Impulse

I'm with you there. I picked up a TM AKM (although I only have 1 mag because they're out of stock everywhere!) and since firing it on the range I've also decided to just stop using AEGs altogether. HPA and non-blowback gas guns are better for stealth, while GBBs (both pistols and rifles) are just way more fun than their electrical counterparts. I can't go back to AEGs after firing my AKM on the range!

I had a great day, contrary to my rather disappointing skirmish last time. Leaves have fallen, so sight lines are massively open and the VSR is performing damn well, even while having to contend with gusts of wind. Had to aim to the side to compensate for it, but was getting some stellar shots with it, so I'm happy. Also, first outing with my newly constructed ghillie and it's just invisibility; very happy with how it turned out though I do still want a Sprinter Custom Ghillie one. I had a guy run right past me while I was just sitting on my backside with my MP7 in my lap, then a team mate crawled pretty much next to me and only realised I was there when I warned him the enemy were close. This one was just put together because I had a bunch of Novritsch camo stuff lying about and a spare webtex concealment vest. Also learned from my mistake last skirmish and brought the MP7 instead of any of my gas pistols (as well as my thermals!) because it was coooooooold today. I have, to my shame, started using full auto when (relatively) close though, because I've found people just don't call it on semi-auto because it's a 0.6J aep firing .25s and they're just not feeling it. They typically feel a burst of 5 or 6 though. Roll on next game day. Christmas game, so silliness abound!

I have this. It's great. I literally ran it today, but in my opinion you have to take the top strap off so it's snug at the top of your leg otherwise it does what all drop leg holsters do and swing around your knee awkwardly.

I just have a black elastic armband with velcro on it. I haven't gone to an event where it hasn't been good enough.

I had a bunch of stuff sitting around, so I decided to do something with it, though I'm not great at actually crafting suits; using them, yes, but not crafting them! It'll do until I can afford to splash out on a Sprinter Custom Ghillie... Webtex concealment vest with a bunch of Novritsch ghillie stuff attached. I wanted to do this rather than attaching all the stuff to a leaf suit because I don't have any ghillie'd up gear and I don't particularly want to experiment with my gucci Warrior Assault System gear. This I can wear over my belt kit so it doesn't matter.

I have one of these for my mp7 and I can tell you for sure it doesn't work with my mp5k for reasons outlined by @Rogerborg. I've tried working out a way to do it and it just won't.

When I finally get around to doing an L96 build, I'll be going with the TM too. Good choice!

I put bipods on all my sniper rifles, since I've found them incredibly useful with how I play (lots of lying still, so being able to rest the rifle is a godsend for my left bicep), but for most people I agree with you. Also, the scope mount for the m14 is always high. I don't rest my cheek on the stock when I aim with mine, because there's no way of doing that and I need a decent sized stock pouch on mine already to carry the HPA bottle and regulator, since I went HPA with my build. I'm skeptical that even low-profile mounts would solve the issue, just because of how high up the scope mount is compared to the stock itself. Maybe a combination of a cheek riser and some very low profile mounts? I just looked down mine with my cheek resting on the stock and you might be able to get away with a scope that is basically directly on the rail.

I only run 7.4v lipos in my electric guns and none of them have chewed through their internals. I don't really see the need for 11.1v batteries, but then again I don't really use AEGs at all outside of a TM mp7 AEP, and that runs suuuuuper nice on a 7.4v lipo!

Yep. This. I've done it in a short-sleeved black t-shirt and plain OD trousers. Yes, it's easier in a ghillie or leaf suit, but where's the fun in that? Makes it too easy I'll also vouch army surplus shops if you're just starting out. Some DPM BDUs, a pair of boots, some simple wool gloves, a boonie hat and a set of PLCE webbing will cost you very little and it'll supply you with everything you need for the games from a gear perspective. Naturally, this all comes after things like quality eye-pro (Sawflys are great), a gun and some BBs. My first "loadout" was all army surplus with a cheapo BASR. Had a single magazine and no sidearm. It was glorious.

Thanks! Taken a lot of practice and it's why I tell people who want to start sniping to master it without the ghillie / leaf suit first. Sometimes I practice in plain black with short sleeves during summer both to get a tan and also to sharpen my fundamental camo and concealment skills Nope. I have the next gen multi-season one. It's just brilliant and legitimately works in multiple seasons (though my local site has quite a few evergreen plants): https://www.longbowbb.co.uk/product-page/scg-next-gen-halo-multi-season-rifle-wrap At some point I'll buy one of their full suits because I'm super impressed with the gun wrap, but at around £550 all in, that day is not today. Especially not after the amount I've spent in the past two months!

"Do I need a proper ghillie to be a sneaky sniper? Do I need to shell out for a full leaf suit and spend hours, days, weeks, months, years crafting it to perfection?" No. No you do not. One of the marshalls finally found me and snapped a pic of me being one with the bush. This is my lightweight, summer loadout that I've been using because my current ghillie isn't great in woodland as it's really a grassland ghillie and gets caught on literally everything (Worthing Airsoft has basically no grass). Rifle wrap is Sprinter Custom Ghillie and the hood is a Stich Profi Russian leaf hood. Haven't crafted anything onto either of them (the SCG stuff doesn't need crafting anyway...), just picked a good spot that didn't silhouette me and kept still

Going to throw my hat into the ring and shout out these guys. They were my go-to for sniper stuff when I first started as a fresh-faced 16 year old with a Warrior L96, and they're still my go-to for sniper stuff 14 or so years later. https://www.youtube.com/c/6mmhunters

Ah, so that's you. I now have a face to a name! Good to hear the ghillie is working out for you; everyone thinks you need a super-milsim-crafted-all-over-KMCS-leaf-suit, but the concealment vest and good camo and concealment practice (mostly just... staying still!) is super effective in airsoft.

As a sneaky bushboi, this pierces to my very soul. It happens all the time

I can't comment on the AEG part, as I stripped all my gearbox out to fit a Wolverine Hydra gen2 in mine, but in terms of hop and barrel, I recommend both the Prometheus EG and the ZCI stainless steel barrels enough. I have two m21 builds, one is my TM HPA monster that cost me a LOT and one is my Cyma AEG that cost me barely anything (as I kept the gearbox stock since the power was around 1J and I'd rather not open a V7 unless I have to) and both perform phenomenally well. The former performs better, but I'd damn well hope so as it cost about 5x as much! My TM setup has the Prometheus barrel, while my Cyma setup has the ZCI barrel. Both have 60 degree Maple Leaf macarons with omega nubs and I'm ranging the majority of BASR users at my local site while maintaining my 1.1J no MED shenanigans.

Yeah, I heard about that too. The guy I get a lift with is one of the staff and he pulled over on his way back from the lockup to give them a stern talking to. With what happened recently in Liverpool, that could've been baaaaaaaaad. Was a bunch of kiddies waltzing down the A27 with guns out. I'll still sneak. I did last year in a tinsel ghillie and got away with a lot more than I expected, so I'll try it again.

I can't say I had the same, unfortunately. Rampant non-hit taking I can usually deal with (they didn't learn with me. Was dinking them with the 1.1J VSR and they were just ignoring it wholesale), but then both of my gas pistols also said "nah, too cold" today and then to top it all off with a guy charging at me to do a knife kill and I had to actively stop myself from putting him in an arm lock since it's a reflex at this point since I started martial arts. Muscle memory and reflexive reactions are interesting (at Worthing, knife kills are stealth kills to avoid the situation that almost happened with me today) Roll on next game day. These things happen and my last few game days have been cracking. I was due a bit of a crappy one, so now that universal balance is restored I can look forward to the Christmas game next month safe in the knowledge I've done my crappy one already EDIT: And either there was an error in dispatch, or a Karen just called the police on me as I headed back into my house. All the gats were fully covered and in bags (I've been in this hobby for 16 years, I know how it works), nothing was showing, but just had two coppers turn up saying they were called to this address, though they didn't say what for. No trouble and they went on their way, but quite coincidental that I just got home like 20 mins ago and had them turn up. Probably just an error, but rather coincidental.

You'll need to semi-lock it if you do that, however it's super easy to semi-lock an m14. You can just unscrew part of the fire selector (which is super accessible) and detach it after you put it in semi-auto, so you don't need to clip anything or file anything, so if you later down the line decide you want to go 1.14J and full-auto, you can re-attach it no problem. I accidentally found that out when I snapped the fire-selector on mine. It was a super useful breakage

Yeeeeeesssssssss. Join the m21 family! Only the most intelligent and talented airsofters go for the m21, so you're clearly a cultured individual. Although mine is far more modern and tacticool, vintage wood would be nice if you already have a real wood stock.

If you go to the gucci side... https://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/lightlaser-bearing-holsters-236-c.asp However, most of these would require a specific type of light for them to work, since the retention works by grabbing onto the light in many cases.

Get some camo cream. I bought some for when I fully ghillie up as it lets me break up the solid skin-tones while also allowing me to not wear anything on my lower face and steam up my prescription insers, as when I wear lower face, even with my mesh glasses, the inserts always steam up. However, that being said, I'm enjoying specifically not ghillie-ing up and still going invisible. Good practice that I've had people moan at me a lot with the classic "I hit you loads call your hits!!" when they laced up a nearby bush really well, but not a single BB has hit me. As a BASR user, I am painfully familiar with the effects of leaves and twigs on the trajectory of a BB. However, not everyone is as familiar with this and just assume that because they fired a whole high-cap into the bush that one of them would punch through. Totally get that though, angry people throwing tantrums can ruin a day for a lot of people.

Most stock guns don't need anything swapping out anyway. Most can benefit from a Maple Leaf rubber / omega nub combination, but other than that guns generally come pretty great out of the box as long as it's from a reputable brand (G&G, ICS, Cyma, JG, TM etc.) Unless you're chasing performance, I'm generally of the opinion of "use it stock until it breaks" as then you'll get a good feeling for what you want to do with it, as well as making the most efficient use of the parts. Unless it's a BASR. Those typically require tweaking and fine tuning as they're pretty underwhelming out of the box. I wasted a bunch of money throwing parts at making my TM m14 an AEG-based DMR and I hated it. Literally wasted about £200 on parts because I ended up HPAing it instead and stripping all the parts out, since that was far more useful to how I play and I only really discovered the world of HPA about a year later.