-to-1-4-slip-fit-1 Assuming the macro line end cuts are good, then you could get away with swapping the existing female to female push fit with a replacement set of fittings and no more than some PTFE tape (unless the new fittings come pre-primed with PTFE If they need cutting then the required tool is a macro line cutter ……… But depending on the point in your line you end up with a dangly fitting, which isn’t elegant or ideal. Trace back to the gun and find where that fits. Ideally find a ‘solid’ point that you can fix your male quick disconnect. You then need the appropriate tools for any modification there ……. For hose lines you need an appropriately specified line for the relevant air pressures. Macro line is good for hundreds of PSI, but it can be good practice to go back one step along regulators - ensure the line can cope with the next highest stage before it’s current regulator Note that most links I have provided are with Palmers in the US You don’t have to buy from there, but do ensure that you buy components designed for the air pressures involved

The dates shown for Wednesdays do align with Wednesdays in 2023 I’m going to make my standard statement of full face goggles. But a full seal goggle meets my criteria (as opposed to glasses type eye protection) Whether or not balaclavas & mesh etc are good enough is personal preference Lens colour indoors and in the dark should be clear, or potentially amber. Dark lenses filter out too much Amber/yellow and some shades of orange can enhance your ability to pick things out in dull conditions