GeorgePlaysAirsoft

this probably isn't going to come as a great revelation to most  but i figured it's an interesting story that maybe merits use as a means of reminding people about the greatest of airsoft sins- the non hit taker.
 
so to preface this we all know the cry, "call yer [redacted] hits you [redacted]", a yell of frustration at the perceived sin of a player breaking the honesty on which our game is based. it's a trap we've all fallen into and i won't deny having fallen for it many times myself.
 
of course the key word there is "perceived", to many the issue of crying foul is just as egregious as cheating in the first place, no doubt born from having been on the receiving end of such accusations and knowing that the supposed "hit" flew wide (or in my case dropped short).
 
it's a lesson it took me many years to learn, that it's really worth giving the benefit of the doubt in a lot of situations. these days i do my utmost to let things slide unless not only do i see the round make contact, but i know the range and hit location are such that there is no chance of a legitimate no-feel (especially important when engaging at the limits of your range)
 
however recently i had quite an interesting experience that really highlighted the whole issue.
 
a fella had popped up at the site with a rather fancy dynamic targeting system, you had 4 head sized targets which would detect a hit and fold away. really rather snazzy.
 
the site owner had decided to run a little shooting competition, nothing too fancy. the targets were spaced with 2 at 10m, and 2 at 20m. they were set with a 4s exposure time after which they'd hide for about 10 seconds (cant remember how long it was exactly).
 
when you hit a target it'd fold away and stay there. so the aim of the game was simply to get all 4 targets as fast as possible. if you hit a target and it didn't pop then it was still counted to make it fair for folks with underpowered gats.
 
so in the spirit of "this looks like a lark" i decided to have a crack at it, thought i did rather well with a 13 second time to take down all 4. i'll self-profess to not being a particularly good marksman although i do pride myself on making sure my hardware is well dialled in.
 
however what i found interesting was the other competitors, one in particular who was running with a very snappy high-speed m4 managed to expend a hell of a lot of plastic (well over 100 rounds total) and finished in over 40 seconds. watching his shots they were all flying high- the sign of an over-set hop unit although the dispersion showed it was evidently a decent enough gat. what surprised me was that instead of watching where his rounds were going and compensating he just kept firing and firing.
 
now you might argue that perhaps i'm a better marksman than i think i am, or that perhaps my obsession with mechanical accuracy meant i had equipment advantage, however that's easily countered by pointing out the winner was a kid running what appeared to be an unmodified arp556.
 
so this was a bit of fun but it did make me think that perhaps there's a lot more folk out there than i suspected who think their shots are going somewhere different to the reality, and maybe many more of those crys of anguish could be suppressed simply by people putting some effort into knowing their equipment and paying attention to their shots as they fly downrange.

Hello all! 
 
Welcome to the third end of year review with yours truly. What a year it has been! very frustrating due to closures, but I still managed to get in a number of skirmishes when things were slightly better. I totted up 9 new sites in the South East, 3 in the South West and a few revisits which is probably way more then most! Like last year, more sites have closed down then opened, with a few new ones that never came to fruition (Echelon I am looking at you!). This year the standard of site has been much better then the previous years. No site was truly awful which makes a change! 
 
 Sites that bit the dust in 2020: 

Incursion/EAG Dorking
Combat South
Urban Assault
Grange Bravo One
The Depot Glasgow
 
Sites that changed hands: 
 
Zed Adventures -> Gunman (Battle Lakes)
 
Sites that have opened/reopened:
 
Zed Adventures Z-Mart
Incursion Epsom Bunker (2019 but meh)
Doomsday (Not sure how they re-opened considering the issues they have had, but I am thinking they are still on life support)
AP The Tower
 
Last year I announced that 2020 would be the last year I would do this due to trying to start a family. For various reasons this may no longer happen so I will continue with the reviews into 2021!
 
This year I have been ably assisted by my buddy @Albiscuit who has graciously given me lifts to many of the sites this year. It's been nice to play with someone else rather then going on my tod for so long! 
 
Sites I hope to visit by the end of 2021 are:
 
Finmere Airsoft, AP - The Tower, Special Ops HQ, IronSight, Gunman Camp Alpha, Z-Mart, Epsom Tunnels, Mayhem South East Longfield and Canterbury. @Albiscuit and I are hoping to bring you a special weekender report at a couple of very interesting sites up t'North at some point. 
 
 
I am also hopefully making a return to the South West to clean up some of the sites I missed near Bristol such as Black Ops Cribbs and HMP Gloucester. We are running out of sites in the SE to visit... 
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So without further ado, here is the SE Tour Awards for 2020. 9 new sites were visited to add to a grand total of 37 in the South East alone. 
 
Best Overall Site – This is the award to the best overall site in terms of everything.
 
1)      Airsoft Plantation (Essex)
2)      Dogtag Airsoft (West Sussex)
3)      Imperium Airsoft (Kent)
 
AP: Retains the top spot for the third year running, though it was really pushed hard by Dogtag this year. I popped to AP a few weeks before writing this and had a great time with the lower numbers due to covid. It has some work to do to keep top spot though. 
Dogtag Airsoft: Knocked Driver Wood off the 2nd spot, such a varied and "shapely" area. We didnt get to see all of the areas available so we cant wait to go back! Safe zone was probably the best one I have seen outside. Food was great too. 
Imperium Airsoft: Suprise entry considering I had slated the organisation of the day, but they have gone strength to strength to improve the playing area and have now provided a covered safe zone. Considering how unique this place is, it deserves a tentative spot in third. 
 
Best Medium/Long range Playing area – Variety and/or quality of the playing area.
 
1)      Reforger Airsoft (Herts)
3)     Airsoft Plantation (Essex)
2)      Apocalypse Airsoft (Kent)
 
Reforger Airsoft: Reforger has knocked Airsoft Plantation off of it's perch. Though Reforger has very few man made features, it's natural stuff completely makes up for it, it's a huge site which really lends itself to long range engagement. 
AP: Has fallen to second place, even though it has the largest variety in terms out outdoor playing area. It is mostly flat and with few water features, the sheer changeability of the terrain and vegetation, interspersed with manmade obstacles. 
Apocalypse Airsoft: Has fallen one spot due to Reforger Airsoft. Surprised me in its decent size, huge variety of woodland sections and best of all the variety and scale of the buildings used.
 
 
Best CQB playing area – Variety  and/or quality of the playing area.
 
1)     Longmoor Camp (Hampshire)
2)     Reaper Ops The Fort Borstal (Kent)
3)     Gunman Airsoft Tuddenham (Suffolk)
 
Longmoor: Creme de la creme for CQB. Play in a perfectly recreated suburb is fantastic. I would love to go back again during the day. Reaper and Longmoor have switched places this year as I feel I got it wrong! 
Reaper ops: The Fort is a really interesting era Fort, A moat section, plenty of elevation, tunnels and turrets. A really unique site with really good views over the Medway. Since the downfall of the Mall this has now essentially replaced it at the top.
Gunman Airsoft Tuddenham: Has replaced Erebor due to it closing in 2019. Tuddenham has so much going for it for it's CQB action, they have just put in a new trench system which improves things. If they got rid of the silly grenade rule in use inside the huts, this could climb the places. 
 
 
Best purpose built buildings – This means actually built for the site and not already existing.
 
1)      Dogtag Airsoft (West Sussex)
2)      Apocalypse Airsoft (Kent)
3)      Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft (Essex)
 
Dogtag Airsoft: With the demise of Dorking, Dogtag deservedly takes the top spot. The constructon of the buildings especially in the CQB area is incredible. The quality oozes out of the construction. There are more buildings planned as well. 
Apocalypse Airsoft: Drops down to 2nd this year. The sheer variety of buildings at play, well-spaced out, multiple tiers and well looked after means this is a great site for snipers and CQB assaults. The trench system is also worth a mention.
Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft: The sheer amount of obstacles and buildings means this is worth an entry at number 3!
 
Best Safe Zone – Safe zone is classed as the setting up area. Enclosed? Felt Safe? Lots of space?
 
1)      Dogtag Airsoft (West Sussex)
2)      Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft (Essex)
3)      Red 1: The School (Herts) 
 
Dogtag Airsoft: Almost like it was built for social distancing in our covid times. Almost everything is under cover and is of really good construction. 
Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft: Has a huge multi roomed indoor/outdoor safe zone. Heated inside and benches everywhere. Shop and Toilets were pretty good as well. 
Red 1 The School: It's completely indoors, which is the only reason it gets in this spot. Its not quite big enough and the toilets are pretty bad. But hey... indoors?
 
 
Best on-site shop – Shop selection.
 
1)      MPA Hockley Airsoft Arena (Essex)
2)      Battle Lakes (Kent)
3)      Airsoft Billericay (Essex)
   
MPA Hockley: is a new entrant and absolutely deserving. It's a full retail shop with a small skirmish area attached to it. Its well appointed even for an airsoft shop. I have my doubts they will ever be topped. 
Battle Lakes: Had a very large indoor shop with lots of interesting weapons and gear for sale, also sold second hand stuff.
Airsoft Billericay: Has a very large selection of gear is available at reasonable prices. It has gone slightly downhill recently but still claims 3rd spot.
 
 
Best Catering – Catering selection.
 
1)       Dogtag Airsoft (West Sussex)
2)       Invicta Airsoft (Kent)
2)      Airsoft Plantation (Essex)
 
Dogtag Airsoft: Had a hog roast and a freakin' Ice cream truck turn up. 
Invicta Airsoft: Not the best tasting food, but you got LOADS of it. Breakfast was included in the price and they have lots of vegetarian options too. 
AP: Has a proper burger van, all the sauces, reasonable prices and a vegetarian option. Tasted good as well.
 
 
Best Marshals – Marshals that made sure you had a good time, were friendly and weeded out troublemakers.
 
2)      Airsoft Plantation (Essex)
1)       Gunman Camp Bravo (Hampshire)
3)      Invicta Airsoft (Kent)
 
AP: Has climbed back to the top spot after playing the weekend before writing this review. They will do anything to help you and bend over backwards. 
Gunman Camp Bravo: Had such a friendly bunch of people running it, really professionally run. 
Invicta Airsoft: Award goes for the most marshals and staff on one site for so few people! They were everywhere! 
 
Site where (We) had the most fun in 2020 – Might not have been the best sites, but definitely had the best experience.
 
1)      Dogtag Airsoft (West Sussex)
2)      Gunman Camp Bravo (Hampshire)
3)      Invicta Airsoft (Kent)
 
Dogtag Airsoft: Dogtag definitely took the top spot this year, we both had an amazing time and had something for both of us to like. (Considering how we are very different players!)
Gunman Camp Bravo: A very solid day, couldn't quite put our finger on it, but we had a great time and could have played for another couple of hours. Left us wanting more! 
Invicta Airsoft: More of a pick for @AlbiscuitIt was a good day in terms of personal performance for him and he loved the Invicta CQB area! 
 
Best site inside the M25:
 
1) Red 1 Chislehurst (Kent)
2) Doomsday Airsoft (Kent)
3) Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft (Essex)
 
Red 1 Chislehurst: Retains the crown as the best site inside the M25. Steady improvements despite thieves taking away part of the safe zone. 
Doomsday Airsoft: Needs to sort out its sometimes open/sometimes closed status. 
Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft: Fantastic playing area, good variety, but poor organisation lets it down.
 
Most Disappointing site - For sites we had high hopes for but was a bit of a let down on the day.
 
1) Splatoon Airsoft (Essex)
2) AirsoftGB (Essex)
3) Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft (Essex)
 
Splatoon airsoft: Went for a Battlesim, it was one of the most poorly run events that we have ever been to. Had so much promise. Shame, considering the site itself is not that bad. 
AirsoftGB: Was the biggest let down. We heard many many good things about it. But when we got there just saw a bowl of grass with a bunch of structures in it. The Farmyard section was quite good, but the rest of the experience wasn't fantastic either. We didn't quite get the hype. 
Mayhem Paintball and Airsoft: The photos on the website didn't disappoint. But I didn't realise how quite bad organisation could get until I played here. 
 
Spray and “prey” award:
 
For the third year running, I still have nightmares of Tactical Warfare in Croydon. I just cant bring myself to go back due to the liberal usage of plastic death. 
 
Best moment:
 
When we first saw the "Village" at Dogtag Airsoft. Jaw dropped and we looked at each other knowing it was going to be good. 
 
 
Here are all of the in-depth individual reviews for your viewing pleasure. 
 
 
 
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There have been more changes this year in the awards then last year. The standard has been overall much higher. Though there were a number of "middling" sites, which just couldn't quite get on the board. 
 
Not much to say this year, I think people are just hoping to see the back of it. Definitely more of a year for purchasing gear that I haven't played enough to get around to using! In 2021 I am hoping to get to more sites outside of the South East, just for a bit of variety. So don't expect too many SE reviews... Not enough sites left to add anyway! 
 
See you in 2021 folks! Z-Mart, be there! 

My sa58 . 

Some of the random stuff I've gotten my hands on lately, kind of. Waiting on a couple still.
The only one I've committed to keeping is the shotgun 

Picked up a 2nd WAS 901 so have set it up for my AUG. 
 
Warrior 901 modified by the person I bought it from. Bib section removed making it lighter and more flexible. 
 
British Tactical double mag pouches x3, British tactical OMG open mag pouches x2. 
 
FMC Airframe with Urtactical cover and battery pouch in ranger green. 
 
PIG FDT gloves.
 

The same with chest rigs. The clue is in the name and they're not called belly rigs

More props and vehicles, cqb, seating and dry safe zone, cqb, decent game types, cqb, more Veggy options for lunch, cqb and did I mention more cqb? 

I’ve got the newer Element WADSN Dbal, and I find the IR laser too bright.  It seems to hold zero, but I have stopped using it as I’m concerned over safety. 
 
The whole area of lasers in airsoft is a concern for me, especially with the Russian military stuff having the potential to be dangerously powerful.  I wouldn’t be comfortable having one pointed in the direction of my NVG and/or eyes.
 
I’m using an Eotech 552 for targeting, and find it superb for airsoft engagement distances. It just floats over the target and I rarely need to adjust my fall of shot to hit.
 
I just don’t get it why players wander around with shitty light discipline, pissing out signature everywhere. White light or IR, it all looks similar under my NVG.  I do use tracers though, which I know is a giveaway, but they just look so cool. Geoff’s make a nice .32, so it’d be rude not to.

Shame the PTS MAWL is still nowhere to be seen.

I am quietly confident. After messing around with not one but two element peqs, the somogear ngal (v1) is pretty good, all things considered. Somogear are also quite hot on user feedback, indeed they didn't plan to release a "full IR" version of the peq and ngal till customers persuaded them, they've continued to take feedback on board and refine their products, which is pretty cool and dare i say, quite rare in this world.  Fingers crossed...

I am quietly confident. After messing around with not one but two element peqs, the somogear ngal (v1) is pretty good, all things considered. Somogear are also quite hot on user feedback, indeed they didn't plan to release a "full IR" version of the peq and ngal till customers persuaded them, they've continued to take feedback on board and refine their products, which is pretty cool and dare i say, quite rare in this world.  Fingers crossed...

yeh thats what the specs are on their website, lets hope they stick to them

Specs are/ should be: 
 
IR laser: 1mW/ 20mW
Ir Ilum: 5mW/60mW
Red laser: 5mW/25mW
Green laser: 5mW/20mW

Aye this was the forerunner until we saw the dbals for a good price and jumped on them, also the zeroable IR illuminator
Was this for the vis laser in green?

Apologies - you are quite right, I was referring to an older picture and the annotations are a bit funky. 

Worth noting that that is for the visible lasers. I was sent a green laser version, not a red laser version, the former is listed as 4.9mW. It is.. disconcerting as it is fun to wave around. Deffo not something I'd use in a skirmish, even the reflection against cream wallpaper was uncomfortable! The IR laser is 1mW and the new version will be 1mW (low) and 5mW (high)
 
 
 
 

Truth, ppl be dumb sometimes (all the time in certain cases)

I now have a conundrum of trying to mod the dbal for LED IR and a lower power laser, or selling it on and trying out the soon to be released  SOMOGEAR PEQ or NGAL

Compare with the real Steel:

Ignore the backdrop, area where we do 2nd hand photography is a state at the moment so it’s a back-room bodge!
 
This was a Novristch SSP1 with a slide lock that would fall out (hilarious on the field) a thumb safety that would engage randomly (also hilarious on the field) and a slide that would rattle about so much that you could mistake the gun for a half full high capacity magazine.
 
Now it’s a swish Tungsten-grey gnu with a handle on the side for faster pewing. I name it the Notritsch
 
 

Ignore the background? Fuck off, that's a brilliant album!

Evolution gear and Holy Warrior may be worth checking out. 

Nuprol AK in Normandy Camo 😂

This year has been one of the worst ones for me since getting back into airsoft as an adult. total games for this year has ended at a disappointing ONE game.....But what wasnt disappointing was where I chose to go for that one game.
 
Dogtag airsoft is set just outside of Crawley, West Sussex and covers approx. 150 acres of land.
 

The site is set among tall evergreens with a very soft peat ground so even though its in the middle of winter it wasn't bogged out heavily which was something I feared.
This site is unique as their safe zone is located in the middle of main play area which some people commented about as if it is a negative thing but the ability to quickly go back to the safe zone for toilet, batteries, ammo, or any other reason and be able to quickly re-join is a huge plus in my eyes.
 
SAFE ZONE - This safe zone must have been built ground up with covid in mind as there is TONS of space for people. Safe zone is set up in bays with 4 people per bay. each bay has its own picnic table in the middle and two shelfs which go around the walls of the bay, one at hip height and one at shoulder height. 
Easy to spot section for rental players to collect their gear from with a small hatch for buying cold food, drinks and supplies (ammo, pyros) there was also an extra section where hot food was served (Did not sample the food as diabetic and have to be careful, but my god it looked good enough that i was tempted to just stab myself with some insulin and get messy with that food)
 
Chrono was done by the marshals at their range where they test to Joules rather than FPS to ensure that isn't any creep going on which I can understand. Before going into the game staff check for tags on all guns before entering the field and it did seem they were checking peoples limits during the game as well as a guy was found to be suddenly hot during one of the games.
 
SITE - As above in the image you can see that there are various different fields. the ones that were used on my visit were the Crater, Helicopter, swamp, Medi pack. CQB, and Valley areas. Marshal did state that they were doing battlesim days where the whole area was used which does sound appealing but for the day I went the area used was sufficient gave a nice variety and didn't feel repetitive. The ground is soft and covered in peat due to being surrounded by evergreens and there was little to no painful shrubbery like nettles and the sort. Was a few small bushes to hind in and enough to give cover but you wouldn't have to worry about getting stung if you suddenly fell into one. 
 
There are bunkers located in every field and lots of hard cover in place to hide behind making it easy to advance across a field under heavy fire providing you have good teamwork going on. Structures are well made (as im 25stone and if it doesn't wobble when i fall into it you know its solid)
 
Game mode - Thankfully there was a spilt in modes. Nice big game for the morning when everyone is full of energy and then smaller quick modes in the afternoon once every one is dead on their feet.
The first mode we played spanned across all the areas in plan for that day with one team attacking and one defending. Attackers had unlimited lives and defenders once hit had to retreat to the next objective point. Respawn point for attackers was slowly moved closer to the objective as the game went on to keep the flow and to ensure that it didn't grind to a halt which ensured gameplay was smooth.
 
As the big game finished early there was a quick CQB game held with a zombie mode being used (two zombies vs everyone else, once hit you become the zombie untill time is called or every one is dead)