C-Diddy

And now that C-Diddy junior is onboard with airsofting, we're planning on trying as many of those as his football schedule allows. He must have asked me about Valiant a dozen times in the last week

Sadly not, otherwise I'd have tapped you up pal

So true about CSW. Also, marshalls weren't afraid of calling out poor play. Glad you mentioned the food too, which was always welcome. Interestingly I've got a mate in the throws of trying to set a site up. He went to CSW a few times so he's using that as his model.

Haha, yep. I also had a G&G M14 and it was absolutely superb, so yeah, sometimes you get a lemon.

Best: TM 416 DEVGRU. It was my first TM and has been my go-to for a good while now. I've had to replace a few parts due to wear and tear but it's been hugely reliable, has good range and is just a good looking rifle. Favourite: TM MWS. First GBBR, worked great from the off, and I've really enjoyed turning it into the little beauty it is today. Started using it more as my primary now, with the 416 as back-up, and I just love shooting it. Pretty sure I'm going to be giving it a sibling before long. Worst: It would either be the first RIF I got; a second (or third+) hand Classic Army M4 with a 203 USGL. Looked great but was a pretty poor shooting experience, or the first gun I bought after getting my UKARA; a G&G M4. Can't recall the model but it was part of their Top Tech range and cost around £330. It screeched like a bastard, the hop was shit and the anti-reversal latch lasted two games before shitting itself. Expensive lesson.

I think @heroshark raises a good point; people will generally make their mind up to buy something, come on here and say "Is a XXXX a good bit of kit" be told they should save their money, but then they buy it anyway. I've been fairly lucky on the RIF front, but, from personal experience, wouldn't touch anything by Armorer Works. Gear-wise, I've had Nuprol, Viper and 8 Fields back in the day. 8 Fields was fine as a starter brand for the money but the other two can shit off.

Like @Speedbird_666GZ is my local site - no more than a 5 minute drive. I've played there since 2018 when I started and, after popping my cherry at Combat South Woodland, which was run superbly, GZ was a major disappointment. I've never been chronoed there, ever, which is just ridiculous. I remember a couple of lads asking what time chrono was when they checked in, and the look on their faces when they were told "oh, we just spot check though the day" was a, WTF-type expression. Again, never even seen a chrono at the site, let alone any checks done in the game zone. The site is huge but is really thick with rhododendrons, and the structures are pretty tired. To be fair maybe I'm just a bit too familiar with the site now, especially as they haven't used the better, more open areas of the site the last few times I've been. I have had some decent days there, but with the increased walk-on fees, the lack of cover and frequent dry-firing in the safe zone, shit facilities, increasingly dick-ish behaviour from other players (smoking weed in the car park - you're hard) and a general lack of care from the staff means I'll now only go there if I have no other options. Even then I'm likely to spend more time on the range. As for the NAF, no thanks. The gameplay just seems to be an absolute cluster. It also looks to be a collection of the types of players I dislike intensely, but on a much larger scale.

@Emergencychimps I use Zero One Pro gas. Plastic nozzle, basically Abbey Ultra but cheaper and no issues filling

As usual @alxndrhll has beaten me to it! Yep, that's the 9.3" HAO rail on a 10.5" CQBR base, and bloody lovely it is too. Funnily enough I'm contemplating getting another MWS and creating a 14" version myself.

That's actually the way I ended up doing it. Glad I'm on the right track. The leak issues are not ideal pal. At least they seem like fairly easy fixes. Pretty sure I'll experience some form of that before long. Think I'll dig out some OD24 2mm o-rings, just in case! Is it silicone grease you've used or just oil? Incidentally I bought mine from Hong Kong. They were about £40 each and took about 10 days to get here. Shipping wasn't bad either, so may go back for more.

Received three of these yesterday, and have just finished running around three full loads through each mag. A few first impressions: They are considerably lighter than TM originals They look great and a re finished to a high quality with all the Magpul trades None of mine leak...yet They hold a lot of gas Bombing up is an absolute ballache - removing the baseplate, sliding the very stiff inner out and then ricocheting BBs all over as you try and feed them in is a faff. Couldn't load them from the feed lips as they're just too stiff. Hoping they'll ease as sod doing this all the time. They are a good, tight fit in the magwell, but still drop smoothly when you hit the mag release One mag wouldn't lock back. A quick prod, shake and resetting the mag feeder sorted it. Firing .32g BBs, a TM mag with a 12 second fill of ASG Ultra Air was hitting 260-270 at smidge over 1 joule. The GM mags were all around 270-280 at 1.1 joules. Overall I'm fairly happy with them. Yes, I hate the loading system, but I'm sure I'll find a decent way soon (any tips you can share @SBoardley would be appreciated 😆) and I'm contemplating getting another four. I will be taking the TM originals as back ups though.

Temptation got the better of me and I bought some of the Guns Modify P-Mags for the MWS. Not tested beyond sticking some gas in to make sure they're tight, but they look the nuts and set the old girl off just right.

Another shout for the Delta Mike Snoods. I've got a couple of the Mk2s think they're great. Comfortable, breathable and offering good protection for your gnashers. Shots outside of the mesh still sting however 😂

Couple from last weekend's run out for the lad's birthday. He's sporting his new MARPAT rig, and Specna Arms Edge (very impressed for a sub-£200 gun). I'm running a tigerstripe/MCB combo with the MWS.

I have the 9.3" HAO MK16 handguard on mine and am massively impressed with the quality of it. It's also cheaper than the Angry Gun version, and seemingly far better in terms of quality and fitment. Worth saving for something decent imho, rather than rushing it for the sake of change. You say you like picatinny? If you like the MK18 rail, drop me a message.

Having often wondered this myself, rather than Google it (cheers @alxndrhll btw) I dusted off a can of Nuprol 3.0 that I've had for a while, and a can of my regular Zero One Pro Gas, which is effectively Abbey Predator "green" gas, and reached for the MWS. Reasonably warm room, mags cold on filling, stock MWS with SixG nub and .28g Open Blasters. Both mags had a timed 12 second fill from empty. First clip is the Zero One gas, second is Nuprol 3.0. It was filmed one handed (steady!) and very quickly, so apologies for any motion sickness they may cause, Green Gas.mp4 Red Gas.mp4

Yes lad! I bloody love Plat stuff. In fact it was chatting to you that convinced me to part with my cash and get some tiger stripe DAX. Got a big list of things to get from them and don't regret a penny I've spent with them since.

I've not been playing that long, starting in 2018. In that short time I've definitely seen changes; some good, some not so good, for me personally. There's certainly more people involved now, which has to be a good thing. There also seems to be more diversity in the players, with more females and younger players making up the numbers, which, again, is great to see. From talking to the old and bold players, and as has been mentioned in the posts above, the quality of the RIFs have improved a lot too. It's a shame that prices have increased, some quite dramatically, in the post-Covid, post-Brexit era, but that's par for the course in the current climate. My biggest bug bear with this is the lack of availability now. Restocks take ages to come through, but remaining positive, things are slowly easing on that front. I'm not a fan of the influx of speedsofters I've seen recently, bombing all over the site with binary triggers, hoses and Dye masks, blasting 50 rounds a second of drum-mag braaaaaat-ta-tat-tat everywhere, but that's just me. I'm a more traditional, like my RIFs to be based on actual firearms, woodland, semi-auto firing 40-something, so it's not for me. I don't resent them on the field though. If anything, it motivates me to try harder and shoot the bendy little bastards! The social media, YouTube thing is interesting. I follow the channels more in line with my approach to airsofting; AATV, Ollie Talks Airsoft etc. My son and his friends, who are all around 13 years old and have just started the hobby, are more inclined to watch people like KM and his limpet-like 'mate' Names Nicco. Thankfully, having experienced what gameplay is actually like, they know that that is not how it is. It is frustrating that people like KM have such a large audience that, to non-airsoft folk, they think that's what it, and by extension, us, are all like. That's the power of click-bait titles though. While I don't feel I have been in the game long enough to comment on a golden age, I play and enjoy it more now than ever before. Having the boy come along now is a undoubtedly a part of that, but I do try and chat to other players much more as, on the whole, we're all a friendly bunch who love showing off our gear. There are a lot of comments about non-hit takers, but I suspect this has been prevalent for a good while, and depends on the quality of the staff on site. It's unlikely we'll get rid of them so, much like the classic egg-on-legs shouting for you to "push up at the front!" while they're blowing out their arse yards behind you, it's a part of the game. You can either get flashed up by it and tell old war stories about how it was much better 'back in the day' or ignore it and concentrate on having fun. I tend to think if more people did that, there wouldn't be a 'Golden Age'; it would just be the standard airsoft experience. Then again, I am cracking on a bit now, so should probably go for a lie down.

@alxndrhll please stop posting your filth on here. My willpower is shit at the bet of times, and now I'm tweaking for a new MWS build! Also, forgot to add that BCM accessories are fantastic. Expensive and in short supply, but fantastic. Their FDE doesn't match Magpul's, but it'd be boring if everything was the same.

If you do get a sight protector from RDE, you'll struggle to get it in place without encouraging the hood to stand at attention

That was my biggest complaint when I got mine. I find the stock pistol grip and trigger guard combo massively uncomfortable. Switched mine to a Magpul MOE+ and Magpul trigger guard and it's a world apart. Th K2 grips look comfortable too. From what I gather, most real steel grips fit. Just use the stock bold to attach it though. The trigger guard needed a small amount of filing to fit but again, so much morecomfortable.

@Madhouse the slings I mentioned are 'real steel' (I really hate that term) but, because of that, you know they're unlikely to suddenly give out and send your pride and joy tumbling. You do pay for that privilege though, and often have to buy addition furniture (QD attachments, rail mounts etc) as well. Tactical Kit are great for holding stock and often run discounts, especially if you follow ATRG and/or Geardocrow on Insta. Apologies if you already know this btw. Magpul are another good option from what I hear, as are Viking Tactical, Haley Strategic and I like the look of the T-Rex Arms too. Bear in mind you don't need to spend the earth, but a decent sling will pay you back, and for me, 2-point is the way to go. The main point of your post though - having your own gear - no escaping it; you're one of us now!

@RostokMcSpoonsyou're not alone in doing that 😂 So used to having a kit list, I've carried it across to airsoft.

@Madhouse that's a special feeling, having your own kit, right? 😆 Sounds like a cracking night. On the sling front, 1-point have their place, but long guns aren't one of them imho. I also don't like getting nailed in the balls if i drop my rifle for a pistol. Big fan of adjustable 2-points (padded BFG VCAS and a Ferro Slingster) which I find far more practical. There are a ton of options out there, including the adjustable ones that go from 2-point to 1-point. Just try and avoid the really cheap ones unless you're happy to see your musket bounce off the concrete.

I probably use it more as a monocular if I'm honest. At most airsoft ranges, looking through a 3x magnification brings targets way too close for my liking. The mount mine is on is solid though, with no flapping about.