Rogerborg

I... recently bailed after half a day. But my back was hurting, and those clouds weren't going to yell at themselves.

First thing I'd do is to get some silicone lube (liquid or spray), take it apart, and put the lube up the nozzle and swish it around. Then I agree with checking the hob rubber while you let the lube sink in. Then blow the lube out of the nozzle with an auto burst (which should also get some on the nozzle o-ring if you have one) until it shoots clear and dry before re-assembling. Might help, might not, but it's quick and easy to try before stripping the gearbox.

You did put some Haribo in the package, right? Tangfastics get the quickest service. Well, you won't get any arguments about the choice of tech. However, that's 4 months when you won't get to play with your new toy. I'm not judging, I get that some of us enjoy the collecting as much as the playing, but you don't even get to hang it on the wall for that time. As to the value for money, I would view it this way. If a retailer that also did teching listed the same RIF at two prices, one "as stock, best RIF ever", one £75 higher listed as "pre-serviced, bestest RIF ever", would you pay the higher price? Me, I'd be wondering what's wrong with it, that it needs pre-fixed. Looking at you, VFC.

The site should have been all over that. Nothing turns a day toxic faster than some bangstick screeching "CHEETAR!", or pissing and moaning loudly, because it's a very audible signal that the site is weakly run, and not enforcing its own rules. Does my head in, the amount of stuff that's said at briefings, then ignored on the field. Don't waste everyone's time declaring that "Cheat calling is as bad as cheating" if you're not going to actually treat it as such. Non-dicks don't need to be lectured, and dicks aren't listening anyway. Less talk, more do.

[who?] [citation needed] The problem I have with airsoft teching is that I wouldn't pay someone professional prices to work on a toy, but I wouldn't trust my toys to anyone not charging enough. By which I mean, if you're not charging £40+ an hour, you're not doing it professionally. Sam at Kingdom of Airsoft appears to know his stuff and not be a wankstick (and I like that he's very clear on the T&Cs), but given that he's running an actual business with commercial premises and staff to pay for, the prices are in the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" range. The one person I'd trust to actually do the job to a decent standard and for a price that I might consider worth it, would be Luke at Negative. Which is why he's booked months in advance, and he does it part time as a labour of love. Ramsay Strachan also knows his stuff, but doesn't currently sell his services. There are doubtless other competent people out there in a similar situation, having realised that not many airsofters are prepared to pay for a genuinely professional job. I wouldn't want to nag a talented amateur into doing work that they weren't passionate about, that's how you get "Ah, sod it, good enough" slapped together builds. And I wouldn't trust a job to someone whose work I hadn't seen (as in, video of in-progress work) so that I could be sure that they could do a better job than me. If you've got other folk in mind to praise, let's please not be coy.

This is true, but the upside is that having a light on the gun fattens it up to the point where you're less likely to take an involuntary dump. Not speculation, I use that combination, although the best I'll say is that I haven't dropped a mag yet.

The consideration is the site's duty of care to its customers and staff - insurance is to cover them when things go wrong with that. Duties of care tend to be implicit, and only get clarified when things go badly wrong (Vowles versus the WRU being a crucial case). I've frequently opined that sites should stop wasting their time with those ridiculous and unenforceable waivers that they make us sign, and use the paper to list what they think that their, and our, duties of care are. They could also try to require a minimum amount of health or mobility. But most conditions that come with age can also effect younger people with illnesses or disabilities. In either case, age or disability are protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010, which requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate those conditions, rather than prohibiting people with them from attending. The definition of "reasonable" is wonderfully vague. Just for one example, would it be reasonable to prohibit hearing impaired players because they can't hear critical safety instructions (including man down, cease fire, and fire alarms)? Or would the adjustment be ensuring that a deaf player is always accompanied by a hearing helper? Even if that means dedicating a marshal to it? That's a big can of very squirmy worms right there.

Hmm, that might even be DIY-able. Thick kydex, EVA foam, heck, it's just cosmetic so slap some duct tape over the motor.

Indeed, if it's designed to shoot plastic at under 2.5J (semi or manual), Section 5 won't apply - that's the only reason we can use fully automatic toys at all.

It is indisputable fact that "Bullshot" is the zenith of British cinema, and civilisation. After "I should have shot that Fokker down", it was all managed decline.

Mmm, it seems almost too good to be true. I wonder if £40/£180-ish are rounded off somewhat optimistically, and ignoring postage. But if I can get GunFire gats for even 25% (maximum, not "ish") plus postage extra, it does make them a viable option again.

Or, just shout "Don't be such a Little Hitler. Two World Wars and one World Cup." slowly and loudly. The Prussian is either under your heel, or at your throat, as I understand it.

Not a mind blowing bargain, but it's been brought to my attention that Patrol Base are selling Valken MI-7 full face masks for £24.99 plus postage, in all colours including DPM - obviously the best colour. I can't find them for under £32-35 plus postage anywhere else, and usually the camo versions come at a premium. That's a pretty good price for a dual-pane thermal lens, and you don't have to run some Ghostbusters scuba-tanked drum-mag gold Hi-Capa with them. https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/valken-annex-mi-7-full-face-mask?pv=6680

There are plenty of things that you can buy in the UK, including full auto airsoft guns over 1.3J - i.e. section 5 firearms. That doesn't actually make it legal to sell or buy them. It just means that you can buy them. These are separate considerations.

Hmm, self-contained gas cartridges are Section 5 (1)(ae) verboten under the ASBO Act 2003. I'm always happy to learn, so what's the workaround? Airsoft gun, therefore not a firearm for purposes of the Firearms Act, therefore ha-ha, can't touch me, Dredd? I'd want to be sure on this one, not internets-said sure.

22.2222222222% isn't too bad, if that includes whatever fee they're mugging you with for paying the tax and duty. If we can factor that in and get reliable (not UPS) delivery again, it becomes a lot more viable. Thanks for letting us know, I hope the delivery goes smoothly.

"Handgun". Disappointing that it does look like an airsoft RIF rather than an easier-to-obtain air pistol. Since they tugged him for "firearms offences", I'm assuming Gangsta Boi there was flashing it around, which is a very good way to get yourself stabbed or slotted (either by your "business associates" or an ARV). Sadly, neither seems to have happened, so I guess he'll be enjoying a few months in Playstation Prison at our cost.

OP's only reported issue with it is semi-auto response, which is why I'd suggest upgrading the motor and seeing if that transforms it. I mostly play semi-auto CQB and have been very pleased by the improvement just from motor swaps (and a bit of rewiring). The ARP is operating on the same set of physics as the Firehawk. Worst case, if a new motor doesn't evolve the Firehawk to its final form, it'll still be better than it was, and a more shootier backup.

Eh. You might be done after a motor swap, that's why I suggested that first. I've been pleasantly surprised by the boost in response and ROF just from dropping cheap Big Dragon M140s into my AEGs, without doing anything inside the gearboxes, or going to 11.1V. Still, having a stock backup is always a good idea, and there's certainly nothing wrong with shifting the Firehawk to the back of the bag.

Far more than I could possibly justify spending on something that I'll use a couple of times a year at most. That applies to a lot of airsoft, to be fair, but I could choose to play with any of my RIFs on a typical weekend, but NV has fewer opportunities for use. As you say, you'd likely end up seeking out opportunities to use it. I should be very clear that I'm not crying foul on the couple of folk who did have NV and had a great time. Just that £1200 spent on a RIF doesn't get you a huge advantage over Rental Ralph running around with a £120 Lancer Tactical during the day, but £1200 of NV makes a whopping difference at night. It was one of the few games that I've actually bailed early, I just wasn't enjoying myself at all.

That would be really bad depth perception.

I'm talking specifically about night games, in dark woodland. Having done one with a torch, I won't be doing another without night vision, which means I won't be doing another. I'm not making a big deal of it, just wondering whether NV is such an (actual) game changer that the end result might be a few big spenders hunting each other in the darkness, if it's even viable for sites to keep running night games once us Poors get tired of being predated without any effective counter response. I can assure you that in reality, nobody's running around in woodland at night.

Joking aside, after being DESTROYED by people with decent NV, why would Poors pay to get rekt again? I'd be a little concerned that once you have enough people out there giving it the full Predator that they'll be the only people doing night games.

While I'm not pooh-poohing any excuse to buy another RIF, why not give the Firehawk a bit of love? You can upgrade the motor without touching the gearbox, then there's a plethora of things you could do inside it: mosfet, thicker wiring, gears, short stroking.