Rogerborg

Ackchyually, we had a good bun fight a while back about how we should be using direct measurements of impact energy, which would make the entire fps / BB mass issue moot. Sadly, I couldn't find any cheap solid state components that claim to be able to measure the sort of small (energy and size) impulses that we'd be getting with anything like the required level of precision. So then you're left with trying to hit a pendulum and measure its swing, and it all goes a bit Rube Goldberg.

I'm backing slowwwly away from one of them, I think it's a bit bitey.

Yarp. From a quick skim through it, he also seems to be saying that he got lower muzzle energy with higher gas pressure, or viewed another way, higher muzzle energy by putting a bit less puff behind it. To be honest, I didn't really watch it, I don't think there's much for us to lean here, no matter how many spherical see-saws free-falling in a vacuum get postulated.

Those faaaabulous rainbow tracers really do look pretty good, and I particularly like the side visibility on the bright muzzle flash. The bar's just been raised a bit higher there. Just a pity that it doesn't claim to light up red tracers, those are next on my list of wants.

OK, to be specific, I mean that for any given mass of BB, there's no rational argument to be made that less energy at the muzzle = more range or more energy at the target. I get that in airsoft we tend to have a limited amount of puff to impart down a limited length of barrel, and there may be cases where some mass and muzzle energy of BB goes further/hits harder than another mass and muzzle energy of BB, given the limited puff we (generally) have available. However, the context is an experiment where he had an excess of puff, enough to actually reduce muzzle energy. That's interesting to see, but not hugely relevant to us, since it doesn't really matter how we tune our muzzle energy down to the site limit, just that we can do it.

I think you may be over-thinking this a bit. It's interesting to see too much puff equalling less energy at the muzzle. That could, possibly, be relevant to airsoft, maybe. But in terms of ballistics, and energy at the target, it's just angular velocity and linear kinetic energy when the BB leaves at the muzzle that matters to that BB (and to us), not how it's imparted. Get the angular velocity (backspin) right and you'll get the straightest possible flight thanks to Saint Magnus. After imparting the perfect angular velocity, if you get the linear kinetic energy at the muzzle maximised for the site limit, you'll get the maximum possible range, and the most energy delivered to target. I'm not really sure what else there is to analyse. We know that heavier BBs will retain that energy better due to the the cube nature of air resistance versus the square of velocity. And I've been careful to talk in terms of energy, not speed, for the linear component. I'm not even sure if you're saying that it's possible to somehow get more range out of less linear energy at the muzzle - I hope not.

More pictures have just gone up on my site's site, reposting here for dopamine hits (and because the weird lighting on the last one made my face look like Red Skull). Damn, but I look so purposeful, and so expendable there. Horny xeno girls all want Guardsman-senpai to notice them.

I'd also have to note that he's only claiming 1.8J from a 2.55J spring, so the air seal is suspect. And a laser though. Has he got the only scope ever made without crosshairs? Given the minimal chance of them staying zeroed together, which one is he using for aiming? Dazzle pattern camouflage. Oh, sure, it means the other team will spot him a mile away, but they won't know what range his gun is at, or which direction it's moving (I guess they could just aim straight it it, like everybody does, at everyone, all the time). Or if he's wearing a ghillie, maybe they'll think it's a spooky ghost gun just floating along, and get too scared to shoot at him. Really though, if that tape is easy to get off, why wouldn't you take it off before listing it?

Sorry to hear that. I'm amazed you actually got a refund, I guess that's the power of PayPal. It bends my brain that stores don't realise that it's to their benefit to handle support issues as promptly as possible. In B4 "lol, just fone them m8", sure, that gets your squeaky wheel greased, but it's a piss poor way for a business to to operate. It means they have to drop whatever they were doing, look up order details, Dave has to ask Chas if he's seen it / worked on it / sent it out, everybody's tickets get delayed, and they create pissed off customers who are happy to warn other people about them.

I'm always happy to help the boys in blue convert their 5x5x5 intel to the new 3x5x2 system. Just my civic duty.

Yup, I want to be super clear that I respectfully disagree with @AirSniper's interpretation of the law, but 100% agree with how we should treat RIFs - or even IFs, remember the 12 year old who got his door put in and cuffed because a passerby saw his two-tone through a window. I was coming home from a game on Sunday and was overtaken by a speeding police van ignoring a temporary speed limit. Normally I'd race them just for shits and giggles ("Where's the fire, constable?"), but thought better of it because I had a boot (almost literally) full of RIFs, BFGs and such.

Or its blowing enough gas past the slug to create eddies in the space time continuum inside the barrel.

I'm minded to believe it, because I threw a 50 degree Maple Leaf into a 1.8J+ DMR and it was just fine (I later found a 60 degree and switched to that, with no noticeable difference, I just wanted to free up the 50 for an 1.1J AEG). I suspect 70+ buckings are more about willy waggling over your real ultimate power in areas where they run snipers at 3J+.

Yup, sorry, but I'm going to have to flag up [citation needed] on that. This isn't intended as personal, just an examination of the law as it's written and demonstrably applied. We'll start with Policing and Crime Act 1968 Section 125 which amends the Firearms Act 1968 by saying that airsoft guns are not firearms for the purposes of that Act. One notable exception is Section 19 which specifically mentions imitation firearms, and 24A (below). We could have a bun-fight over whether the multiple mention of "air weapons" in the Firearms Act still apply to airsoft guns, even if they're not "firearms". That could be problematic, since Section 24 does prohibit gifting "air weapons" to anyone under 18. It says nothing about their ownership of it though. The recipient commits no offence. In any case, we should argue strenuously against "air weapon" covering airsoft guns, since Section 1 (3) (b) defines an "air weapon" as a subset of "firearm", not as a separate category. If we continue with "air weapon" offences, Section 24Z prohibits minors from "having with them" an air weapon. In that case, they just need to be supervised by someone over 21, as per Section 23. Still nothing about ownership though. Supply of imitation firearms (realistic or otherwise) to minors is entirely relevant. That's covered by Firearms Act Section 24A which talks only about sale and purchase, not loans, gifts or ownership. And as we should all be familiar with by now, VCRA 2006 S36 covers manufacture, modification, importation and sale, not purchase, possession or ownership. Purchase is covered by Firearms Act S24A which provides no such defence for purchase by minors. However, again, being gifted or loaned or owning one is not an offence. The VCRA S36 offence has an S37 defence of "the purposes of functions that a person has in his capacity as a person in the service of Her Majesty". But that applies only to the S36 offences of manufacture, modification, importation and sale, not purchase or ownership, and is not a defence to the Firearms Act S24A offence of minors purchasing (but not owning) an imitation firearm (realistic or otherwise). I agree that it's a responsible thing to do, but whether it can shoot or not is immaterial to the Firearms Act 1968 S19 offence (ibid) of possession of an imitation firearm in a public place, realistic or otherwise, functional or otherwise. See this case, of a bright orange springer. The Sheriff's rather curious comment was that children would have a reasonable excuse for being in possession of an IF (but not necessarily a RIF) for the purposes of (I quote) "playing cowboys and Indians". But that's entirely about the appearance, not the functionality. Only if it's classed as an air weapon (and I'd argue that it's not), then Firearms Act S24Z applies. But I can find no such responsibility applying to imitation firearm offences. Despite everything I'm writing here, I do completely agree with this principle. The practical consequences of an ARV turning up are quite distinct from the legal ones. I can find no offences being committed. If they exist, they're likely to be in the Firearms Act 1968, Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, or Policing and Crime Act 2017, although firearm legislation is a right old mess, and I'm always happy to be surprised by other sources. Can we find any relevant offences here? https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/27/contents https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/38/contents https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/3/contents

If anyone is penetrating right through their targets with an airsoft BB, I think that might be a bit of an issue. It's an interesting demonstration of how higher pressure gas / more puff doesn't necessarily impart more energy to the projectile, but it applies only to that pressure and that projectile. The energy involved is so far beyond airsoft levels that I'd be surprised if we saw a similar effect. However, airsoft is nothing if not surprising, so if any HPA Ghostbusters fancy try to to replicate that, I'd be very interested to see the results. That's all before the BB leaves the muzzle though. At the point where it emerges, the only ballistic considerations are angular velocity (backspin), and linear velocity (fps / Joules). Sufficient backspin to fully hop that mass of BB + the maximum permitted kinetic energy for that BB = maximum range, and maximum energy delivered to the target at any range. Effective range might be different if you get more consistency with less muzzle energy, but not maximum. Even if you're lobbing a bit rather than trying for "laser accuracy", it's all about the linear velocity, and more is more in airsoft.

That's the thing, I'd be astonished if most airsofters don't know that. I'd be pretty certain that site owners will, and the gun owners certainly will, so why they're allowing it boggles the mind. I imagine it's: "My intention is to aim over their heads, it'll be fine because accidents never happen." Fortunately we don't have a profusion of live firearms here from which to shoot blanks. Even if someone does turn up with a blank firing gun, it should have a blocked barrel and the best they can do is to blow their own nose off through a top vent. But I completely agree, keep that well away from airsoft fields. I don't even like TAG rounds, as on a back of the envelope calculation of the claimed 32m/s and 30g I make that 15.36J, running pretty close to the 16J air gun limit. They are certainly not airsoft guns by any stretch of the imagination (so need an air gun licence in Scotland), and are far beyond what EN166F eye protection is rated for. I await "But, but, I only intend to lob them, and accidents only happen to other people."

I wouldn't pay that for a brand new one given the problems owners have had with them. Still, kudos for his honesty that the early ones were bags of spanners made from turds. Also, I get to swipe this from Negative Airsoft.

Sadly out of stock (in long shaft) and he's taking a break at the moment. That's why I mentioned the Big Dragon M140s. $34.40 / £25.15 taxed and delivered from Ali Express, and they generally arrive within a couple of weeks. Sadly, with the stock situation being what it is I've started going to Ali rather than trawling through even the decent UK/NI sellers like ak2m4 and Bullseye, or buying the same stuff on eBay with a marked up price and lies about where it's shipping from. Curiously, Bullseye have the Big Dragon M120s in stock, but apparently they're the runt of the litter: the M140s and M160s are fine.

I read that as "getaway mask", and thought "But everybody covers their faces in banks now."

I'd trust Nuprol glasses to protect my eyesight every bit as much as I'd trust Nuprol chargers and batteries to not burn my house down.

Agreed, that's fine for CQB or woodland. I'd even go a little shorter if you intend to use it indoors a lot. I'd also agree that I can't see what justifies that price, in a world where (e.g.) Specna Arms Edge 2.0 and CYMA Platinums exist. I'm not knocking the brand, I had a quick play with ex-workmate Eddy's plastic G&G CM16 yesterday and was reminded how nicely it felt and shot. But again, that just illustrates that you don't need to drop twice that money on something that will perform much the same. But it's airsoft, and the heart wants what it wants. If that's the gun for you, then it's the right gun for you.

Huh, that is peculiar from an experience seller. I guess "mounted once never fired or skirmished" means it's... better than new?

I may have just bought... [looks around guiltily]... a Valken M7 full-face. It's only a matter of time until I'm talking about engines and regulators and shopping for long stripy socks.