Emergencychimps

I don't see speedy bois as a bad thing or that it's just the sliding around on the floor stuff, it's the general hpa pistols with suppressors tracers, high cap m4 mags stuck on, big bright masks etc all the stuff you'd not normally associate with people doing the typical camo and skirmishing from back in the day. My reference to tactics being hard to apply was along the lines of, "I have made contact with the enemy, so I am going to go this way to flank them" only for the maze to take me somewhere nowhere near the enemy. For the size of the site I can completely understand why they have added loads of bits as they have and have a complex layout. I can't imagine it would be that fun or interesting to play again and again as a regular if it was too standard. I won't be returning to blackstone, I'd like to say (again) that the site and staff were great, me not returning isn't a reflection of them or their service. My comments on changes were just me thinking aloud (is that a thing when typing online?!) , great to hear they're already doing stuff and have run trials etc. I am sure they're working hard to provide the best experience they can for their customers. I don't think you have rubbished my experience at all, everything seems very civil. I only added in my experience because it's a post from someone saying "this is amazing" yet they haven't actually played there and for anyone reading to at least consider why it might not be for them.

I don't think it was designed for speedy bois, to be honest I'd like a site or 2 that was, just so they have somewhere to go that's not a run of the mill skirmish site. Id like more variety in the sport so that people have what appeals to them. The trouble I think is that it was designed to have "cool features" and jam loads of stuff in a small space, but it's too much in too small a space and it actually doesn't work as a fun Airsoft site as its a similar experience with every firefight. The garage which is a respawn is almost entirely wasted as fighting around a spawn is dodgy, so all this cool stuff is ignored and never fought around. Kind of like they went, this 2 acre site has x number of points of interest, x number of routes, turns etc and we need the same number, but squished into 1/4 of an acre. I found that it led to similar experiences for the whole time I was there, peeking corners, snap shooting and getting lost. Any attempt to flank left me lost and away from the fight. Sites like the mall, the gaol, urban assault , Anzio etc all have cool features but you can sort of predict where routes go, how you can flank etc even if you don't know the site. They're natural buildings. I feel like I'm slagging the site off and that isn't deserved, if this level of closeness, tight and fast cqb is your thing then there isn't a site like it, it's just such a juxtaposition, great for speedy bois but rules say you can't, they want tactics but it's a maze where tactics can't be applied. They have spent a fortune, the shop is great, the professionalism of the staff is really up there, the look and feel of the site is amazing but it just doesn't have the magic ingredient it needs to be amazing and I think that can be achieved when purpose built. I'd suggest a few tweaks, simple things like arrows on the floor back to respawn for that level. Maybe ditch the firing range and have that extra space for game zone (do the chrono at the start of the game zone), maybe dedicate 1 set of stairs to each side for a game. Maybe some different respawn points, even if rarely used or only on the ground floor, both could start on the ground floor and fight over objectives upstairs etc.

No doubt added to my confusion levels! Was getting frustrated towards the end. It just wasn't my style, I feared it might not be before going but it looks so special I wanted to give it a go. Absolutely no fault of the organisation etc of the day, the site is just what it is, for the good and bad that entails.

I did a game here earlier this year (very early this year) and while it was well run, it just isn't the style I like. The site is impressive and almost designed for speedy bois, yet they say they don't want that. Unfortunately that style works at the site, so players running pistols with high capacity mags do rule. Also it's a maze, I couldn't get from one side to the other without getting lost, even at the end of the (1/2) day. This also means regulars (or anyone who has been 2/3 times) have a massive advantage as the race to the stairs at the start of every game is then quite unbalanced. The stairs are a massive choke point, regardless of the rules, the rules on their spiral staircase led to many almost comical moments of "oh I'm on the last step so you can't shoot me and I can't shoot you, so I'll just turn around and go back up etc". The longest shot possible is 8 metres, every shot hurts so anytime you're shot more than once, it's a mother trucker. (Thankfully this didn't happen much). There was great sportsmanship on site, the shop is great, the staff professional, other players seemed friendly and I honestly feel bad saying things which aren't positive as they have spent loads building what should be an Airsoft experience like no other (which it is), but it's just a bit too squashed in for me to find it fun. Too many painful shots and getting owned again and again by players who know the layout just isn't fun. I fear that this sort of day, recent promotions, extra marketing etc is because they aren't getting the numbers needed for it to be viable. It's a niche site and if that's your thing, it's a must visit. But honestly I suspect most players will visit, go oh that's novel and then not actually enjoy it enough to return again and again. Maybe if people stick the 2 or 3 day learning curve to learn the layout they will have loads of fun, being the people who know the routes and angles.

You're using the stock, 8.4 nimah batteries? If so, that , slightly discharged batteries and not enough of a trigger pull is the combo you're getting , it's pretty well known for stock tm recoils. I suspect if you switch it to full auto rather than smacking it then it'll start as well. Essentially what you have is exactly what you're describing, not enough juice is getting to the motor to turn the gears enough and it's stopping just before firing (used to be referred to as lock up). Normally, you're absolutely right to run it stock, a TM especially however this is one of those things that are just crap. The stock batteries are crap and there is no recouping your money for them. My advice would be to buy some 7.4 lipos and use those, You'll either need to convert the rif or buy a converter. IF you can solder 2 bits of wire together, convert it yourself, there are videos (probably from eagle6) on how to do this on youtube. It's easy if you can solder. If you can't solder or are too intimidated to, then some retailers (I think fire support do) that sell a converter. There are other methods to solve this. You can try really hard to give the trigger a good pull every time, however the batteries likely aren't up to the job, they were probably sitting in the retailers inventory for years, so while they might be new to you, they could be 5-10 years old. You can fit or have fitted a mosfet, the Gate Titan is the current one, this is somewhere in the region of £100-£170 (depending on model) plus labour (been a while since I looked), but it is pretty awesome. If you're doing this and paying someone to, then I'd consider a spring upgrade too, even if just an m95 or m100 as this is a gearbox open job. Where abouts are you based?

What batteries were you using? Have you installed a MOSFET? There is a known issue if people don't go "full" trigger pulls where it can lock up. Typically a low battery charge won't help etc. If also suggest double checking the motor connections, ensure they are really on, sometimes they can come off and sit over the bit in the motor, looks like it's connected but it's not.

Check which generation mags they are (assuming they're tm stanags). The ones I had (generation 3) were picky about which gas nozzle I could load from, plastic worked but certain metal ones didn't. Is the MWS stock? Is it brand new?

The issue is that genuine encrypted comms are so CM very expensive to get hold off and a real effort to set up and for airsoft, encrypted comms just isn't realistically an option, so I'm against eavesdropping on comms....unless this is an element that is written into the rules of the game.

Honestly?! Id just buy a basic specna arms type aeg. There has been a massive improvement in the quality of kit available in 10 years. Now, you could regrease everything, swap hop rubbers over and buy new batteries, and it'd cost less but the aim of the game is to have fun. If you dropped out previously it's because you didn't find it fun enough and I'd advise to do the thing that's most fun. Ruining a couple of games days as you do some maintenance and realize it needs more of this or that isn't worth the savings you'll make or the feeling you're being out performed. This route might cost you the love of the hobby. Personally if I was determined to fix up what I had, new hop rubbers, new 7.4 lipo batteries and a barrel clean. If opening the gearbox and greasing is needed.....well then id just buy a new one.

So true!

Because they (often) just let anyone in, there's no process so it's just a bunch of randoms with mixed knowledge, skills, commitment, kit, motivation and willingness to work together. Often worse they say they're one thing (such as regularly attend big events) and then be something else (the definition of regular becomes once a year.....or less). It's worse than herding cats. At least when you meet people who attend they're all motivated enough to attend, travel whatever is required etc and if they're doing that, they're often the type who will go the extra mile, learn some team tactics and work as a team member and not lone wolf it. Their kit will be a bit more squared away (from experience and motivation), in line with rules and uniform requirements etc.

A point very well made

The only place you will meet the people you're interested in is by attending the events and getting to know people there. As someone who has played lots of big weekend events and tried countless times to herd supposedly willing skirmishers to events, don't waste your energy. Attend the events that would interest you, chat to people who are also motivated to attend and then follow up with them. Within a few events you'll have a better understanding of what you like and you'll know people who also attend. The level your talking about is generally too niche to be lucky enough to find local people and those that are....have been through loads of people saying they're keen, motivated etc who just flake, so they don't bother. They bother with people who attend multiple times. Attend events with Stirling, defiant events or one of the newer ones like Johnny big guns or bad wolf. This will mean traveling long distances.....but if you're motivated enough, you'll do it.

Huge loss to the community. Thank you for sharing with us. Thinking of all his friends and family at this time.

As youre very new my advice is don't buy a helmet. 1. It's generally unnecessary expense. 2. They don't look as cool as you think it will. 3. There is often very little protection from them, BB strikes aren't that painful, a baseball cap takes the worst of it etc. yes sometimes you bash yourself against a tree ..but it's rare and if you didn't have an extra inch or so on the top of your head that you aren't used to, you probably wouldn't have bashed it 4. They generally make fogging worse, which makes it harder to play and you have a worse time. 5. There's better things to spend your money on. 6. The wrong size can give headaches which suck. 7. The unnatural roundness makes you an easier target to spot in some environments. Honestly, save your money, get a baseball cap or a takeaway or some pyro.

If you can't trust players to play by the rules at a special event like this, where the whole point is the limited ammo, I am not sure you can trust them to take their hits or not be twats, so at that level of policing, I'd say just give up. I can see the argument for real cap mags only, all too easy for those 30 rounds to become 45 by an extra 3/4 pushes of the speedloader. I can also see the argument for gas only, they have a certain amount of noise to them that makes using them harder than a pretty darn quiet aeg, everyone is then level as far as ammo capacity, mag weight, noise made when engaging enemy etc. Personally I'd love to see a night game where you have to use one of those bifrost flash thingies from your barrel, you don't have to use tracer rounds, but the flash thing would be cool if everyone had to have them. I am a fan of gunman's filmsim rules where you're only allowed a limited number of bbs out at a time, based on what type of weapon you have, but I think the op is striving for even more than that (and great that they are - more variety means more likelihood there will be the game types I like!).

Love the principle, but where I have seen people try before they often fail due to a lack of numbers. I'd suggest focusing more on real cap event, so rifs like TM NGRS can be used, but has to have the 30 round setting on the mags. Would also like add, Good luck! If these events were more common it'd make me want to get an MP7 again!

Valid points, my assumption was the desire to maximise range suggested that the OP was interested in shooting players further away, CQB doesn't always need precision hop setting (in fact I have seen not enough hop get use quite effectively!) But your point is very valid, we aren't playing to hurt each other.

Have you tried running heavier bbs? Just thinking if it's just a bit too much on .25s then it could be the sweet spot for .3s. Heavier is better if outside, indoors or close ranges it doesn't matter so much so cost can then become a factor and lighter can be used.

Welcome to the forum! Lots of knowledgeable people on here, so I am sure you'll get some info that's useful. My general advice to new players is to not spend too much money now, wait, do 4-5 games. There are bits of airsoft that are awesome, some bits that are a bit.....meh. Some people can handle the meh bits while others can't. Lots of people start airsoft, only a few carry it on for years, so hold back on your spending as much as you can for the moment. If you're still loving it in 4 games time, then yeah, spend and buy good stuff. It'll also give you an idea of what you'd like and you'll see what other players use, start with and then quickly get rid off. I'll also challenge your view on having real firearms, you can get firearms in the UK, you need to have a reason (such as a member of a shooting club) and jump through a few hoops (letter from a doctor, people who will be a reference, criminal background check and a chat with a copper) but it's all very doable. UKPSA and Practical mini rifle/shotgun/pistol are becoming bigger in the sport with lots of opportunity for fun, in addition, longer ranges/bigger calibres are available in restricted formats, but there are a lot of interesting options. I love seeing father and son combos on game days, seen some really great bonding with some fun father/son time away from screens and nonsense. Looking forward to taking my kids one day. Don't be shy, use the search function but do ask any questions you have.

This is a hard one, £2k is probably about right. I recently bought one for 850, with 8 mags and with a recent service and new mosfet.....but that was a cracking deal and without a second upper, no optics etc. If you're selling, my advice would be to split the package. Sell the second upper, optics, lights etc. all separately. Anyone interested in this level of rif etc will already have optics etc. this is a perfect package for someone completely new without anything, but anyone who is into it enough to spend this much is likely to have most accessories, or at the very least preference as to what they have, rather than just what's available. Selling separately should maximize your money, selling together will force you to undersell it.

Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation! (and some anti fog). On my mesh masks I trim some of the vertical (or horizontal) bits of wire out, it just reduces the amount of wire giving protection and increases the size of the holes for the moisture to escape through. I have had some face shots still "hit me", but nothing compared with not wearing a mask. I also glued a bit of rubbery type material to the inside of it at the top so it causes a "seal" against my face, this way the hot, moist air from my breath goes forward and out, not up to the inside of my glasses. I then don't wear any scarfs/neck buff things, everything I can to get sweat to evaporate. If I am wearing a helmet, a couple of buffs cut in half to absorb the sweat, I say a couple because I keep the spare dry ones in my pockets and I then change these when respawning or between games if I am very sweaty. This also stops any sweat from my head etc running down and adding to my problems. Always use anti fog coating on the inside of my glasses. I use the Bob hopes visor spray for motor bike riders, I have heard some people say they felt it damaged their glasses, but I run cheap Bolle Siliums from screwfix which I generally replace every 6 months or so (so I am not bothered, works for me). I reapply at lunch and religious about doing it before the game starts. If it still fogs, I find just moving the glasses a couple of mms away from my face helps with the air flow around them too (this is rare and isn't enough to cause a safety issue).

Anyone know of a work around to buying the nozzle tightening tool? My rif dropped 70 ISH FPS and I think it's the nozzle (swapped the spring for a new M100 and was still 70 shy of what it was). I've literally just done an order from the cage Airsoft a day before I realised I needed it.

Did a filmsim at gunman tuddenham and it's one of the best days of airsoft I've had in a while, the sort of day you go "yeah, this is how airsoft is meant to be" and I entirely lay the responsibility at the head marshalls' (for the day) door. He was in the field, enthusiastic, pro active marshalling. Everything clicked, good site, reasonable games, sensible rules, good sportsmanship. It wasn't the absolute best day ever or the most unique event, it was just a good, solid day. 2 long games, medic rules blah blah blah. The in game marshalls' worked nicely, the head marshall was great and super hands on. If you want a bit more immersive than an average skirmish id recommend checking out a filmsim at tudds. Hopefully Nell keeps running them and with the same enthusiasm and work/input for many years, but my advice would be to take advantage now, while you can cause if/when he stops these will be the games that we'll hark back to with our rose tinted glasses on.

Some really great advice is in this thread. You can do it cheaply, you can spend a fortune on it and both groups will have good days and bad days! I'd strongly recommend renting the first 3 times at least, not just to get your ukara but so you can give it a good honest go. There are loads of elements that are great, but people (including me at times) fall out of love with the sport all the time, it's easy to love it the first game and by your 4th that passion is waning. Renting for 4/5 games and still loving it confirms you love the sport enough to start buying kit and guns, it also gives you enough knowledge on what works etc. before spending your money.