Madhouse

Hello & welcome. Loads of info on the net for your research and loads of knowledgeable people here too. Definitely worth doing a search before you ask any questions, we're a friendly bunch but you'll get a much better response for showing you've put some effort in first

So I ran the Southampton Marathon on Sunday. Took me 4 hours and 25 minutes which I'm really pleased with considering summer decided to turn up and it was 25 degrees. Legs have just about stopped aching now. Was it a good experience? yes Am I doing another? hell no

I'm with you on this one, it's certainly not how many of us would treat a new gun. But there are people out there who genuinely couldn't give a sh*t about their stuff and the description may actually be genuine. If that's the scenario then I'd steer clear cos let's face it, they've hardly taken care of it and who knows what you may be getting. The other scenario is that they're talking out of their arse, it's been used loads and it's overpriced. At which point steer clear. All personal preference of course and we may be being unfair to the sellers, but in a world where caveat emptor is the general rule when buying stuff, I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Personally I don't have UKARA yet (will meet the criteria at my next visit). But, of the two retailers I have physically visited, both have said that as long as I can provide proof I am engaged in Airsoft activities (bookings etc) then they were happy to sell me something without UKARA. Obviously you won't be able to buy online / import stuff and you're limited to what you can get locally but it's worth a visit to a retailer if only to look at shiny new stuff and pick up a few consumables.

Hello & welcome. If you can stretch the budget a little it’ll get you firmly into TM GBB pistol territory.

If your chosen activity has organised events then signing up for one works as a motivator/stick to keep at it. It’s also a bit of an extra challenge to push yourself. I don’t really like running, but had never done a marathon so signed up for one - it’s got me out running when all I wanted to do was stay in. Will be glad to be on the bike more when it’s done though as that’s my main sport. 2.5 weeks till the marathon - eek!! ?

as I always tell Mrs M, it’s not the size it’s what you do with it …….. ?

I stand corrected. Thank you.

Just had a look at the eBay store - no sign of the SIG sight. That says to me that SIG has had a word and they've removed the listing, it also says the shop's being run by people who are knowingly ripping people off. Interestingly it's still listed on their website, so I presume they're not out of stock.

that’s on my shopping list when I get UKARA’d - hopefully early September. Would be good to know how you find it.

If it's sold as retail stock and at retail prices but it's not in retail packaging then it warrants a bit more investigation, there's a reason they're in a plain black box and that's certainly being glossed over by the seller.

Correct me if I'm wrong but UKARA is just to prove to a retailer that you are an active airsofter and therefore have a defence for buying a RIF that isn't two-tone. It's not that you can't own a black/camo/high-viz pink RIF, once it's in your possession you can do what you like with it.

Customs is a lottery right now. You wouldn't believe how long it's taking to get an inflatable paddle board through, we're at a month right now and it looks like I might finally get it in a fortnight - which is pretty nuts for a glorified lilo. Can't blame anyone in Europe for not wanting to ship to the UK, I wouldn't if I were them - just ain't worth the hassle. In theory it'll settle down in a few months, backlogs will be cleared and everyone will get a bit more familiar with the rules. Don't hold your breath though.

Just put the same effort in and go further, faster. MTB's my main sport and a mate has an e-bike. What happened when he got it was his rides got hillier and longer. It's also great as it means we can ride together now - I get a killer workout chasing him up the hills!

My shins work as a barometer for when my shoes are at the end of their life. I go by the motto "always look after your feet" when buying shoes, it's amazing the difference it can make and yet is overlooked by so many people. Kept banging on about it to Mrs M after a succession of cheap trainers and aching feet (her arches collapse, you can spot it a mile off), she finally let me buy her a pair of Merrell's for walking and within about 5 minutes she realised the benefits of a decent pair of shoes.

Wore through the heel of my trainers at the end of last week - massive blister!! Bit annoying as they're my youngest pair. Just ordered a new pair as my other ones are high-milers and don't have too much life left in them and I'd rather be wearing newer shoes for my marathon next month. Talking of which - long run tonight, guess I'd better get some distance in the legs!

Stock issues does wonders for the bank balance!

Hello & welcome!

Short supply means price hikes are inevitable. What makes it worse is that most RIFs are coming out of the Far East and shipping costs have gone into orbit so prices are likely to go up further and will be unlikely to drop again for a good while - if at all.

The Ever Given should have finally reached the Netherlands by now. Reckon there’ll be a few Airsoft items amongst that lot.

Apologies for using incorrect terms, I'm new at this. I'm also a sceptical git and there's enough scammers out there for something like this to be a flag for me. Thanks for the additional info, I'm sure it'll be useful for whoever buys it from you to know a bit more about it's history. Let me know how you get on with MI6, I'm still waiting for them to get back to me as to why there was no toy in my Frosties on the 27th of October, 1987.

That looks pretty used for less than a thousand rounds (why's the lock ring on the stock tube so scratched?) that's barely one use so I'm already suspicious as to why anyone would have seen the need to take it apart anyway.

Hello & welcome! Have a chat with customs and tell them what you’re doing and I’m sure they’ll set you straight on what you need to do. UKARA is a defence for having a reason to buy a RIF and is to protect retailers rather than you. Many shops will just take proof you’re going Airsofting as a defence so it’s certainly not something you have to wait for before buying stuff. But hopefully you can import your kit anyway. Unless of course you want an excuse to buy shiny new toys, in which case there’s no chance of importing your kit and you must buy new stuff when you get here ?

Had a good evening game on Thursday. Couple of guys were really good and as such most of us were back to regen a good few times before we finally got them. Had a go on a marshall’s TM Hi-Capa gold match - now there’s a nice pistol! Took my bro-in-law with me and he enjoyed it which was good, may just be able to get him along to a few more games. Forgot to take my watch off and it took a hit and broke (see what have I learned thread) - that was definitely the low point.

It was covered but all the hits are pretty hard when you’re playing CQB. You could get a very nice side-arm for the cost to fix it. Lesson learned the hard way.