[Advice hpa sniper engine]

Entirely depends on the rifle. Mancraft SDiKs are pretty widespread and your main option for most rifles, but there are a handful of other engines for other rifles. Personally, I like the Wolverine Bolt (NOT the Bolt M!) because I think the VSR is the tried and tested best platform (but not my favourite) and that's what the Bolt is for. I have a VSR with a Wolverine Bolt and it's probably my quietest and best shooting gun. The mechanical systems aren't bad, but they're a bit louder (still very quiet) and not quite as effortless with the bolt pull (still very easy).

 

The other option is to go with a gas rifle like a KJ m700 (my favourite platform!) and HPA tap the magazines, but this is a lot less practical and is basically heresy to me. It's heavier and you need to detach the line every time you change the magazine, unless you handload the BBs like you would a real m700, and you still have a line and tank to contend with.

[The 'How Did Your Airsoft Day Go? Thread]

Played at a private game yesterday (Saturday) at UCAP bunker in Portsmouth. I'm pretty sure the guys organised the first game with me in mind, since everyone knows me as a sniper and my collection is pretty much all long guns since it's what I enjoy and they decided the first game would be small teams of four and you had to keep moving around. Lots of speedy CQB action to try and avoid getting shot in the back and clearly doing that with an SR-25 was going to be a challenge, especially since a bunch of the guys do CQB on a regular basis at SHOTS (there's a killhouse there and they do CQB games every other Friday evening).

 

However, it's amazing how muscle memory works. Didn't take long for the muscle memory to kick back in from when I used to play at urban sites in Spain. Yes, I still played sniper in Spain, but clearing my way to positions meant I got my reps in for room clearing and I ended up taking point a lot during these games, even with the SR-25; it's a lot more awkward, but I still managed to work the angles and take some names. Was a fun game mode, apart from getting shot in the back shortly after leaving respawn by the next team of four to come out. Played another fun game where we all carried a playing card and when you were hit you held up your card for 30 seconds for the enemy to get. The objective of the game was to collect up cards until you had a hand of poker that you then played against the banker, who was roaming the tunnels with his bodyguard and won poker chips depending on how much you won the hand by. Team with the most poker chips wins. I did what everyone assumed I'd do in this one, found a nice darkened area by a door, poking my rifle around the corner and just... denying an entire corridor to the other team. Not exactly speedy CQB, but it made the other team's lives hard and it was what I was good at. Minimised my silhouette so they had no idea where I was, though lots of shots slammed into the metal doorframe above me that I was tucked behind.

 

All in all it was a fun day and I really, really needed it with all my sleeping issues recently and distinct lack of playing because of health/gun issues over the last few game days. Looking forward to when they run the game with the playing cards and the 4 man teams game at Worthing, as I think those will be really interesting in a woodland (and hopefully less getting shot in the back after respawning in!)

[Gun picture thread]

So, thanks to @Whats my first MWS build is basically done. It's a "close enough" build for a mk12 mod1 SPR (it's just an m16a4 with a scope and a bipod but ssssshhhhhhhh)

 

I do also have a carry handle and will look out for an m16a1 front so that I can do a quick conversion to an m16a1 for 'Namsoft. I do love me some captured weapons  

 

 

Now I just need a 2nd MWS to build as a little CQB tacticool thing...

[The 'How Did Your Airsoft Day Go? Thread]

Went along to Worthing Airsoft (as usual) yesterday. Really needed a good day of airsoft since I've been having issues sleeping related to anxiety from the times my heart decided to be weird. VSR was fine and leak free after I took the engine apart, made sure the o-rings were all in place and everything was lubed up. The m21 was feeding well and chronoing perfectly and the weather in the morning was lovely. It was perfect.

 

Until I went to chrono... VSR leaked all its air within about 15 mins and didn't fire at chrono because the tank was empty and the m21 started jamming on empty again. Ahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa......... Seriously, I am truly miffed and I think it's the last straw for HPA for me. The m21 will be sorted, as I spent most of the day toying around with the FCU and managed to get it to stop jamming, however the short mags that I brought with me weren't feeding that reliably. I'm optimistic that when I take it to the next game day with the normal TM magazines it will be fine, but I just couldn't play at all since both of my guns were playing up.

 

I did, however, manage to make the day constructive and useful. Before the games and through lunch while the games weren't on I took a wander out into the site with my rangefinder and made a very interesting discovery. With how thick the foliage is, even during winter when the coppices have no leaves, there are very few areas where the lines of fire are more than 65m. You can play along the paths and you can get sight lines up to about 120m, but as soon as you want to play anywhere that isn't along the path, even if you just go a metre or so off the path, you suddenly only have sight for about 65m at most. Suffice to say, I'm bringing the m700 next game day and adjusting it to fire at 1.1J since I know I can make that shoot accurately to 60m at 1.1J and will do away with the 30m MED. I also confirmed my suspicions on some bolt action users that they're shooting within their MED; I just wish the marshalls did something about it. I at least found that all of my spots were 30m or more (though just barely on some. One was 31m!), but it's not going to be very meaningful as I think I might just fully transition to 1.1J builds at Worthing.

 

Hopefully I'll be able to actually play next time. Got a private game at the UCAP bunker next weekend and I'll be taking the SR-25 and MWS to that, so if the MWS doesn't want to play ball I know that the SR-25 works fine and the hop is set and everything is zeroed (I'm changing some externals on the MWS so I hope it won't affect it, but you never know!). This is why, even though I don't like using AEGs, having AEGs as a reliable backup is so useful.

[hpa aeg or gbbr]

11 hours ago, alxndrhll said:

HPA? Been there, done that, went back to AEGs (specifically the NGRS at the time). The line and tank were annoying to me, more so because it forces me to provision for something on my kit I don’t actually want there than anything else. The variety of CO2 stocks out there promising ‘HPA performance without the line’ are absolutely full of shit, if they actually functioned as they’re sold surely everyone would use them? CO2 simply isn’t, and never will be as stable as HPA… and that’s before you have to dick around swapping out a capsule ever half a mag, or paying an absolute fortune for 33g cartridges in the hope you can clear a mag before it puffs out. Then you’ve got the variety of HPA ‘stocks’ which are absolutely gopping.

 

HPA stocks are another thing that brings me back to HPA being better for snipers/DMRs/sneakyboi guns. I think what a lot of people who intend on using full-auto fail to understand about a 13ci tank is that a 13ci tank isn't going to give you a huge number of shots. Running a HPA stock on full-auto or even trigger-happy semi-auto is going to run out of air VERY quickly

 

1 hour ago, Davegolf said:

An AEG can easily be as consistent as HPA.

AEGs can be as quiet as HPA if implemented in bullpups.

But this is a moot point really as using HPA in an assault role doesn’t really go hand in hand with mouse fart gun report.

 

These are my thoughts exactly. I can't tech AEGs (I tried and I screwed up two of my guns...), but ever since I got my two AEGs back from my local tech I don't care much for HPA in terms of consistency. Only reason I use HPA is the mouse fart quietness (and effortless bolt pull on my VSR) on a pair of sniper rifles, one at 2.3J and one as a 1.1J semi-auto build.

 

Back to the original post and reading other responses here, I think an NGRS might be a great next investment for you. It's reliable, doesn't need any modifications (but a hop up change can help) and will work all year round without issue, plus it's a little different to your other AEGs with the recoil and the fact it stops shooting when empty and requires the bolt release to be pressed after a mag change from empty.

[2022/23 sub-£200 AEG brands to buy]

Cyma for AKs, M14s and MP5s. Every Cyma M14 or MP5 I've owned has been a real workhorse of a gun over the years, and I've recommended many Cyma MP5s to friends and they all love them.

[hpa aeg or gbbr]

AEG - Usually what I'd advise. They work, they're generally pretty consistent (more than consistent enough before anyone chimes in with "but my HPA system is more consistent!"), they're simple to use and reliable all year round. You can carry way more ammo than you'll realistically need in a game thanks to high caps and you can also carry an Odin speedloader or something like that for in case you need a top-up, so you can easily carry thousands of BBs in a simple loadout, and even if you go solely mid-caps you're still easily capable of carrying hundreds of rounds in a few mags. All in all, there's a reason why AEGs are the mainstay of the hobby and the most common guns. The main drawbacks of AEGs are that gearboxes are technowizardry, so maintenance at that level is difficult, and they're relatively noisy, which isn't really a concern unless your playstyle is specifically designed around being a sneaky bugger. Also, if you treat LiPo batteries poorly they will catch fire pretty spectacularly, but it's very easy to avoid that through proper battery maintenance. There aren't many reasons to not go with an AEG, all things considered.

 

GBBR - The fun, but impractical platform. Will you be outgunned in every fight? Yes, unless you're in a firefight with a bolt action user. Will you curse your choice in the depths of winter when it doesn't work nearly as well? Yes. I hope you like semi-auto on this platform, because the way gas works you're going to get rapid cooldown on full-auto which means any burst longer than a second will start flying all over the place. However, ever since I squeezed through a magazine with my TM AKM, I swore myself off AEGs. They're so much fun to use and feel a lot more satisfying when you do hit people, plus when you pull of a speedy reload with all the realistic weapon manipulation stuff it feels really cool. They also tend to perform really, really well when conditions are optimal. However, mags are incredibly expensive (you'll be looking at £50+ per mag), have a very low capacity (usually around 35 BBs) and are heavy. I carry 7 spare mags for my MWS and 5 spares for my AKM and they are definitely not light...

HPA - I have a (potentially) controversial opinion on HPA; I think it's pointless outside of sniper/DMR/sneakyboi guns. Yes, it's more consistent than AEG, but in airsoft at the ranges we play it's totally negligible, plus you can tune an AEG for a fraction of the cost to be pretty much as consistent. Most of the time when playing like a normal person, you'll be squeezing off a couple of shots to hit the target, partially because we're a trigger-happy bunch and partially because airsoft guns are not precision weapons, they're air-powered muskets shooting a projectile that weighs a fraction of a gram at about a joule of energy. Also, you'll have to get used to running an air line and a tank, which you won't notice 95% of the time, but that 5% of the time is infuriating when it gets caught on stuff or tangled up in kit. It's a lot more silent than an AEG or GBBR if you put a foam-filled suppressor on it, it's like having a long mk23 with a far better trigger, way more ammo and the ability to go full-auto. I think all the benefits of HPA are fantastic for sniping and playing sneaky, but outside of that I think AEGs are just a better option.

[MWS M4a1 with m16 kit - 7 magazines]

... and I'm after an m16 kit for one xD

 

So I'm biased in saying I'd probably split it too.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

New toy for my sniper kit and going to make working as part of a sniper/spotter pair incredibly effective. Is it needed at airsoft ranges? Not for most shots, since we're talking not much more than 100m max, but it'll help make long range shots a bit more consistent. Going to start learning precisely how to use those little dots on my scope for those long range shots 

 

Going to take it for a spin and get some ranges from some firing positions I like at Worthing Airsoft this weekend, as well as seeing if their targets on the range are the ranges they say they are

 

[brands to avoid]

All of this SRC hate and the only SRC item I own is a phenomenal bit of kit (it's a bipod for my m700). I'm sure their other stuff is wank, but the bipod I have is nice at least.

 

In terms of brands I avoid... Nuprol, Raven, Lancer Tactical, Vorsk is what comes to mind immediately. I tend to avoid G&G as well mostly because they do weird proprietary things with their guns and I don't like it. Viper kit isn't that bad these days (but my god was it utter shit back when I first started).

 

Generally equipment in airsoft, be it guns, attachments or tactical kit, is pretty good these days.

[Upgrading a cyma 48]

All I'd do is swap the hop rubber and nub, as those are very cheap things to do and will have the most impact. Everything else is fine on Cyma guns (generally). Consistency is more important than max range anyway, as I've often had people spray a shower of BBs in my direction, missing entirely, only for me to take one or two well-placed shots to take them out, often to the angry "tAKe yOuR hItS!" call from my target. That and "yoU hAvE a 30m MED dUde!" (when I'm using my 1.1J build) are two of the things that fuel me and I love it every time someone gets all salty at me 😂

 

1 hour ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

There'll always be someone with more range, and a higher RoF.  And if there's not that, it'll be one of them pesky sniper chappies dressed as a tree, or a pre-schooler hidden in a dark corner to zap you.
But the main thing is, those are the words that always precede "I'll just open the gear box" which often ends in tears - or an ever-widening opening of the wallet until you're living in a cardboard box under a bridge...

So unless you're struggling to shoot out to 40-45m (which will probably be fixable with a new hop rubber and nub, and maybe a new barrel), I'd honestly counsel you to concentrate on improving / changing your play-style so that range becomes a secondary issue.   If you're static on the front line, trying to trade shots with a bunch of other guys there will always be a Long Ranger in there to spoil your fun, it's better to find a way to close the range on a flank or through smoke, or encourage some proper covering fire from your teammates so you cancel out that range advantage.

It's easier said than done, I admit, but you give yourself more chance of making a "hero moment" of breaking a deadlock.  I had mine at the last skirmish when I took advantage of a well-placed smoke grenade someone else had thrown to push forward 10 yards and take out the two guys who were completely holding down the rest of my team.   (I'm still waiting for my medal, it must be coming)
That's so much more satisfying than just having a gun that happens to shoot 2m further than your opponent.

 

 

I'll also echo basically all of this (and I'm ont of those pesky tree cosplayers mentioned!). The advice the old site owner at Worthing, who was one of the big reasons why I got into airsoft, gave to all of us was "if he's 5m out of range, take a few steps forward". Now it's obviously not just as simple as that, but the idea is the same. Get aggressive and push up and you'll really start to make your presence known in game because a lot of people these days just hunker down behind cover and spray BBs into the barricade that the enemy is hunkering down behind.

[NAF23 bookings are now open...]

11 hours ago, AirSniper said:

theres no wankers there.

 

😐🙂😃😄😅😆😂🤣

 

Don't know which NAF you're going to, but that is not the general consensus I've heard from others.

[Gun picture thread]

"Take one out while the other's not looking" - Some guy in a video game circa 2007

 

I'm so happy this is working again. 55psi on the regulator has it firing between 1.112J at the lowest and 1.137J at the highest on .32s, so it's mega consistent and just where I need it for no MED shenanigans. I've semi-locked it, despite not being a "DMR" as it's meant to be an m21 sniper rifle, and the m21 was semi-auto only. Stubby mags are feeding flawlessly now, which is amazing as it means I don't need to run a chest rig as I can store 3 spare mags in a medium utility pouch (and they don't rattle around) and an Odin speedloader in another pouch, plus it makes it look very sniper-y and unique. I still have half a bag of .4s though, so I might rattle a few shots at 1.64J on the range (my local site's DMR limits) to see how it shoots there, but likelihood is I just keep it at 1.14J and keep the ability to point-blank, especially with how close we are to my local site growing some thick foliage through spring and becoming woodland CQB

 

As the weather warms up, I might revert to my longest standing weapon combination: m21 sniper rifle and 1911 pistol is what I used to run when I played in Spain, because it's what I ran in CoD4 as a teenager  

 

[Halo screen ghillie suit material-]

19 minutes ago, Badgerlicious said:

A good suggestion for someone on a budget! Though nothing else really gets as close to real leaves as halo (besides real leaves :D) 

 

True, but the webtex concealment vest has veggie loops on so if I was on a small budget I'd get one of those for about £40, then a pair of old surplus trousers for about £10 to shred and then some raffia for another £10 and add a bit of volume, and then use natural veg on the day. £60 ghillie that will work well 

[Halo screen ghillie suit material-]

If you want to go mega cheap, you can use old camos. Shred up an old pair of trousers and use it the same way as haloscreen. Will it be as good? Probably not, but it will be a fraction of the price and still do the job.

 

Embrace old fashioned ghillie crafting!

[Cyma m14 EBR with Aero stock?]

Did a bit more research into this and... it can't be done. Damn it! Have had a look at other options and I might be able to do something with an Ares SR25 DMR carbine, but looking into if I can swap the hop unit out because the stock one is apparently awful and I'm not doing a "DMR" build with a crap hop up. If I can't do that, I'll drop this idea as I don't want to just get an MTW because I wanted something 7.62 (or at least something like a mk12)

 

[hop up rubbers, what's the real differences]

The only ones I don't touch are 50 degree rubbers as I found the airseal on 50 degree rubbers to be a bit worse. Anything 60 or over though, I haven't seen many differences and largely just put 70 degree rubbers in everything.

[Gun picture thread]

Since we were all discussing how wonderful the mp5k is to a new person, I thought I'd post mine now that the new buttplate had arrived. Will use a QD sling mount and a one-point sling done tight, so I can carry it around while sniping and just quickly unclip it when I need to use it. Things I still need for it are:

- M-lok front

- Picatinny-mounted folding stock

- More batteries and rewire it to deans connectors

 

[Cyma m14 EBR with Aero stock?]

To do the actual installation I'd probably just send it to High Pressure Airsoft, so I'll discuss the options with them. While my HPA VSR build has gone really well, my other HPA m14 build has given me PTSD with how much I've tried fixing it myself (and it's now also with High Pressure Airsoft to fix because I'm at my wits end...)

[Best aeg pistol]

11 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

/thread.

 

AEPs do work, and with a 7.4V lipo (and mosfet) the response and ROF isn't awful.  But you'll see under 0.5J, and while you can put in stronger springs, there's only a tiny cylinder volume to work with.

 

I find that an SMG or small carbine using a full size V2/V3 gearbox offers far more capability than an AEP, and I run my MP5K about 50/50 with my BASR.

 

That said, a GBB pistol is great fun.  It depends on weather and site.

 

Pretty much this. If you get a good one they're decent, but the power and range will always be a bit lacklustre. My TM mp7 will float .25s out to 45m and fires around 0.6J, but that's it and it's much larger than most AEPs. AEPs with a 7.4v lipo and a mosfet will do the job, but as I said in the other thread, you'll find a lot of people won't take the hits on semi because they simply won't feel it as they don't hit hard at half a joule and lightweight ammo. There's a reason not many people use AEPs.

 

If you want something reliable for all weathers, I'd get a small SMG like an mp5k and run it on a sling

[Sniper sidearm AEG / green gas or CO2]

17 minutes ago, Guy elson said:

I really don’t want to hump a big secondary around, the plan is to be stealthy and avoid detection. Close range engagement is something I want to avoid unless necessary.

What about something like an aap01 …. Looks like it can lay down some fire and much lighter. 
would love to know if anyone has had experience with the aap01

 

Thanks for your reply, what aeg pistol would you suggest. Is there anything out there with 11 lipo and good mosfet, what would you suggest?

 

AAP01 is good and will shoot well, but on full-auto you lose the efficiency and with gas cooldown you quickly lose range as well. They also tend to explode after a while, so require a bunch of reinforced parts eventually. I have one and I've converted mine to a ruger so I can use it for Vietnam games. It's a great pistol, but you have to bear in mind that you will have to swap out parts eventually which can get expensive.

 

And in terms of "AEG pistol" what do you mean? AEPs and AEGs are built differently (and it's why AEPs rarely go over 0.6J). You'll never get an 11.1v battery into an AEP, nor would I suggest it as they flat out aren't built for that and will probably die. Some of the Cyma AEPs have MOSFETs and they're okay, especially for the money, but don't expect miracles. AEPs have some inherent limitations due to their size and around 0.6J is all you're going to get out of them because they're so small, so the cylinders are also tiny. Any AEP on a 7.4v lipo will be good enough and that's what I run my TM mp7 AEP on.

 

If you plan on being stealthy, the mk23 is the classic choice, but it will limit you on what you can do because of that squishy trigger. Best hope you don't get caught out or suddenly need to play fast 

[Sniper sidearm AEG / green gas or CO2]

Honestly, most things work and it comes down to personal preference. I've been sniping for a LONG time, so I've tried basically every type of secondary. Also, saying that AEGs have less range than pistols is just false and more often an AEG will have more range than a pistol, at least out of the box. With upgrades, they're about equal, but I think I'd still say a well-tuned AEG will out-range a well-tuned pistol. My order of preference is:
 

• GBB pistol. Any TM pistol will do as long as you don't get rid of that lovely, super-efficient plastic slide. I've found they don't like it when temperatures are under 5 celcius, but much more and they still cycle no problem.
• GBB SMG. My preference is an mp9 or mp7, something that'll fit in my SMG holster on my leg. Similar to the above, but can do somewhat reliable full-auto when it's warmer at the cost of being bulkier than a pistol.
• Small AEG SMG. I have a Cyma mp5k and it's great. Shoots out to 60m fairly consistently with a new hop rubber and nub and gives me reliable full auto that will work in any weather. Only reason I prefer the other options is I like something I can holster. A small AEG needs to be slung, which means it has a tendency to swing around if you either move fast or need to crawl through the dirt or under bushes or through bushes.
• Gas NBB pistol. The mk23 is amazing at what it does, but the trigger pull sucks. Gas NBB pistols are nice and silent, but awful for follow up shots, which is why I don't like it as much as a blowback; also the TM mk23 magazines are absolute wank, so you would need the ASG mags with better feed lips and possibly a better gas router so the cost goes up on that front. The silence is nice, but unless you're hitting first shot every time I prefer the ability to make quick follow ups and with how much a rampant twig or slight gust of wind has a tendency to ruin shots...
• AEP. The dark horse option that has some great benefits (works in all weathers and often has full auto). Will easily hit to the ranges you need, but hit about as hard as you'd expect. Main issue is people won't always feel the hits from it, so you need to give them a bust of full auto, even at close range, which will make some people get all upset. I'd say about 70% of the time I've shot someone on semi with my TM mp7 AEP, they've either not felt it or not called the hit and I'm charitable enough to go with the former being more likely. They won't feel 1, but they'll feel a quick 5.
• Full size AEG. If you're a big guy like me, it's possible to carry something like a regular M4 or AK alongside a bolt action without too many issues, but it's still bulky and entirely unnecessary in airsoft where something small will shoot just as well as something long, if not better because of how cylinder to barrel ratio works.

I don't like CO2 pistols because a lot of them tend to be more than 1.14J and I just don't like CO2 in general ever since I ran my VSR on it as I found it reliably inconsistent; the power will drop consistently as you empty the bulb, where green gas tends to be more consistent through the magazine, only dropping in power right towards the end, though it is more temperature dependent. Everything has its ups and downs, it just depends on what you want the most. I can't say what's best for you, as everyone plays this game differently and therefore everyone will have different views on what's best.

[Cyma m14 EBR with Aero stock?]

5 minutes ago, TobiasC95 said:

I can't help you with that answer as I don't know. But alternatively to that, couldn't you just use one of the wolverine wraith engines?

They screw onto the end of your M4 no problem. Just a thought.

 

It's a consideration I have, but I want the full-size 13ci tank in the stock rather than running CO2 as I'm not a fan of running CO2 since trying it with my VSR. Also I think it'd have the same pre-requisite as the aero stock, being that it needs to screw into where the buffer tube goes.

 

What may end up happening is me buying the EBR anyway (not right now, it's a project for a few months time) and finding out that way, then I'll either aero stock it, or buy a Magpul CTR stock or something, then either keep it AEG or just run a line and tank like with my other m14 HPA build.

[Cyma m14 EBR with Aero stock?]

Hello everyone, I figured I'd ask the collective hive mind about this project idea that I had, since I love HPA "DMRs" (whether 1.1J like mine because my local site rules are bad for DMRs, or 1.88J for elsewhere) but I hate the line and tank. Well, I don't hate it, but I don't like it. So I was browsing the internet trying to source something for my current HPA m14 when I came across the Cyma m14 EBR model that comes with a standard m4 stock and having seen one of the site owner's MTWs at Worthing on Sunday my brain suddenly made the connection: "Could I put an Aero stock on an m14 EBR?"

 

So I guess my question is: does anyone here know if the buffer tube for the M4 style crane stock on the Cyma m14 EBR screws in like a regular m4 AEG? High Pressure Airsoft told me that I should be able to install an Aero stock as long as the buffer tube screws in like a regular M4 AEG, so that seems to be the one real unknown on this build idea...

[The 'How Did Your Airsoft Day Go? Thread]

18 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

Like, ordering pineapple and anchovy pizza?  Sorry to hear that you didn't get to play, but sometimes just a range day and watching some other mugs slog up and down a hill can be rewarding.

 

Depends on your views (I personally love anchovy, but pineapple is heresy). I'm not at risk of suddenly keeling over, but my ECG scan on Thursday was, to quote my doctor, "fine, but odd". At the moment if I do too much I wake up at about 2am with palpitations and shortness of breath, severity depending on how much I did. Will probably get referred to a cardiologist to get it fixed, as it is likely a fixable thing, but until then I can't strain myself too much.