Tommikka

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

A spare glow stick and a bush can be a fun combination at a night game

Strictly speaking Hunter is right …… but for the purpose that they are designed for Military/shooting impact eye protection is designed to be the last chance saver from something as simple as dirt, dust, gases and the gravel/splinters etc flying from impact nearby They are not for direct protection from what is being shot at you Poor shooting glasses have been as simple as sunglasses - just for the dust etc (a reason for which I have traditionally directed people to look more than ‘shooting glasses’ but to check that there is an impact standard) The advice in the video is in a shooting situation - once that safety equipment has protected you once then accept that it has done its job and replace it (the same applies to motorcycle helmets - if it’s smashed and ground into the tarmac then you can see it’s had it’s day, but if it has impact but looks ok then the internal structure may have taken it all and should still have the helmet replaced) For airsoft however the intent is to be shot and you can see all the ‘functioning parts’ - the lens If the lens shows impact, has tiny little cracks etc then it needs to be replaced If the lens is to a compliant impact standard then I would not replace just due to a BB impact The next consideration is lens age. I used to religiously replace lenses annually, which continued until I had a vast collection each used occasionally by myself or on loan I now replace based on condition and/or general age If a lens is removable then extra consideration is to be given on how well fitted it may be - if regularly swapped for colour etc then that may affect how well they fit (or how clumsily the user fits them)

I’d recommend editing your thread title to something like: Newcastle - storage required That would help highlight for local players Southampton university society had problems with their new members in similar circumstances that those living in University accommodation were not allowed to hold RIFs. They worked around it a few ways with society storage & members living off site. An option that may be possible would be to speak to a local site and see if you can get some temporary storage - which depends on specifics as to whether they do have safe storage on site and you would want a lockable case etc (many sites may be remote and don’t store valuables on site as they can be easy picking for burglaries) If you haven’t done already then search ‘self storage newcastle’ and look for initial discounts and compact space for students etc

Absolutely hit the target A pistol carried as a sidearm is just another gun in the collection that you carry around for added weight But a pistol in your hand makes you the biggest and baddest on the field - even (especially) if you’re constantly being out gunned - enjoy the disadvantages of a pistol vs everyone else - and seek out the advantages of a light, compact and mobile setup

This is a much discussed topic in paintball over at the last year as well. The origins of ‘walk on’ come from the sense of just turning up to play, and covered those with all their own equipment as opposed to a ‘rental’ player so had ‘few’ needs from the site. Throughout my playing life ‘walk on’ meant a day or session dedicated to players with their own equipment These tended to be run by a keen player and would have a fairly regular crowd. Marshalling as a matter of safety requires a reasonable ratio of player to marshall to keep an eye on unpredictable rental players - but in practice could turn out to be just one marshall per side - sites ought to be planning their staff for any particular day so would have needed pre bookings for rentals to judge the numbers Walkons could be expected to be better behaved and not need constant eyes on them for goggle removal etc so could run a walkon day for any numbers on minimum staff - a few extra players made no difference That was in theory fine if the walkon was guaranteed to have someone playing, and if you were allowing bring your own paint - but a nuisance for a site to know what stock they needed and walkon paintballers don’t want to play with basic rental paint - a site would not want to stock up on a higher grade paint which would go ‘off’ if held over time and in uncontrolled conditions Now there are very few paintball sites catering for walkons, and those that do tend to post up every now and again about attendance levels One site that we have been involved with must pay a fee to the landowner whenever people are on site - this included me turning up alone or a couple of us site walking or event preparing Fine if it was a day with rental bookings, but a prohibitive expense for one or two people to wander or to run a walk on based on the off chance that people might turn up Then add staff costs - the site should be paying out at least minimum wage to someone for the duration of the day plus an hour or so either side for opening up and shutting down - I am aware that airsoft can often be relying on the voluntary side of player marshals (and that is also how the hey day of walkons happened due to ‘keen’ locals willing to put in the work to make them happen To a player today it does mean that you should plan to play, sort your admin out to book and also turn up - if you’ve paid a deposit and don’t turn up because it’s wet then that is something to compensate the cost but demoralising for staff to open up for nobody or a handful ……… Much of the recent conversations in paintball have been to try and rename ‘walkons’ into something more meaningful, but even the sites involved in the conversations still have ‘walkon’ on their websites / social media

My science knowledge is misty as it goes back many decades - and also my barrel / projectile experience is with paintballs, which have the added effect of distortion under pressure whilst inside the barrel All the theories mentioned ring true with my recollection & experience, particularly the bent barrel which seems very wrong at first but effective when right (this was the Tippmann flatline) it does exactly as per the theory - drag in the curve causes backspin Next we had the Apex tip which is pretty much the same thing as an airsoft hop An adjustable rubber element gives backspin, but the tip can also be rotated to change the angle of the backspin (spoiler in the following video but he rated it as ‘it sucks’ - it does give backspin and additional range, but can impact on consistency - I have a team mate who puts in all the practice, he was an apex ninja and as a result could place a ball where he wanted it to go - though this was courtesy of numerous factors with the Apex as just one of them to adjust the spin) https://youtu.be/Vfgi_AwdTR8 Flatlines and Apexes have had their day, some will still use them, but most will go for bore matching a barrel / insert with the ball - and everyone has a different preference that they swear by of bore match, overbore or under bore Still to add are the consistency of the gun itself to reliably send the ball out of the chamber, and the length of the barrel which must be long enough to allow the ball to accelerate but not so long that any drag/bounce along the barrel is so much that it loses the energy that was gained in acceleration Consistency and practice are key - consistency gives you a reliable benchmark and practice let’s you first understand the combined effects and fine tune each in turn

Just a throwaway spin on the name & weave, and perhaps an old joke a few years past it’s best before date (MOLLE needs to be weaved, but weavers not so much)

This is the common mistake of MOLLE users. When the first ‘consumer’ MOLLE pouches came out they would have ‘standard’ 25mm webbing straps and would very obviously flap around, if the user didn’t notice at first when fitting then they would soon realise something was wrong as their gear flapped around Thicker multi layer straps from better quality consumer pouches or surplus pouches make it less obvious (and harder to weave) but still with flappy results On another tack, have you ever managed to bend a weaver rail sight mounting system between weapon and sight?

Some extra general awareness on air cylinder safety: The HPA1 air safety document was originally produced by the UKPSF (UK paintball representative body), and the version below is as distributed in 2010 by the UKSPC (a collective of event organisers), and has some additional comments of my own

Regulator internal maintenance: Regulator removal: Alternative types & elements: Before you fill on site do please let the staff know that you’ve done some maintenance, for a little bit more care and awareness in case of potential issues

What o’ring needed reseating, and where was the leak? If from your description the whole regulator has been unscrewed from the cylinder and replaced it should not require any sealant, PTFE etc Regulator threads are tapered and recessed in a manner that if you manage to unscrew whilst pressurised then the recess allows air to safely escape while the threads still grip. PTFE / sealant / threadlock can interfere with the taper (and seal it) which keeps pressure as the regulator unthreads and can result in a flying regulator if it manages to unscrew enough without easing pressure Provided there is no damage to threads in the regulator or cylinder and the taper is unblocked it would be safe The regulator should be screwed on hand tight then tightened to a manufacturer specified torque, but without that torque is better hand tight then over tight (I’m going to post up a maintenance video but need to just rewatch for content before I commit)

You’re surely not saying that UKSF will want something because someone else has it and it’s Gucci, rather than based on suitability for a requirement ??? If it fits a role, then they would source it Unless the government deems it beneficial the current equipment details for UKSF are not published. General resources such as wiki, bloggers etc will publish what people believe to be held by UKSF, and they may or may not be identified from photos at ‘incidents’. But these may or may not be correctly identified such as CTSFO being misidentified as UKSF - unless of course UKSF blending in among CTFSO etc

No worries Either way you have captured the imagination of the members here Pyro editions have the other safety standards to apply Powered ones also have safety standards - but an explosion isn’t one (unless of course there’s major battery damage etc)

@ParHunter If you feel the hit then take the hit The difference with bounces etc is that if you see it ricochet off the ground/wall/object then you know that it’s an indirect hit which can be disregarded

……… Sparks etc are not necessarily a bad thing - filming any of the disposable pyrotechnics under slow motion would expect to reveal sparks Actually the ‘right’ way to use a striker smoke is to strike it, hold to one side for the sparking until the smoke kicks in, then throw. The different chemical mixes of each colour can give variations in the level of sparking The concern comes from how much sparking and burning etc and how it is harnessed / directed A product used on site in the UK will need to comply with safety regulations Even compliant pyro can have issues Those in the know or with a search around my posts will be able to identify my sponsors. Their scientist contributed to the drafting of EU pyrotechnic standards and they have vigorous quality assurance processes, of which of participated in a few times with the batches as they arrive in the UK - every production batch number has a percentage of cases pulled at random as the container is unloaded. Then every item from those batches is set off (not at the pyro storage, but at a different location). These are tested against a checklist including timing of each stage of burn for each product design - any failure to comply with the Doctors specifications withdraws the full batch run ………. We experienced a failure in game (and on camera) with a different manufacturer. The photo sequence and burnt glove were put on display in the factory They had become complacent on the production line, and contaminated the fuse with the main payload. As soon as he struck the fuse a whole Mk9 exploded in his hand This was a ‘standards compliant’ factory production piece, let alone a custom DIY design

I’m still not convinced there isn’t something pyrotechnic in there @Miêu Anh-Nguyễn The vapour effects as noted by @Chev Chelioswould show a flame like effect as the vapour cloud ‘flows’ But screen grabbing from the slow motion appears to show sparks and a smoke like grey cloud as well as flames It looks like their is a pyrotechnic element plus LED lights that still glow after the bang

Am I right from your description that the grenade is releasing fog which is lit up by LED? The explosion videos do look like flames which was worrying to watch. If they look the same in reality it would still have concerns for sites - if seen without knowing details not would be an immeadiate no, but could still be a worry to a receiving player If it’s just a very realistic effect based on lighting up fog then it would be fine

Retailer and site discounts for UKAPU came out about a decade ago Whether or not they remain or there are others is up to the retailer. Just ask But do bear in mind that margins are narrow, and dare I say it - technical support / after care are an expense to the retailer without income (unless they have an add on tech support service) If a retailer can give a strong discount then consider whether they can offer any decent technical support (Let alone certified technical support which costs money to obtain - unless they are a big enough customer to the manufacturer gaining free tech courses) https://www.ukapu.org.uk/articles/membership-benefits/jd-airsoft-members-discount/

At a woodland game, during the day I announced to the team that I was going to have some fun running around with my SLR for the next session. Then a volunteer was requested & I found myself tasked with clearing and searching the cowboy & Indian western village doing almost CQB waving a full size SLR between all the tight angles

Any Special Forces worth their salt will tailor to the role but also be able to use whatever they have. Whether that’s compact weapons accompanied by flame retardant suit or vest & jeans, rag tag bunch of cut throats, all the gear with some idea, or just baguette and beret ‘Special forces’ means many things. Paras, airborne, commandos were the SF of their day. The SAS originals were named by intelligence to worry the Germans that the paras were around. My father was part of the UKs special forces in the Cold War (nuclear capable artillery) but not what would be regarded as UKSF - perfect if you are sat around the woods at a game SF do have choice in how they equip, as a unit and as individuals. Individuals need to know what they are doing to be able to self equip - passing selection and getting badged is only day 1 of their specialist training (‘Normal’ soldiers also have a degree of personalisation available to them - depending on getting it past the shouty man and / or where they are - MTP was adopted by the British Army as some infantry dyed their desert cam) …………: Eithet build your own concept themed around your choice of SF, or look for photos of specific operations / deployments (taking care to avoid posed recreation photos)

I missed that, having skimmed. One sentence each will need to cover most things with the size of it

I’ve subscribed and obtained a copy which I’ll go through later in the week But on first glance I was about to say how poor a history they have shown starting with the French (if we exclude nature) but the document itself doesn’t claim to be a history - just “camouflage in a nutshell” The French have a valid claim to the term ‘camouflage’ as it’s their word. But camouflaging combatants dates further back to pesky colonials, and far back to ancient times for ships etc long before dazzle patterns No mention of ghillies, only one reference to snipers (without context on their camouflage needs and no reference to the origins of Snipe/sniper which would give a handy circle back to nature) It still looks interesting though