Madhouse

When you put it like that it does sound a bit daft 😂. The angle I was coming from was making sure I wasn't going down some rabbit hole of weird gearboxes made of pot metal or parts that are as hard to find as hen's teeth, rather than being looks-based.

Hello & welcome. Have you been playing long?

Most certainly not! In fact I think you're probably in good company 😂 As @Rogerborg said to me on this very forum "Life's to short to regret the purchases you didn't make", so as long as you're not secretly re-mortgaging the house to fund your kit purchasing habit then who are we to judge. We've all got stuff we've bought and don't use much 'cos we like it/want it.

Hello & welcome. Definitely rent for a few games to make sure it's for you, speak to other players and ask lots of questions (at games and here) then get your UKARA sorted and watch your bank balance evaporate 😂 Call your hits and if you're not sure, call it anyway. Oh, also check out @GAMBLE's YT channel, there's advice, tips & gameplay on there.

So … did you actually forget anything? Hope you had a great day, maybe don’t leave it quite so long till the next one.

Lunch.

I do like to tinker, but mostly for tinkering's sake rather than maxing everything out so it's 'fully upgraded', whatever I get will be more than a match for my talent out of the box so most tinkering will be service related and fixing anything that breaks.

Thanks for the input so far, given me even more to think about! I totally get the arguments that I'll not be looking at it while I use it, but also that it's got to be a toy I want to look at in the safe zone and I'm on board with both of them. Handily I'm not averse to an M4 😉 The CYMA CM.097F Platinum is on my short list and actually comes up shorter & cheaper than my G&G contenders and by the look of the reviews I've seen so far is a lovely piece of kit - although there is the microswitch trigger and the potential for the receiver to crack. The Specna SA-H23 is also the same money with a Gate Aster but is that at the expense of quality?

Afternoon all, I just booked game no.3 which means UKARA should be sorted by December, so I guess it's my turn for a 'WhAt aM bEsT gNu?!?' thread ... sort of. What I'm really after is some kind of validation that I'm not potentially making my life harder than it needs to be by either buying something that's built of cheese or is just wrong for what I want to use it for - there's been a number of RIFs in pole position but I think I'm settled on one. So here goes. I'm currently thinking of getting the G&G TR16 SBR 308 mk2, it appears to be made well so I don't have to upgrade it instantly, but I mainly want it because I like the way it looks and isn't an M4 (not that I don't like M4's, it's just nice to have something else). Downside is proprietary mags, upside is I like it and you've gotta like whatever you're using to sling BBs. Currently in second is the (still G&G) SR30, it was my previous first place choice till I came across the 308. Downside is it's an M4 and everyone has them, upside is it's an M4 and everyone has them and as such there's a ton of aftermarket parts. I know G&G are on the pricier side of things but I've had my fair share of 'buy cheap, buy twice' so I'd rather get the right RIF from the start. I like the idea of being able to drop in a Perun ETU++ without needing to go into the gearbox, although the idea of teching my own stuff doesn't scare me at all. What I don't want to do is spend that kind of money and regret it. ICS, Specna and CYMA have been on the shortlist at one point or another. Bullpups are a no from me. Thinking some kind of holo sight for whatever gun I get. Already got a tracer and light. Pistol's gonna be the TM FNX-45 and nobody's talking me out of that (fingers crossed black ones will be back in stock when I'm looking to buy it, or one appears in the classifieds). I predominantly play CQB hence going for a short-barrelled rifle. So there we go, am I crazy for wanting something that's not an M4 for my first rifle? will I regret a G&G?

Hello & welcome 👋 I'm going it (mostly) alone too, don't worry about it, you'll meet plenty of people on a game day and as soon as the games start it's about working together for the objective so you'll naturally become part of the team anyway. I'm finding that now I go regularly there's various other friends who fancy it and tag along to the occasional game too. Rent for a bit. It'll cost you a bit more for your first few games but it's more than worth it in terms of not rushing in and the amount of knowledge you gain while you sort UKARA. Public transport won't be an issue if you use your head. Sensible stuff like not travelling in full camo and getting a generic looking rucksack & gun case will mean you're not drawing attention to yourself and what you're carrying - James Bond-esque guitar/cello case anyone?

Welcome! The positive of those bad experiences is you can tech your own equipment, which'll be a real benefit for years to come.

Hello & welcome! Can't help on sites I'm afraid, but 56 days isn't that long to wait for UKARA and you can work out if anything's changed in the last 15 years while you wait, Besides it'll take you that long to make a list of everything you want to buy and then whittle it down to 'the one' ... and then change your mind a few times over.

Hi & welcome. I play mainly CQB too, mainly because weekday evenings are easier to schedule in, added bonus is that it’s an absolute hoot!

Hello & welcome 👋 Not sure if there's any CQB near you? there's Bristol but that's still a couple of hours away. Playing in the rail just means you've an excuse to get camo waterproofs and who doesn't like shopping for more airsoft related stuff?

Went down to Z-Mart again last night, lots of fun as usual and they've definitely changed some walls about which helps keep things fresh. Chatted about kit with some of the guys and got lots of good tips which will come in handy when I'm buying more stuff (inevitable!). Games were good fun, ran out of BBs on one of them which was a first for me but at least it's giving me a good idea as to how many mags I'll need. Even decided to leave my torch illuminating a particularly dark section the other team were pushing through which gave our team better sight and also drew fire away as they'd have thought there was a player holding it. There were a few people talking about others not taking their hits which I think was fairly justified as a couple of times there must've been 5 or 6 of us shooting a guy and there's no way none of those landed. Marshalls were good and had words where necessary and tracked problem players to improve their hit taking - even shot a few to check. As I'm using a rental and thus no tracer I'm very much reliant on hit calling as I've no idea if my shots are landing as it's dark, me, I always err on the side of caution and there was a couple of times where I wasn't sure if I was hit or not so I just called it anyway and respawned. All in all another good night running around a disused Debenhams. One more game and I'll be getting UKARA sorted!

I know renting appears to be a waste of money if you can get what you want by non-UKARA means, but there's a lot going for it. Main point is you'll find out if you actually like the sport, you'll lose more selling a once skirmished RIF than it'll cost you to rent. There are others, like chatting to other people about their RIFs and maybe getting to hold a few to see what feels right and spending time learning about what you're planning to get - what do you need to service it etc. Me? I've another game tonight and then my next one will by my 3rd (well 5th but let's not get into that) then I'll be sorted for UKARA and spending the cash I've saved up while getting the games in. I've had 3 of 4 RIFs in pole position to be my first but I think I've now settled on something that I like the look of and is hopefully not built of cheese - that said I've been making the most of being able to buy accessories and kit without UKARA 😁

You say screaming out to be scammed, it could of course be the other way around. I'm not saying either will happen, the message here is that we all need to be wary buying anything on classifieds, not just here, not just airsoft. Either way, @Steff get yourself over to the new players section and introduce yourself, it'll help potential sellers to get a feel for who you are. Personally, if I were a seller and you came to me with a post count of one having joined three hours ago, I'd be very wary to the point of just thinking *scam* and ignoring you completely.

When poor dolphins die they're given a porpoise funeral.

Hello & welcome 👋 Glad you're enjoying it, nice to have a pew to suit every mood. What's next on your shopping list? Can't wait to get my eldest into it and then I can use him as an excuse, he's itching to come but not quite old enough yet.

I'd ask whoever you're planning to buy it from. If it's used then they'd be able to say 'I use this ...' and if it's new then the shop should have a good idea and may even test fit one if you ask nicely or are buying it from them too.

Hello & welcome. Where'd you sign up for? There could well be a regular here that'll give you more info, but generally it's: Site opens, arrive, faff with kit, chat to whoever's setting up near you, chrono (n/a if you're renting, but you'll get a gun based briefing instead), then it's a general briefing on rules etc and into the games after that. There'll be time between games for snacks, drinks, more weapon based faffing and having a nose at other people's kit. Then home with a big grin to book the next one and to look at the stuff you want to buy when you get UKARA sorted. The cheerful disposition will see you right through all of the above. Don't forget to call your hits and if you're not sure, call it anyway, it's just messing about with toy guns after all.

Welcome back. New area sounds like a great excuse to set yourself up on a mini-tour of the local sites.

Mum & Dad have three false hips between them, can only echo what’s been said about physio. It’s not the op, it’s the damage to everything they have to chop through to do the job. Personally, I had a disagreement with gravity on the MTB a few years ago, broke every bone in my wrist and dislocated it as well (along with a few other injuries) and again it was all about the physio. Not got full movement but you’d never know for daily tasks, oh and I can’t do a scout salute due to the metalwork holding my thumb on. TL:DR - do the physio

It's where I'd start. In reality no-one's going to change gun ownership in the US, it may get a little more regulated in terms of background checks but I can't see US citizens backing something like a 'pistols only' ruling because the military has AR's and if they're going to rise up against the military then they need ARs too. Thing is then you bump up against a healthcare system that isn't free at the point of use and social healthcare provision on top of that and how do you spot these issues when they're no way of them entering a 'system' through which they can be spotted. We'd go to our GP who'd refer it to someone else etc but if you've no insurance where are you going to go? Globally we've a long way to go on mental health. It's not just a gun issue, that is for sure. But in terms of gun culture, I see that as a different thing to gun related violence, much like the OP does. If you park the whole 'it's a firearm' thing it's like collecting guitars or stamps, hell we do it with RIFs. Part of the reason I have a lot of questions is that I think as an outsider I don't truly understand the US gun culture or the US feelings towards guns in general because it is such a different way of life, much like I don't get the Aussie obsession with Vegemite and TimTams ... although the German obsession with beer I get As the OP said, all we have to go on is our media so this is a chance to get insight from someone who is living it.