Emergencychimps

First game in almost 6 months, caused by a mix of frustrating games, family life, other hobbies and a severe lack of spare time. It was good to get a game in, went to a team green day at tuddenham (same site gunman run) and the level of play was brilliant. The games were a bit more confined, limits on where you could go etc which I'm not a fan of (hate being funnelled into attacking certain spots) but I came away from the day extremely tired and pretty darn happy. Not a single issue of poor hit taking or cheat calling, all players were very nice.......not a spectacular event, just really darn good run of the mill Airsoft skirmish.

I've always found that the gear snob thing is generally worse when it's in reverse. The whole - "I have kit that's just as good and it only cost me half a packet of crisps...." I have done a lot of milsims and events, I see it more when I am the local skirmish site. As mentioned by others there will be a whole mix of people there, some will have spent a small fortune on kit but just because they have priortised their spending that way doesn't mean they won't welcome you etc. though it can be a little daunting. The main thing at a milsim event other people are interested in is whether you are competent, what kit you have can give clues as to whether you're competent (but your kit is not the be all and end all). Rock up to a January trees game with a summer sleeping bag and no warm kit and you'll be a liability that will be a drain on your team mates and probably the event organiser. Having had to take myself out of events or ration my supplies etc. to look after people who weren't competent is frustrating. (think people taking a small bottle of lucazade for a 4 hour patrol around mountains or don't drink enough water in warm weather so go down with dehydration/sunstroke, both are genuine examples). Some of the best and most competent players I knew had the cheapest kit and actually in ways enhanced how they were because they adapted and worked really well with what they had. They didn't run super bulky gucci plate carriers, because they only had chest rigs etc. It does sound like you're not the most experienced, so I'd echo what the others have said about checking out filmsim, gunman airsoft and other day long event organisers (such as legion airsoft). I'd also encourage you think about what you want and why. Do you want the full 24 hour, sleep in game experience, or the tighter rules on high caps, or the camo based PID vs armbands? Then give some thought as to what you're genuinely ready for an book on/approach the relevant organisers.

My understanding is that should be fine, you have a defence to manufacture a realistic imitation firearm due your defence that you're an airsofter. Your membership of ukara then proves that defence. While it's very tempting to buy a two tone, I'll still advise against it, even though it's very tempting. Reasons for advising against it is you haven't had enough games to know if you truly like airsoft enough to spend on it, most people love their first game, by game 3/4 a lot have lost that buzz and have often over spent. Still love it after 3 games- spend away. Also, you're so new it's hard to understand what you'll like longer term, I hated m4s when I started but now I think they're awesome. You haven't messed with other players rifs at events, you don't know the pros and cons over what you're buying (based on the number of times I see "just bought this.....is it any good?!" Type threads. Covering a two tone isn't as easy as it seems, most covered two tones generally have some of the bright paint peeking through and you'll never get the best value if/when you decide to sell it.

I always have a red dot on my rifs and generally a good one (vortex, holy warrior or eotech). I do so for a couple of reasons: 1. It looks right 2. I get more 1st shot hits than without them, so I have fewer of those occasions of shooting at a player at 40 metres plus, only for them to turn, matrix the bbs (if that's even needed) and return fire/get into cover with my position given away. I often spend more time than most other players at the sites I attend going the longer route, pulling off those unexpected flanking moves. If that takes me 10 minutes of a 60 minute game it's pretty annoying to waste it with the above scenario. 3. I run a mix of black and white bbs, the white bbs act as a tracer in the day but the black ones force me to use the red dot which I find more immersive (you can't really see where your rounds land/go on a a real one, you have to aim and irons on a n airsoft aren't great.) 4. At night or low light conditions, knowing whether you're shooting them or the wall next to them can be quite important, in the dark or under night vision it's amazing how off point shooting can be. 5. Firing at an enemy with the sun behind them makes tracking bbs almost impossible, the first time I had a zero'd red dot I had this exact situation and scored a couple of hits, without the red dot I didn't have a clue where my bbs were going. 6. I know that some of the shots I have managed to hit have only worked out due to having a red dot that was zero'd in.

Even if you had used them loads and loads, they'd still be good to go if looked after (and these look as though you have looked after them very well). I have had mine for about 10 years, used at over 150 events are still trucking away like new. That's the great thing about them, they last unlike most of the shite you get with airsoft. Best of luck with the sale.

I've seen them sell at the peak for up to £50 each. However that was before the pts came out with their (think it's the epm) mags for the ngrs and it was a choice of bodge real mags with standard mid inners or pay through the nose for pmags. I suspect you're looking around £30-40 each now, depending on selling individually or as a bundle. I get the impression they aren't as popular, age has generally taken their toll and those who must have them....have them.

I'd also suggest looking at the Titan range of Lipo batteries. No idea what they do but they seem to have doubled the capacity for the same physical size battery. For example the battery I run in an m4 stock tube was a nuprol (was pretty good to be fair) at 1450 mah (7.4 lipo), couldn't have squeezed any more mah in that space with that tech. However for the titan range of batteries (7.4 again) I can fit a 3000mah battery in the same space (more comfortably as well). I was switching batteries at lunch time to be safe, no need now. Also no concerns if I am a bit trigger happy of "is my battery charged enough" etc. They are more money, a lot of airsoft stuff is crap and the cheaper option is often the same as the more expensive option, but there does seem to be something pretty cool here that isn't getting a lot of attention. I believe they can take more abuse than a standard lipo.

I didn't find the howard leights good enough when it came to directional sound, they're good, better than the knock off ztac/ earmor or whatever is the current crap clones but if you go for over ear protection - would recommend skipping the howard leights and go straight to sordins or peltors, you can get some sordins for around £100-£115 ish mark, so not mega money. At a Catterick event I was on the receiving end of so much pyro I'd encourage anyone doing cqb events to wear good ear pro, especially if you're likely to be on the receiving end of Tag grenades (not just the launched ones) as they seemed super loud. If you get some sordins etc - look for ones with the aux in, you can then rig it up to your speaker mic in the future for comms.

I've mounted all round, if you're concerned about the shadow you can get a light bar or thorntail (clones available) that push the light even further forward than the rail so you have it almost flush with the end of a suppressor, this is to combat exactly the issue youve had. I have a couple of the clones and they're solid enough. For me, where it goes depends on how I intend to activate the light. I've gone from pressure pads, to tail cap buttons back to pressure pads etc and can see the merit for both. I find pressure pads better for if you want to be able to activate with both hands as you can pick a good ambidextrous location for the pad, it's harder to do this when using the tail cap switch. Some people prefer the tail cap as they want white light to be a very deliberate action and to reduce the risk of white light negligent discharge. The specific set up of the rif, the barrel length, rail length, whether you have a suppressor or not all come into play. I really liked the 11oc with a tail cap, However, I eventually decided with a pressure switch it didn't matter, so for ease and cost effectiveness and consistency I tend to pop it in a standard position such as the 3 oc. It works, it's not fancy but it works.

I have a massive head so I understand your struggle. I'd advise getting a pts mtek flux. It's a licensed clone and the quality is fantastic. It's a big helmet and I got the pads to be very comfortable, I am around 61 cm ish (I think). Used to suffer from pressure helmets from all the fma maritime clones etc. Been through loads of options. This one is expensive (£125) but it'll work, is high quality and it's easier to look up (especially when prone) than a standard ops core clone. They look awesome as well.

I think rogerborg has a good point. Have you played before? If you haven't, the best one is probably one that a site rents to you. Rent the first at least 3 times. Yes it will cost you a bit extra but I swear there are thousands of people who have thought airsoft was the dogs danglies on YouTube, maybe had an awesome first game, but by their 3rd/4th game have lost the hype and they've sunk a small fortune into the hobby and you never get back what you've paid when selling it. It's also a great way to get chatting to other players on site, airsofters love talking about their gear and guns, chat to them, ask to hold them, test shoot them etc. You'll get a better understanding of what you want, what's available and you'll at least get a bit chatty with the other players. If you haven't played before then you'll need to get a two tone, which if you get into the sport you'll probably be keen to replace, so you won't end up saving any cash. If you have played before and like m4s personally I'd suggest a g&g m4, anyone in your price range that you like the look of. They all basically do the same thing and the quality control of g&g seems good for the money, so then just getting one you like the look of is sensible, longer barrels aren't more accurate etc. The performance and functionality of them will all be the same/very similar. Don't like m4s? well......I'd honestly recommend sucking that up and getting an m4. You can get some great cheap ones, Parts are easy to get, they're common so onsite techs aren't working on something weird and they should be good to go out of the box from a brand like g&g or specna. Accessories, kit (chest rigs, mag pouches) are common and cheap. Also, they can be lovely. If you really must have an AK or some other weird shaped one, by the time you can justify spending the money you'll be in a better place to understand what's good, what you're looking for etc. Just don't be one of those people who is like.....I've just bought this gnu , is it any good?

Is this a 24 hour, non stop game or is it one of these ones with a planned break so players can go to sleep? Lots of info around arrivals, signing in, game on etc but not anything beyond that.

Honestly, I wouldn't have gone that high. These weren't the premium PTS Pmags which I would imagine are worth around £10 mag second hand, I'd have suggested around £35 for a box of 5, so around £70 all in. From my experience of these, they were pretty sub par, but looked like the more expensive PTS version and I think more than a few bought these thinking they were getting a pts set and when they weren't as good, they sort of disappeared.

Cracking write up and wonderful to hear you enjoyed what was effectively your first game! Taking on a night game for your first game is brave but something I'd recommend as it definitely can add to it. My first real game in 2012 was a night game and I was hooked! Seems like a good crowd to get into as well, thats how the sport should be! Everyone who loves kit, owns kits etc generally loves chatting about it, so when you see someone kitted up you're just really seeing how much they love the sport and loads of opportunities to start conversations with them. For your fogging issue, there's a whole bunch of solutions and what works well for one person won't for another. However if you want to stay with glasses then I'd recommend a pair that are close fitting (minimal gaps) but not too close as you want air flow around them as well. Also some of them have an anti fog layer on them (bolle siliums are the ones I use) and around £10 a pair. Some glasses are just a bit pants, seems everyone hates (there'll be some that don't) the bolle tracker 2 glasses (which is a shame cause they look like they'd be awesome). I'd also suggest an extra layer of anti fog stuff, some people recommend cat crap, the anti fog wipes etc. I also recommend bob hopes visor spray (for motorcyclists), spray, clean the glasses and then spray again and allow to dry on. Making sure whatever headwear(cap etc) and face protection is right for you is part of it, some facepro can push your hot breath into your glasses (no idea what the delta mike is like for this), I find caps absorb sweat, some find it hinders. I always find any balaclavas or scarf type things hinder fogging issues for me as it prevents me from controlling my temperature (so sweat more) but generally the more sweat there is the more fogging there is. You could just get mesh (check out heroshark on facebook) but there's a whole thing of you might get some fragments etc through, but such low power etc. I don't cause I love night games and mesh at night is like wearing sunglasses at night #dark. I'd never given thought to coloured arm bands and people who are colour blind, I am sure the owner will want to hear about it. It might not be something they can justify fixing now, but maybe on their next purchase of arm bands etc they can.

You used to be able to get ex police ballistic plates that are made of a special type of layered plastic, super light weight (around 1kg per plate) and can give around level 3 protection. However eBay seems sold out....guess that could be a supply issue or Ukraine. Alternatively I've seen people use the cheap plastic ones and fill them with sand, rubber chippings (like at a playground) and then seal them back up with tape once they're at the right weight, they can get quite heavy though!

The way I see this, is are you going to be using the same rif in 2-3 years time? If so then a tm devgru is a good option. If it's likely you'll have stopped again or using a different RIF as your main, get a cheaper one or do something sexy with the scar to make you fall in love with it again (nice optics, foregrip, torch etc) The bolt stop and the recoil are nice add ons that very few aegs do (kwa ergs and bolt, gbls das #megamoney), neither are as good as a gbbr but you have more ammo capacity, less gas concerns, less weather concerns. I personally find them satisfying enough that over a longer period of time I can justify the money. The range will be similar if not the same. Personally, i get the impression that standard aegs degrade more over time, a good aeg lasts (with it's optimal performance) say 1-3 years but a recoil lasts 3-4 years This is probably some fiction I have created in my brain to justify the money.

Newer "budget" Airsoft guns have come on leaps and bounds supposedly. You can get yourself a good rif thats reliable, good range, few bells and whistles (MOSFETs/electric triggers) etc for around £300. Good enough that the TM magic isn't ready a thing. What very few guns give are the following. Bolt stop Recoil An easy gearbox to work on when it needs it. Unlike most gearboxes they aren't under tension when putting back together so I find them easier. I've had both of my recoils for over 7 years. During that time they have had repairs and spring upgrades, but not the excessiveness some do (stock motors, gears, pistons, cylinder,cylinder head, nozzle, barrel) The gate titans are a great upgrade. Obviously these repairs come at a cost but I'm not doing £300 every 2 years on a new rif like it seems most players with standard aegs do. Looked after they're solid and can last a long time If you like changing your rif fairly often or acquiring an armoury as some do, then go for a standard aeg. If you're set on a 416 and expect to like it for a long time then the recoil is a sound investment. For me the bolt stop, reliability, overall quality etc is enough id buy them again. TM mws gbbrs look very interesting, had a ghk and loved it, but I had a brief falling out of love with the sport and couldnt justify keeping it (kept the recoils though). Have picked up a tm mp7 for that gas action and a lower investment point. You do adapt to the lower round count surprisingly well and few contacts need 1000s of bbs, few need more than 30. Stock recoils are good solid guns, not super amazing but the recoil and bolt stop will make up for that. Eventually a stronger spring (m95 with a tighbore barrel or m100) for that extra FPS, if trigger response is important then the titan is the answer, but they aren't essential or needed at purchase. So I guess my answer is, it depends.

To be honest, I think a days entertainment for £25-£30 is amazingly cheap. I don't think there are many activities that are more than sitting on your arse in your own home(Netflix and gaming) that has such a low per hour cost. The rest of the costs (guns, ammo, food, pyro, kit) are up to the player and can be done incredibly cheaply or incredibly expensively, so looking for ways to reduce this further is feasible in the UK. If anything I'd encourage going the other way, charge me more but have paid Marshalls. It's hard to get volunteers to run a site as well as people who are getting paid for it. That's why a lot of sites are based around the one or 2 people who make the cash from it. If they aren't there or they're having an off day the whole site goes down hill. A local site to me has peaks and troughs and it's entirely based around the site managers (not the owners). When they change so does the quality of the site, the games run, the way the briefing is given, the attitude to the whole day/weekend etc. When it's bad it's pretty hard to moan cause they're doing their best and they are just volunteering.

I've done a mix of weekend events ( normally around £100 a time with no food included) and skirmishes. Most skirmishes locally tend to be £25 without food. But I have paid up to £35. I personally prefer sites that don't include food but do provide is on site at extra expense, its then my choice to buy or not. If they do good food at reasonable prices people will buy, bad food or too expensive and people will take pack ups. Honestly, to me what is value is very much site depending. I'd find it hard to pay more than £30 for a basic woodland site but I'd be happy to pay £45 for day sessions if the site is special, such as a mall, the fire college, prison, mod site (stirling games at places like catterick are effectively 2, if not 3 standard skirmish days due to hours played, so £100 ish is cheap). What I find more frustrating is inconsistency in organisers. My local site seems to get great reports one week and then I go and it's awful (maybe it's me?!) etc. I find the fact I've wasted one of my few free days far worse than the cost. If I could guarantee an organiser would provide a good to great day then I'd be willing to pay more, possibly double the above mentioned prices, but it seems that doesn't exist.

The rif is £300 new from anywhere that actually has it in stock, high-pressure advertise £250 but that's plus vat....so £300. There are 4 extra mags with it, generally £40 each, so that's an extra £160, plus the extra 2 things, let's call that £20 plus postage, c £10 (if you can find it all in stock from one retailer) = £490. If you can find them in stock. Tm mp7s seem to hold onto their value better than most rifs, so the 70% rule/guidance isn't accurate for them. So if you apply an 80% figure (which I agree is high for second hand, but I've seen it happen for tm mp7s loads) then you're around £400...... I don't know how the supply line is for tm mp7s at the moment. Sometimes everywhere is out and second hand prices go up, sometimes they're available and prices seem more reasonable second hand.

Tm Mp7s and mags seem to retain their value better than most. If it was mine I'd list it (none of the optional extras) for £425 all in and then consider offers around £400 The extras I'd say sell seperately, if you force a bundle you won't get the full value you could from them and it'll take longer to sell. Suppressor c £50 Sling c 25-30 Clone t2 with mount c £40 Surefire min is £150

Are they worth it? It depends but I'd say for most people no. Any new player and I'd encourage you don't. You're not new though! They can and do get sweaty, even if they have vents, they can increase fogging (more moisture = more fogging) and if you don't have the right size then they can cause headaches too. I generally wear a thin headband and replace it periodically with spares that I have in my pocket, as the next one gets wet the old ones dries in my pocket etc. They can also stick out in woodland environments. However if you want the protection and the look etc then this could be a price worth paying. There are loads of different styles and the quality varies massively. It is often you get what you pay for. Most Airsoft ones are clones of opscore. Whether that's the carbon, fast or the maritime. The height of the "cut" can vary for these, if you run sordins or peltors then I'd recommend a high or super high cut (these can be attached to the helmet) You can get clones of the mtek flux, revision caiman and mich 2000 styles as well. Then there are ex army ones....wouldn't recommend the older ones but apparently the virtus is good, not sure if you can legally get them though yet. Some people run protec/skate helmets - very black hawk down delta look What can vary? The thickness of the shell, the size of the shell, whether they have rails and how it attaches and fits to your head, the quality of the pads and the quality of any NV mounts. I'd recommend seeing any your friends have and trying any you see around your local site (at the start of the day #sweatmess) If you've got an average size head, up to around 59 cm then most Airsoft helmets will work, above that look at the pts mtek flux or a l/XL ops core fast bump but here you're talking £100 plus and the opscore will be more. I've had Emerson, FMA, red dragon and the pts mtek flux (about to list, just got an opscore carbon). Realistically if you actually use it, the pads and retention system fail on Airsoft helmets. The pts mtek flux is by far the highest quality and most comfortable Airsoft helmet I have ever had. It also has the best longevity, but it's for people with larger heads 59+ One thing I do really like about the mtek flux is the cut at the back, it's more curved up and makes looking up (or ahead when prone) easier than standard opscore with a dial types. Depending on what else you use it for, you can obviously run night vision off it, go pro cameras, lights and camo covers etc they can look pretty Gucci. Regarding eyepro and face protection, I've never had an issue with it affecting eye pro, face protection I actually find it easier with the helmet, generally (especially helmets with a rail) you can attach the face protection to the helmet, so it's more comfortable, you could look at using a ops core mandible (clones available). I also find rain can be an issue compared with a baseball cap. It does seem like wearing helmets is becoming cool again.....guess we'll see how long that lasts.

It's a no from me. I think people either want an optic (or certain type of optic) that is as cheap as possible so it's then the easiest/cheapest one that fits their requirements. If so custom engraving isn't going to make it cheaper or easier to get. Or They want the best value optic they can get for their money, whether thats an airsoft optic in a certain style up to a £500 aimpoint. I don't think many people pay for the vortex optic price brand to get a airsoft clone with some engraving. My main point here is I think it's a gimmick that only a few people would be interested in and if they want it enough they can get companies that do laser engraving to do it for them (such as land warrior) on their choice of optic.

I don't know how the adverts get updated by when they are completed or not (guess the seller does that after a period of time) but often I have found that sellers list the item on multiple places. When this happens if they sell it, they're often unlikely to update that places they didn't sell it through unless they just happen to go back to that site. If you are contacting sellers about items that haven't recently had activity, then it's probably sold and they don't check here often enough. Or you're contacting sellers about items that have completed and they can't be bothered to reply, whether they have seen your message or not, as they have marked the item as complete. Also, life happens, work etc so this could be why people aren't replying as soon as you'd like. If I were you, I'd make sure you're contacting only about items that have been listed or bumped recently, make sure your messages are polite and you'll see a good response rate. If you contact me about a completed advert, something from a long time ago or with a message along the lines of "I'll give you 50% of the advertised sale price" - I'd just ignore you.

Welcome to the sport! I'm personally delighted that after that sort of day you've logged on and bothered to create this thread and discuss it. As others have mentioned every site varies. 6 games (depending on length) is about average for a skirmish day, I prefer faster turn around times and shorter lunch breaks. But I tend to find all skirmish sites slack and slow for this, a skirmish caters for all players including players with really different motivation and organisational levels. Losing momentum can be a difficult one to recover and especially if the weather is bad it can be hard to be motivated again to get it going after lunch. Most skirmish players are interested in their game, not whether the objectives been achieved, other people flanked etc and most are there to get kills and they play in an according fashion......sounds like a more structured event would be up your street. Regarding the objectives, at a skirmish they rarely mean anything, they are just a plot for that game, the score for football at the end is important, having a good game less so. Having a good game/experience is the point of Airsoft (or generally that's the accepted view) so which team won rarely matters. I find it useful so that Marshall's can re balance the teams if one side is losing lots. It is nice to know when one side "wins" but I'm sure if you persist you'll have great games you lose and terrible ones you win. My honest opinion is that you experienced a pretty meh day of Airsoft, whether that's because of the site, them having an off day, I've had meh days at what I thought were great sites, great days at sites I had previously thought of a not great. At skirmish days I tend to find all of the issues you've raised exist, some times it's real bad, some times a minor annoyance. I rarely found them at more organised events (such as battlesims)or milsims. Stirling run lots of events at catterick, it's worth the 8 hour return trip for me. You can play bad guys without all the Gucci kit and their themed games there arent non stop. I wouldn't normally advise them for a new player, but I'd rather that than you lose the love for the sport altogether.