Rogerborg

But if I had (say) a ZCI rotary hop, why wouldn't I just use the whole ZCI rotary hop?

Which is the one that featured a picture of a player not wearing any eye protection?

Why would I need them? My gnu shoots like a laser.

Only ever used indoors, and stored inside. After some magnified viewing, there are some solder points that are very close together and not the neatest, so it is entirely possible that they're shorting themselves out in the damp. That's why I gave mine an isopropanol brushing, to try and remove any spatter or tracking, and it does seems to have sorted it for now.

The SSG10 does make a fairly decent argument for itself if you want something that should be competitive out of the box, once you've cleaned the barrel and hop rubber and bedded it in a bit. We usually suggest doing at least one rental day before deciding anything though. Some sites (not many, granted) do sniper hire packages, but usually you're looking at an AEG carbine with random performance. Still, it'll let you know if the experience is for you, and airsofters are generally keen to show off their toys if you want to have a look at the sniper rifles there. Just be aware that airsofters are about as honest as anglers when it comes to measurements, so take any claim about ranges with a large pinch of salt.

Hi Ricky, it's worth giving it a go, although it'll be very site dependent whether you'll be able to play effectively. I would caution that airsoft guns at UK power have maximum ranges from about 60 to 90 metres, and are never as accurate as YouTube sniper channels will have you believe. They're heavily edited, and sometimes more fiction than fact. A well tuned sniper is generally built rather than bought, and banging on 2.3J it might achieve 20m over a rental AEG. But folk aren't going to let you maintain that distance for long. I say all this not to put you off, just to try and set realistic expectations so that you don't get too disappointed if you get rinsed at your first day.

Go on, treat yourself. They work fine while they work, there's nothing wrong with the design as such. They just seem to be quite fragile. Oh, the blinkenlight on my 2nd unit has given up the ghost as well, which is actually a relief.

Thanks for the update. Was the nozzle brass? The mind boggles. That's still low though, you should be seeing more like 1.9J out of that spring. I'd have another look at the air seal.

Mmm, tracers seem to be a bit... foibly. When this Lighter-S finally gives up the ghost, I reckon I'll send to it to Big Clive to see what he makes of the circuitry.

Reasonable enough choices - I mean for a daft hobby where we play with toy guns. You might find that you can fog up any eye protection, plenty of us more padded gentlemen have that issue. You can try dual pane / "thermal lenses", various anti-fog potions (I like Revision wipes), or fan solutions, either DIY or Ex-Fog. Worst case, mesh is available, and we love HeroShark custom mesh goggles. See how you get on first though, just be aware that even with the magic of hop ups and heavy ammo, airsoft guns aren't as accurate or consistent as air guns. Mind you, if they were then nobody would ever emerge from cover.

What does it shoot on the ammo that you actually use? I ask because there's a (small but non zero) chance that if it's shooting at 2.32J on 0.2g then it may be capable of over 2.5J with heavier ammo, i.e. not actually an airsoft gun.

BUMP from beyond the grave. I should have said, I did actually did finally receive a replacement Lighter-S, which worked every bit as well as the first one. As in... Yup, the replacement is now doing the same. It's also erratically shorting on one side, so the LEDs either don't come on, or stay on solid, and I can feel the circuitry heating up. Gentle touches on the circuitry turn the LEDs on and off, so I reckon it's just mis-soldered somewhere rather than component failure. I can't spot the problem beyond some solder-spatter which I've gently removed with a plastic spudger. Surprise, surprise, ex-Workmate Eddie's replacement unit is also doing the same. However... And a soft brush scrubbing has ameliorated the issue, for now. They are fragile though, and I won't be buying another or recommending them, especially now that spitfire units can be had for £40 delivered from AliExpress.

N is for Nuclear. N is for Nuprol.

You can indeed. For a typical skirmish day, anything beyond that is just for dress-up purposes, and doesn't "work" any better. Except for not feeling hits.

Sorry to hear about your awful experience, and thanks for sharing. I currently charge in a cheapo bag while supervising, and with an eye on the back door and a powder extinguisher (which will likely do sod all to a lithium fire). But I hereby commit to upgrading to an Explosion Containment Pie Dish.

This is pretty common, but it's a very welcoming environment. We had a thread on this a while back with a really great post covering what to expect in some detail, which can help with social anxiety. So many hugs in that thread. Your fitness / fatness level is neither here nor there. If you can walk, you can play. Heck, folk play in wheelchairs. What I would note is that a couple of hours of actual action every fortnight isn't really going to do much for your health, but it will give you something to train for if you're that way inclined.

Oh! That's a 50 degree, it would be fine for a GBB pistol, but I'd suggest a 70 or 75 for a sniper rifle.

Wow, that's a weird one. I mean, he has actually modified it rather than just chucking a bucking in, but he's ended up with a gun that's too weak for woodland, and too auto for CQB. However, I think my favourite bit is posting a video of a different gun.

And is an actual game based on tactics rather than who can buy the most £30 figures made of pure cheesium. From what I can determine from the 40K groups on Facebook, it's more about the collecting, painting and army building rather than the actual play.

They show massive ranges because sniper YouTubers tend to be selling a story rather than documenting reality. That's why they have no problem with adding fake hit makers and producing "OMG CHEETAR" clickbait. That said, your Well is definitely underperforming, and I'd agree that the air seal is stuffed. You don't want to be running it on an M170, it'll be doing your sears no favours.

Fun times (I used to have a goblin army back in the day too) but again illustrates the trick rules and wild randomness baked into so many GW products. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that as long as you don't take it too seriously. But with the prices they charge, and actual prize tournaments, it might be hard not to these days. Oh, I went to the local neckbeard club, it was fairly varied. I'm keeping that in the back pocket as a winter alternative to airsoft.

Ex-Workmate Eddy has been rocking a CM16 for years, and I don't think he's done anything more than charge the battery, but it just keeps going. He dialled the stock hop in once for 0.25g, and likely hasn't touched it since. I mean, I can point at all the extra "features" on my "upgraded" Specna Arms, but at the end of the day (and at the start and middle too), his G&G puts BBs downrange pretty much as well. You can change the barrel, hop, rubber, motor and electrics, but you don't actually have to.

Huh, must be one of those new smartguns that the kids are into these days.

Oh, sorry to hear that. Airsoft guns can be phenomenally fragile, it only takes any one of many tiny pieces being fractionally off to ruin your day. My sniper just barely made it through chrono yesterday before locking up solid, and it was onto backup AEG #1. I wouldn't even show up now without at least 3 usable guns. But it's good to hear that you had a G&G epiphany. Yup, the CMs might be plastic, but it's a robust plastic. They might have dial hops, but they're consistent. There are few surprises in there, and still worth considering even if the likes of Specna Arms and Lancer Tactical list more features.

It can be worth re-asking, as we're capricious, and the accepted wisdom changes over time. iMax B6 chargers used to be the go-tos, now we're into the SkyRC R65 and T100. CYMAs used to be considered robust but very basic budget guns, now they're doing some pretty decent stuff as well. There are no stupid questions, only sardonic answers.