GeorgePlaysAirsoft

The short version is the actual "shell" of the helmet doesn't matter too much, what does, I think in roughly this order: -retention system - shroud* - padding -shell A real team wendy exfil would be really good I think. If you can find one, and can afford it, get one and maybe consider replacing the padding later. That's the short answer. Or you can pick kinda any bump helmet, and replace retention system, padding and shroud - in that order. Longer answer: I had the FMA replica of the exfil for a while and I think the value for money is really good there. It's a common assumption that you need a high quality shroud to make sure the night vision doesn't fall off. I think this is true, sure, but I did not have any issues with the built in shroud on my replica helmet. What I did have happen, is the retention system broke. After around 2 years of use. I'm not sure how many hours this was with night vision but quite a lot and i paid £35ish for the helmet all in. I put the * by shroud because you do need a good shroud, but I'm not sure you need a legit RS shroud. They aren't the most complicated things at the end of the day. This is personal preference but looking at it, there is basically nothing I like about the PTS flux helmet. it doesn't have an "on the fly" retention system (like the boa the team wendy comes with, or the ops core occ dial) which I think is almost essential for reducing wobble and comfort and the pads look kinda naff. Likewise padding is very important because comfort is king and you kinda need to wear these for long periods of time. When my suspension system broke I replaced it with the following, and also ordered some pads whilst I was at it. The (replica) TW pads are nice, but these are nicer and worth the money imo. https://protectiongroupdenmark.com/shop/5-ballistic-helmet/25-pgd-dial-retention-system/ https://protectiongroupdenmark.com/shop/5-ballistic-helmet/26-pgd-10-pad-helmet-liner/

I think selling for 2/3rds of the price new is a good rule of thumb for lots of airsoft stuff. But considering the RS wood, already modified to fit, with a custom pistol grip is hardly something you can grab off patrol base (nobody else may be making them, and if someone else is offering the service, this means acquiring the wood, then labour cost, turn around time etc). So I think apply the 2/3rds rule to the cost of the gun and mags, but ask for 20% more for the wood.

I respectfully disagree. In my opinion "airsoft" is fundamentally just a technology which facilitates whatever kinda activity someone/some people want to get out of it. If someone invented some kind of personal force field like in Dune that meant you could shoot people with real bullets out of real guns with zero injury that would be awesome and I would never have to set a hop or charge a lipo again. Thing is people do want different things out of "airsoft". And most people only go to skirmishes rather than specific events for a specific vibe/emphasis/audience. And most people only to a handful of skirmish sites. Even if we could "define the hobby", I'm not sure we should. Also, most skirmish sites operate the same rules. At some point someone decided that sniper rifles have a 30MED, that semi auto DMRs should be locked to 425fps or thereabouts and the rest followed suit. I'm not really sure there is an issue there. The "rising tide" starts with the players, not the sites, and not some theoretical trade body. Be the change you want to see. Go to the events which actually suit you. On that note.. To actually answer OP's question...well I won't. I think you are asking the wrong question. The great opportunity you have is not anything to do with how CQB sites are laid out. But that you have a somewhat close knit, "high trust" "airsoft club" to play with. This means you can experiment with different game formats which wouldn't work as well, if at all, at a walk on skirmish. For example one way of mitigating the issue of spawn camping is to have no respawns, so no spawn to camp. Stuff like that. Loads of fun to be had coming up and testing out ideas.

Go for it you'll have a great time

The solution for converting a DCS to take placards is very slick. And the spiritus etc placards are proven. The issue for me is the inserts. No offence to any one but not only is only being able to carry 4 mags is sub optimal (compare to Impulse's six on the same foot print) and also, and i suppose this is a me issue, just looks crap. I was looking at getting an MP5 a little while a go now but decided against as i couldn't find a set up I liked. I would personally go with: https://unobtainiumgear.com/products/smg-sleds-placard The GMR universal insert also looks good but a picture showing it with 6x rather than 5x mp5 banana mags is conspicuous by it's absence https://www.gmrgear.com/parasight/universal-kydex-insert

From last month: FMA exfil + scrim + counterweight pouch PGD suspension system + pads Norotos TATM FLIR BNVD-40 gen 2 Underarmour heatgear bala + nb tactical "venom" cut down and taped up to be even smaller + bloc tactical lynx glasses petzl taktikka (think i've had this for about 15 years??) Arktis rainshield Pew tactical SS mk5 placard with a tmc kydex insert mounted on a thing 2 replica with a platatac chicom harness + pew tactical small GP + platatac canteen pouch and a pew tactical ccs pouch and a aliexpress little dump pouch Alongside mags and water and the usual BS I have a retevis rt3s with an extended antenna and an anytone 878 connected to an invisio x50 + x5 headset tmc fanny pack mechanix fast fit gloves fjallraven vidda pro trousers vivo barefoot tracker forest esc my gun is a specna mk18 "edge" upgraded from combat south with a vortex red dot sight and g&p dbal mounted on a replica KAC "skyscraper" mount turned backwards. on the front i have a "nightstick tactical" weapon light which isn't the brightest thing ever but then again nor am i (banter)

£30 does sound well priced was that second hand or new? If they made a version that had an external battery pack I'd be very keen to try out. With regards to using them with comms check out this video "alternative set up" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtA9CYH80jM I think this is the acoustic tube but it's not clear to me how it interfaces with your standard earpieces https://www.commgearsupply.com/en-gb/products/noizebarrier®-micro-comms-single-kit-micro-in-ears-not-included?variant=39350596960355

This is the best idea. Never miss an opportunity to have fun because someone on the internet said something negative. Worst case you spent some time and money on learning what you like and dislike about what airsoft has to offer. Best case you meet some nice people who want to get out of airsoft the same sorts of things you do, you get home and immediately start looking to see what the next event you can do is. If you can find a local site doing a 24h(+) game* then it can't hurt to check that out even if just for the sake of your sleeping kit. But broadly I recommend going to games which are put on my organisers who focus on hosting these types of games. Logistically speaking a game at an urban venue is a gentler introduction than one in the woods, but then again don't let that hold you back either. *I don't think the term "milsim" is a good one but that's something for another time.

Finding a good/"perfect" set up requires trial, error, and money. and that is for those of us without a skin condition or similar. The sad fact is that you are looking for the impossible: something that offers complete face protection, is comfortable, and doesn't interfere with playing the game. i reckon that for the majority of people that play airsoft for long enough go with less protection rather than more. i suggest that you basically have two lines of protection which are modular and allow you "min max" as best you can. firstly you want a pair of goggles or glasses that fit underneath a helmet. i don't know what to suggest here tbh. for protecting your teeth and to a certain extent, nose i would go with this: https://www.tactical-clothing.co.uk/product/laylax-aeroflex-face-guard-black-12671 i would guess that the silicon is less irritating than mesh/cordura or what have you. i would also consider a balaclava, depending on skin irritation you may need to experiment between synthetic (i like underarmour "heatgear" balaclava) or something like merino wool or variants thereof be it smartwool or whatever. I've found these to be more or less essential for wearing helmets for a long period of time as the pads "glide" over the balaclava rather than your hair and follicles or whatever else. after that i think a helmet with visor is probably the best bet for protecting your face. this means that you can flip the visor up or down depending on your risk tolerance and so forth. i think any helmet with a visor would do, but i would recommend getting a decent set of pads and a retention system with a boa (or similar) dial to allow you adjust the tension on the fly. comfort really is king. with a visor you will benefit from a gun with a funky "visor" stock and a sight on a tall mount as has already been mentioned. money aside there's no disadvantage to this really. good luck.

Kicking Mustang did WHAT!?!?!

It's 100% the sight. I gently disagree, I think you can zero optics to airsoft guns effectively provided you have the right expectations. I + others had a little zero sesh not so long ago and we were pinging a dumbell plate (so a bit smaller than a dinner plate) 20-25m (based on google maps) very consistently. Yes, wind effects things but I think having to walk the bb onto target is a bit of a low bar to set yourself, I think you want to do as much as you reasonably can to get the first shot(s) accuracy. Obviously an optic is not going to make up for an inconsistent gun. But if the gun is consistent then it is the optic. I have used many a cheap optic in my time and its not a matter of "holding zero" but seemingly can't be zero'd at all. If they work for other people great there are no prizes here but I have a much better time with budget, "real steel" optics - vortex, holosun and so forth. The most I've paid for a single optic I think was £130. Whilst it's dead now (so old the battery corroded and messed it all up) I did have one of these which is well priced and worked well. I remember spending the time to get it dialed in and having a "yes, this is how it's supposed to be" moment: https://www.opticswarehouse.co.uk/vector-optics-tempest-1x35-four-reticle-dot-sight

Interesting thread. I try to get get a "milsim"/24h(+) game once a month between october-may, with some skirmishes sprinkled in between. Sometimes we'll travel to a particularly cool site and get an airbnb the night before. And I tend to take summer off just because of holidays and that sort of stuff. And real life gets in the way too. I managed to get ill 3 times in a row between october and december last year so had to pass up on some games. For me getting to a 24h game is £200 taking into account ticket, fuel and food. It's about 20hours of play (say 4hrs sleep) and about 8 hours of driving total. The sites near me are around an hour away so i think I get good value-for-money-for-time. But I do notice it leaving my bank account of course. I would like to get to skirmishes more. If the difference is either going by myself or not going at all, I'll go by myself. But if I do go by myself its half "i have the itch" and half "i have a new bit of kit i want to try out but don't want to take it for a first spin at a 24h game". The thread about "fireteams" sums it up really. When your "normal" is playing with your friends in a somewhat organised squad, with a squad and command radio net (even if comms can be iffy!) then my expectations for a skirmish aren't lower as such, they're just different. I would like to do more skirmishes next year though. Mostly because I am moving so I want to check out some sites i've not been to whilst I have the chance. And when I do move I'll be closer to my airsoft friends so easier to do skirmishes with them. (when it comes to the 24h games we are equally far away, just in different directions). I'll also have quite a few really cool sites all within about an hours drive so that'll be nice too. I also hope to have some "life changes" which will probably impact my ability to go away for entire weekends but whatever i think it'll be worth it.

There's not really a fuss as such I don't think. I've filled in two of them and don't get me wrong, I'd rather not fill in a form, I'd rather not pay customs charges but it is part of the game and I didn't have a "bad service" from UPS. I think its easier to understand the fuss if you've had to complete the form for parts only, not a RIF. If you import a RIF I imagine it would be fairly straight forward. If you just import parts, it's a bit more of a pain to get your head around. It's not that UPS are intentionally asking you for UKARA for parts, it's just not a very good form. Admittedly this was a few years ago it might have changed. But imagine you are me and you have ordered a torch mount from evike. You'd fill in section A saying you're a private individual. In section B RIF parts fall under "RIF" so you have to complete section C. It's not a RIF, so you select "no" for that. But then when you tick "RIF parts", it asks you to complete the RIF section anyway, including the event you're using it for, your UKARA number..velocity declaration etc. Not to mention the form then asks you about RIF parts again, except this time they want you to complete a section about unrealistic, realistic imitation firearms! It is / was just a bit of crap form. I've had people PM me after seeing my post on the first page and I've had to walk them through it a bit. It's not they are stupid, the form is. I get the impression it was written by one person, perhaps in a hurry, and noone else checked it.

i am going to out myself as being on the left of that pic...fwiw your idea of "reasonable" may shift if you get the nods bug. We try to get to a 24h game once a month which is around 8hrs driving total and £200 or so for fees n fuel with night games here and there especially in autumn-winter. Maybe not for everyone, but it's very much for us! Also without checking their website i am pretty sure warzone do/did evening games on saturdays too. Whether or not nods are worth it to you is another matter entirely and is not something that anybody can really advise on. For me it was just a gut feeling.

Interesting idea. I have been trying to think of ways i can make cheap targets for "practical plinking". ideally ones that give a nice ping on impact. I was thinking of buying some cheap baking trays and sticking them on canes. Does anybody have any better ideas? thank you.

I have used these which are firmly "ok", they are let down by the molle strap with the push button - the strap is slightly too long, and because its a push button not one you keep threading through does mean it dangles a bit and sits offset from whatever you mount it to... a small thing but is annoying as timed bfgs are a bit heavy. https://www.flecktarn.co.uk/sdtop4nx.html I also used the HW holsters which are great at what they are supposed to, though ultimately I don't think they are well suited to anything outdoors as they can slip out. I think some extra elastic retention would be good for added security. The malice clips also had the same issue as above - maybe i am just being fussy. Finally I came across this: https://thegeardocrow.com/2021/03/18/review-cellar-gear-flashbang-pouches/ I asked Cellar Gear to make me two of these in the form of a dangler that attaches to chest rig/plate carrier. I've attached a picture. I think its pretty cool. As you can see there's some fraying of the stitching which isn't ideal. I think this cost me £45 which is pretty good for a bespoke bit of kit. It was certainly cheaper then when I was window shopping to do the same thing using a molle panel, molle pouches etc. One improvement that could be made is a slot/channel to accommodate the pin whilst letting the grenade sit deeper inside the pouch.