EDcase

Yes, most gas comes with silicone mixed in which you want.
I use Ultrair too and buy from HERE or HERE depending how much you want.
 
Remember to clean the barrel (and hop rubber) with a bit of Isopropyl Alcohol occasionally.
Use the cleaning rod with a strip of cloth for the barrel and a Q-tip with a drop of Isopropyl for the hop.
 
 

So after lets just call it at least a decade away I finally feel that I'm back, so I thought it'd be interesting to share my journey as attempt to get my head around the changes in tech & re-develop my loadout to match my play style which hasn't changed in the meantime.
 
First off, I'd forgotten just how much I'd missed this both mentally and physically. I've been laid up in and out of hospital the last few years - to the extent that I've gone from superfit to completely broken. I finally found something which I could actually do without landing me back in A&E last October & thanks to a push from my wife - I tried out a game at my local airsoft site. I sold up pretty much everything (it was around the time of the in-fighting over setting up UKARA - alongside some horrible personal issues that was the final straw).
 
So I had my old ICS552, my custom WA S&W 1911, my 8mm Redhawk & a battered CYMA M3 rip off. Despite the WA utterly failing in the cold weather, the SIG shedding parts & developing the fire selection switch developing the attitude of a teenager I had a whale of a time. Finally picked up my PASS & the intervening time let me try out the modern "toys" and get my head around what I enjoyed.
 
I've never been a kit nerd when it comes to fiddling/upgrading or to achieving a particular loadout "style". Instead I've always ended up picking out what for me is the "best of breed" in terms of what does what I need it to, hence you could politely describe my look as that of a scruffy mercenary - as opposed to that of someone as likely to sell you a big issue as shoot you. I did get an ego boost from being described as a "Ukrainian nutter" though
 
So in terms of clothing/webbing I just go with what is comfy. At the moment its a pair of yard boots (closest thing to trainers in terms of comfort), an old pair of combats, norge, appropriate layers & a russian OMON style vest. Its light, room for 3 spare M4 style mags, shotgun shells, 2 blank firing grenades & some high energy shack items.
 
I then go with a belt running two bianchi holsters & spare revolver shells/pistol mags. Its nice to be able to dump the belt at the safe zone or go down to one sidearm without having to reconfigure everything.
 
So my general "normal" loadout now is as follows ...
 
SA-15 Edge - Batteries have moved on! Being able to fit a single battery in the stock which is enough capacity for a full day's play is a revelation. Battery capacity was always a factor in the past - so its great to be able to pick something I love the feel of without worrying about having to change/carry a spare. Aside from the tight inner barrel I didn't think there was much point in going for anything gucci. My AEG has always been a tool first. Hops have come on - I remember the old TM hop with its tendancy to unwind randomly (I ran both an M4 & SR16 for a while) but this is easy to set how I want it - and it stays that way. I also hated M4 mags - partially a look & feel, partially having to spend so much time keeping them working & feeding. Very much a fan of the new S-Mag style, plus no feed issues with either hi or mid caps. 3 spare mags in the OMON vest.
 
Shotgun - a reliable backup and sometimes main for CQB/thicker woodland. I love tri-barrel shotguns. I sold my modded M3 when I quit - so I picked up a BO Fabarms one to replace the battered CMYA one. Its similar size & weight but definitely has more poke & consistency just like my old TM but at way less than half the price. Will run as a spare as looking to get hold of a Secutor one as its even smaller & looks sexier (sorry). I figure it'll be even easier to carry slung on my back but for the moment, for the money I'm liking this a lot. Spare shells in the sling which goes over my vest so she sits on my back. If I'm ditching the AEG then even more shells in the vest on the shell loops - saves having to take time out reloading in the safe zone
 
TTI JW 4 - GBB's are so much improved. And I say that as someone who loved them. This has now replaced my beloved WA 1911 and I can't believe I've gone back to a double stack 2011. I tried lots but when I picked her up something clicked. The hop/takedown are quick, mags suffer less cooldown and in terms of range once I got the hop set - well she's perfect for pulling out and "going light" with a BFG or two. Very much feels like one of the old WA Inifinities - after I'd spent a fortune on metal gubbins, internals etc. but better - out of the box FFS! Pair of spare mags in an old mil-tec twin mag pouch on the belt (will be replacing soon as its knackered), gun sits in a Bianchi M84 on the belt. Lovely - you can keep your new fangled plastic holster things

Marushin 8MM Redhawk - yes she's an antique but with a thorough clean and lube she's fine. Fill valve needs a strip and bit of plumber's tape every few months but in winter - on red - she's up to her old tricks. There is something so pure about considered shots with a 6 shot shell loader ... it honestly feels amazing. Pair of .44 magnum speedloaders on belt, she sits in a Bianchi Cyclone holster. When she gives up the ghost .... who knows. Might have to look at a den wesson if only to be able to keep my love of using nothing but a revolver & speedloaders in game occasionally Oh, and if anyone knows a source of 8mm BB's that's be great, although I'm down to my last 700 they should last a few years as I tend to only get through a dozen every skirmish.
 
So that's where I'm at. It kinda feels comfy - like a modern upgrade of the kit "style" I know and love. When the weather warms up a bit I'll start venturing further afield - heard great things about the "x" site in Mold. Much prefer sneaky, muddy bog snorkelling/woodland play rather than speedball - although in building CQB does lead to me making disturbing sounds as I play.
 
Airsoft is definitely more popular. the kit better, the choice in the UK so much wider (anyone else remember the says of WGC shop/Den trinity importing *everything*). People messing around with Western Arms kit - endlessly upgrading/fixing seems to have been replaced by a different bunch of people endlessly upgrading/fixing HPA guns - but I'm really enjoying getting back into this

EDIT: This was typed before you replied so info is a bit out of sync
 
Most circuits have polarity protection so the board should be fine.
 
As Roger said, if the battery charge drops below a certain point an intelligent charger won't recognise it.
I have recovered a couple of very low bats by setting the charger (B6AC) to NiMh mode and charging for 2 mins.  This pumps in enough charge for the intelligent charger to recognise it. 
 
Probably a good idea to change the battery anyway.  Even if it shows a charge it probably won't last long under load when actually being used.
 
 

Welcome back ✋
Yeah I think many here would say the M908B is a good starter.  You can also consider CYMA and Specna. (Many threads talking about this subject)
There's LOADS of choice for chest rigs and pouches.  Look at ebay and army surplus to get the cheapest stuff.  It can take a few tries to get something you like as needs change.
Check out here for sites near you: https://playairsoft.uk/map
 
 

At least some of them must be real people

I've got no idea how these bots work or how AI tools could improve them but I've noticed that many of these spam users even set their avatars.
I doubt a simple question is going to stop them when any question simple enough for newbs can be easily searched.
Would be interesting to see

Hasn't the simple test question been suggested before?
Probably worth a try if it can be easily implemented.
 
I don't find the spam a huge problem as it gets cleaned quite quickly but of course prevention is better.
Question: Do you have to delete every post individually or are they all cleared when the user is banned?
 
 

Oh yes they did

Ban the spammer, all the posts go too.  It's very easy, just a moments work.
 
You'd think a simple question would be fine to do the job.  I'm presuming the spam posts are coming from a bot that only knows what the 'registration' and 'post a thread' pages look like.  Any change to the registration page will break the automated script.  However, these days you can build or amend a fairly sophisticated app just from a chatgpt session (well CodePilot if you want to be specific), so any sort of simple challenge might get worked around.
 
I can't imagine the spammers are getting many hits from their posts here so hopefully they won't bother taking any further action if the bar is raised even a tiny little bit

It's probably not gonna be helpful but when I ran our work FB page, anyone asking to join was automatically asked to answer a simple work related question, if they didn't or couldn't then they were blocked from joining.
Something as simple as this might prevent the spammers being able to join.
Newbies to the 'sport' might struggle too tho so it would need to be a very simple question regarding airsoft.

Another option is to have more cleaners

Another option is to have more cleaners

Another option is to have more cleaners

As all the above...
Remove BB's from spring mags. (pistols/low caps)
Can leave BB's in hi-caps as long as tension is taken off the feed ones.
Leave gas mags filled and check them all once a month or so.
Don't leave gas mags in guns (pistols or rifles)  The rubber outlet router can get deformed and lose a good seal.

Respect to the veterans of the game ✌ and welcome back.
Yes, I would guess the toys have become much more diverse, cheaper and more reliable in general.  Along with the battery improvements...
 
(I remember going to an army surplus shop in Haymarket near Piccadilly where they sold the L&S plastic gun kits.  Never got one tho)

Oh yes they did

As all the above...
Remove BB's from spring mags. (pistols/low caps)
Can leave BB's in hi-caps as long as tension is taken off the feed ones.
Leave gas mags filled and check them all once a month or so.
Don't leave gas mags in guns (pistols or rifles)  The rubber outlet router can get deformed and lose a good seal.

😄
You just have to get the polarity right but up to you.

Or if you have one of those variable power supplies which come with various plugs and you can solder then make your own...

Peoples' faces to be specific 🤕 lol

Outcome unclear: did you died?
 
 
... and yet ...
 
 
 
Which is a huge failure of foresight, given that people are gunning out of them, or windows will be open.
 
Granted, there are plenty of other "shoulds" in airsoft that can result in injury if not followed, like removing eyepro in game, or lobbing BFGs at head height - which I've been on the receiving end of.
 
What makes TAGs special are that they're always carrying much, much more energy than anything else being shot, and that once you've pulled the trigger, there's plenty of time for things to change at your intended point of impact.  I'd nope out of any event that allows them.

And there was much rejoicing.
 

Sadly, he only needs to fool one victim before each ban to make it worthwhile.
 
My solution of banning all users permanently isn't looking so radical now, is it?  

Nah, he's got a thing for scammer scum
And we always help him out
 
Looks like Pacco78 is next in line for the boot