Rogerborg

Hmm, that's actually a fair point. It applies to motorcycle helmets as well, although I tend to change mine as a fashion choice, because I'm a tart. Despite my Valken recommendation, I do too, particularly outdoors. I had to switch from (dual pane, Revision wiped, fan vented) goggles on Sunday because of the high humidity and general sweaty unfitness. If you are going mesh, I'd suggest Heroshark, or an equivalent using (e.g. and what I use) 3.5mm hole / 4.5mm pitch / 1mm sheet. The cheapest goggles will stop impacts, but you'll want to examine them after every game and keep a spare in the bag (which obviates the point of going cheap)

I have never replaced or discarded eyepro because it's taken a hit. Do you do it often?

I'd pay less, for a Valken MI-7, or more for a Dye of your choice. I use the Valken, and it's the only eye-pro that I've never managed to fog up. It's got a dual-pane lens, that sits just far enough clear of your face so that I can't sweat it up. The Dyes are apparently more tolerating in fit, but I'm fine with the harder plastic of the Valken.

Experiences will vary, but I was astonished with mine. It's performed exactly as advertised, without any tinkering other than a (super quick and easy) spring change and a barrel clean. I like an excuse to tinker, but I just don't have any. It's both the most expensive airsoft toy I've bought, and also the best value for money in terms of balls-on-target. The one downside is that, as @Impulsesaid, it's a bit of a chonky boi compared to a VSR. The Lite version is indeed Liter and cheaper, while having the same internals.

They require a spring. You might - and I stress might - need a chub nub, or to shim the stock nub, to lift 0.46g+. I shoot 0.43g from mine, and with only a spring change and Rapax rings to tune it to bang on 2.3J, it's already more consistent than my aim, and stealthier than my field-craft. So while I agree that you could get even betterer performance out of throwing away all (and as you say, all) the internals of a VSR, I'd suggest that it only makes sense if you enjoy the process, and are prepared to spend more than a TAC-41 or Novristch SSR, and have the opportunity to tune and test between game days, and are very serious about Bush Wookeying to the point where you're washing your balls before playing. There's no wrong way to airsoft, and I did have fun tuning an MB-01 on a budget, but it went in the bin-bag of shame the instant I pulled the trigger on a Silverback.

Wait, did you just get it in pink because it was a freebie?

Ahoy and welcome back!

Annoying and deceptive. I'd just start the process of getting a refund immediately. If it's generic gear and trinkets, you can often find it on AliExpress where they are at least a bit more honest about availability, delivery and costs.

Hello. I'm 52, dress up as a space soldier, and play hide-and-seek with toy guns. What @Tackle said, just initiate a Section 75 or a debit card chargeback. Don't get into deep details. I wouldn't even mention the return, just "I bought goods, I have neither the goods nor the money, seller is not contactable." Let them tell their side. You might be surprised how quickly you get contacted by Bespoke to resolve it, but I'd stress, do not drop the case until you have working goods, or a full refund, no matter what you're promised.

Ah, got you. Got for it then, we're not on a rehearsal. You're really spoiled for choice in M4s if that's the way you want to go - remembering that other platforms are available. There are lots of happy owners of most brands - not you, VFC - but the features-for-money on the recent Specnas with fire control systems is phenomenal.

All looks good. One thing though, can he get a sight picture with that mask on? I have to run optics and risers when I'm full-facing.

Excellent result, perfectly reasonable by them, and you'll get support that way too. Good to see an MP5 out there rather than more M4 based PCCs, although he's dressed it up to look like an M4.

The CM.5xx range is made of nasty feeling plastic. They work fine, and I see they come with rotary hops now, but they're no-frills basic guns. The Specnas have much nicer plastic bodies, quick change springs (handy for tuning the power) and well featured fire control systems with burst fire and pre-cocking, which are fun and useful. 0.2g is fine for indoors, but outdoors you'll want to use the heaviest BBs that your budget can stand and your hop unit can lift. I tend to run 0.28g, some go heavier. Just checking: have you played yet? I'd rent at least once before committing to any purchases, and wait for the adrenaline rush to die off and the bruises to show before you break out the credit card. (I mean, I say that, I didn't do it, but... )

Skyler from Reddit? 🤔

Dying for for Emperor at Biohazard 2. It went great after I gave up on trying to defog my eyepro and just switched to mesh. The most remarkable thing was the countdown timer to the next game, which meant actual 10 minute breaks and a 45 minute lunch (plus wrangling time). Klaxons and everything. All sites should have this, no exceptions, no excuses.

Ahoy and welcome. And... why an Arcturus? There are loads of brands of M4 in your budget, and only a few Arcturus guns are down there. The Specna Arms FLEX and CORE HAL ETU guns, just for example, are in your price range, and come with a fully featured fire control system, rotary hop, and quick change spring.

Even if you run it on higher pressure gas?

Well, you can start with the easy stuff: check the hop rubber and hop arm, clean the barrel, make up some tape spacers (which really do work). And a TDC mod really is just a hole drilled and tapped right above the hop arm, with a fine thread grub / machine screw added to press down on the arm. Sticking a thickening saddle on top helps to give the screw more purchase. Regreasing the piston ring can help with compression. It's when you start throwing new parts at it, like an aftermarket hop, that the price starts ramping up, and you still need to put in the time to tinker and tune with it anyway. The trigger sears and stopper are a weak point on the Wells, and you might find that up-springing results in problems pulling the bolt of firing (or not firing, if it slam fires). It's a fun process, but with decent out-of-the-box guns from Silverback and Novritsch on the market now, I don't think it makes economic sense.

It's easy, all you need is the Action Army type 96 hop chamber, which means you'll need a ZCI, XT or Crazy Jet AEG barrel and Macaron or MR bucking, unless you decide to stick with a GBB barrel in which case you need the Maple Leaf Hotshot bucking, then of course you'll need to do a TDC mod, add barrel spacers, upgrade the spring, which means you'll need to upgrade to an alloy piston and spring guide, which means you'll need a 90 degree trigger unit then you'll realise that you've spent more than the cost of a Silverback TAC-41 Sport to get worse performance and longevity. There are some actual suggestions in there among the "don't do it" conclusion, if you want to start with the cheap stuff like DIY barrel spacers made out of masking or electrical tape, and a bucking like an Maple Leaf Autobot if you're sticking with the stock GBB style barrel and hop chamber. You can also do a DIY TDC hop for the price of a grub screw. However, once you start spending, the costs can ramp up quickly, and it's a labour of love. I sunk a load of time into my MB-03 before giving up chasing one sub-optimal or failing part after another, and just going Silverback.

Get the hops dialled in right and...

Ahoy @ricksanchez73and welcome. What they all said. Have you played at least once, with rental gear? It's a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to flip on the "airsoft regrets starter set" bundles that tend to be cluttering up the Classifieds. I'd echo the advice to prioritise eye/face protection, and footwear, instead of guns. For full-face, I use a Valken MI-7 mask with a "thermal", i.e. dual pane lens. This really helps with fogging issues. You'll also have to budget for batteries and a charger, and I wouldn't cheap out on a Nuprol burn-your-house-down one. SkyRC chargers offer a lot more features and assurance that you're not cooking your batteries. If you're dead set on buying sooner rather than later, the Specna Arms FLEX and CORE guns with the HAL fire control system offer phenomenal features for the price. They have plastic receivers, which isn't necessarily any worse than cheap pot metal ones, but it may be a consideration for you. I'd recommend looking for guns that are wired for Deans ("T" connectors) rather than mini-Tamiya, unless you're minded to solder on new connectors yourself. https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-m4-ar15-m16-variant-assault-rifles?*brand=302 But you won't go far wrong with anything from the current range of Specna Arms, Jing Gong, CYMA, Lancer Tactical, Double Eagle, or pretty much anything sold by reputable dealers like Patrol Base. Aesthetics do count, your guns will spend more time being stared at than shooting, so don't hesitate to go with the heart over the head.

Ahoy and welcome. Sure, and I really with they wouldn't, but it's entirely on them. It's never been an offence to obtain or attempt to obtain a RIF. It's a fascinating ontological question: is the person that you might be in 8 weeks and 3 games more trustworthy to you than the person you are today? 🤔

Hmm. Did you resolve the hop issues with your TM? I'm asking to try and determine whether (and how much) you really want to be tinkering. Most modern M4s are pretty decent, and rotary hops and well-featured fire control systems are becoming common. The only "upgrades" I'd suggest are a Maple Leaf hop rubber and nub, clean the barrel, and run the heaviest BBs that your budget and hop unit can stand - not 0.2g! Are there any must-haves for you that would help to narrow it down? Metal receiver, fire control system, rotary hop, quick-change spring? Are you sure you want to give up the NGRS blowback?

Oh, sorry, yes, I blanked on that. If you've bought an AEG spring, and it's the same diameter as the stock spring, sling it in and you should be good. Longer springs can reduce twanginess. Do you have the link to the eBay listing?

Agreed, this will be fine: https://www.ak2m4.co.uk/internal-parts/springs/xt-aeg-spring-m100 It looks like you've got a 150mm barrel, so while you can probably get up to 1.1J, you might need to go a little hotter to get there. Do you have a chronograph? If so, you could try an M105 or even M110, then cut a coil or two, or just heat-and-squish them, in order to fine tune it down. If not, an XT M100 should be fine, you're always better coming out a little under than over.