RostokMcSpoons

And this is why we can't have bad things ?‍?

This is sort of a "How did your airsoft day go" post, but I might as well have this new thread as a repository for future tales of success / woe / dumb questions I bought this little beauty as a proper (two-toned) boneyard item quite a while ago. It shot, but it had a particularly grindy motor with an awful, wheezy RoF only helped to something like normality by banging an 11.1v battery on it. (Not a great long term plan, given the lack of MOSFET). But it showed potential because it seemed quite accurate during the couple of times I tried it out. I started the search for a replacement medium length motor... and found they're quite rare - £45 brand new - and I didn't think it was worth spending that much money on. Luckily I found one on eBay for a bargain price... buuuuuuut I managed to kill it when I fitted it (still not sure how). Up to the loft went poor little Siggy. Well, as I'm metaphorically (and occasionally actually) twiddling my thumbs I thought I'd have another crack at it. Even if it was just back with the original motor, as a garden plinker. Plumbed in the knackered motor and a battery. Smoke. No-worky. Then a good bit of luck for a change - I found an old TM medium length motor I didn't know I had. I swallowed the necessary Brave Pill and took Siggy apart. It may have been the act of cracking the gearbox but the internals weren't in their proper places. I put everything back in place, only swore at the trigger a little bit. And then spent an awful long time routing the cables around so they wouldn't get nipped or cut. Had to take the body apart and retry several times... it's a bitch of a job because the cables always seem to find a way to move as you slide the receiver into place, and they get snagged. Again. And again. But eventually... all back together. And the darned thing works. Properly! As an added bonus it still seems to shoot straight (only a couple of shots in the garden as the neighbours are out enjoying the sun) AND it's banging out 0.20s at 345fps. Result! Now I need to do some proper accuracy / hop testing, to see if it's skirmishable. If it is, I need some mags for it.

If they're shit, we'll go round to that Colin bloke's house and sort him ahhhhhhhhhhhhht!

Have you heard the saying "it's the exception that proves the rule". For a long time I really didn't understand the logic of that saying, but I think I do now. You've just given us an example.. you think armed Good Guys will stop the Bad Guy, but you're linking an article from 2019. It just doesn't happen enough, they're exceptions. I don't think widening gun ownership to the point everyone is carrying is the way to go. The idea of all those untrained itchy trigger fingers, all those guns owned by double-digit IQ idiots, all those angry people with hot tempers... Too likely to get shot by accident or anger. Scary.

Well that's done it, those Iturri Desert boots that I missed out on yesterday have popped back up on eBay. I made an offer of £35 and it's been accepted, so I should get them in time for the next skirmish, or indeed the next trip to the pub ?? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-British-Army-Brown-Iturri-Desert-Boots-Size-10L-Bushcraft-Wildcamping-/374741970759 Thanks everyone for all your valuable input ?. I know I tend to overthink my Airsoft purchases, but to me all this research is good fun in itself ?

A speedloader held at a 45 degree angle is as good as I got with my VFC 416. I bought a 3D printed adapter off eBay that maybe helps a tiny bit

Iturri (desert or patrol, depending on what I can find), and nice socks it is then! Thanks chaps!

I've waxed and then schlepped around the garden and patio in The Boots Of Stomping for a while and come to the inevitable conclusion that light flexible boots are what I want next. (The para boots actually feel a lot lighter once they're on the feet than when I'm carrying them around but they'll have me slowed down by the end of the day, I'm sure) I'll have a look at the Merrells out there. Thanks @Lozart @Colin Allen which would you recommend as the best / lightest desert or brown patrol boot, given my desire for lightness? And... at the moment I've been using a pair of old wellie boot socks, but they've worn through. Or sports socks, which definitely aren't the best in terms of keeping my feet fresh. Most things I've seen mention merino wool socks, Any recommendations there? The goarmy website sells one pair for £7 where as I can get 3 pairs off Amazon for £12, is that false economy?

Also worth a mention, though it's not an A2, is the TM High Cycle. Nicely put together, and it's great fun to shoot ?

Guys all these recommendations are A) Really helpful B) Giving me too much choice ? I'm going to suffer a paralysis of indecision if I'm not careful. I think, given I've got the paratrooper boots and no one here is going to buy them off me, that desert or lightweight boots are the way to go. That way I retain a choice of type of footwear (for different seasons) I'm now rather regretting letting those Iturri Desert boots go this morning... £35 for some very good condition boots in 10 Wide, I can't find any similar stock at the same price point anywhere. But I need to remind myself I'm not in a tearing hurry, a week and a half before the next skirmish, and I could wear the clod-hoppers if I need to... I think I'll be looking at the various Haix desert boots available next... (I'm currently watching YT videos about the history of the jungle boots, they're still in the running too!) Edit: I found these Bates patrol boots in my size (hopefully, that is) £25 for a pair of very lightweight (1.2kg the pair) boots... Are they cheap because they're shit, or just not because they're not very fashionable? At that price, for a boot that is so lightweight yet seems to be reasonably well reviewed, I might give them a go. I'll go watch some reviews videos ... https://goarmy.co.uk/products/bates-combat-boots-brown

Ah, ok, good info to have. It remains to be seen exactly what surface the Spec Ops CQB site will have though

Unsure whether to use the 'Cool AF' or 'Careful Now' button ?

Dan, I've been looking at the YDS Kestrel boots, they're in stock in 10W for me, grade 1, and reviews seem positive though they're 'only' a patrol boot and thus not very 'technical' in their features. But they're relatively lightweight (1.7kg) and reviews say they are comfortable out of the box. And I stumbled across a pair in size 13W ? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325667286913 And here in standard width, in Aylesbury https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134126926082 (£50 for either pair) Now I have had my eye on a pair of used but excellent condition Iturri Desert boots on eBay for a while. Size 10 W but the seller won't take a return, so it's a bit of a gamble they would actually fit, but there for £35. And the listing only has another half an hour to run. Is that a good bet, or should i keep looking for the Cold/wet Iturri, or the Karrimor SF in preference?

I thought those Kombat UK looked the same as the Viper ones, that's useful info, cheers ?

A very valid point! Here's my new thread

As per the title, this is a continuation of the discussion in the How Did Your Day Go thread which started when I mentioned my Karrimor boots had suffered a 'disruption to the natural order' during gameplay, which had necessitated zip ties, Gorilla glue and duct tape. That got me through the day, but has left me with either Clompy McClompy-Face boots (2.4kg of Austrian paratrooper boots - great in the mud, too heavy in the dry), or trainers (don't fancy twisting my ankle on a tree root thanks) So I need some new boots. Must have good ankle support, must be ok in a CQB battle area, must look vaguely military / tacti-cool, and preferably be cheap! My awkward foot size of 9.5 length and 11 for width means I'm probably searching for a 10 Wide or 11 Standard My shortlist looks like.... Wellco classic jungle boot £28 brand new, available in wide, slippery soles? Baltes German jungle boot, £35 grade 1, green and black for extra style points, better soles? Karrimor SF full leather wet weather boot, £50 grade 1, highly recommended Iturri Desert boot, £35 lightly used eBay, wide fitting, not great ankle support? Iturri Wet and Cold Weather boot, full leather, highly recommended Iturri Patrol boot, full leather ~£45 used on eBay Viper Multi-cam Spec Ops twin zip £80 YDS Kestrel patrol boot, £35 grade 1 A trip to bricks-and-mortar stores has added these expensive options, which might get a look-in if I can find 'em lightl;y used on eBay, or if I win the lottery / actually get a job Lowa Renegade GTX (£140 on-line, £215 in-store) - never mind the quality, feel the quality. Super comfortable even in a size too small! Salomon Quest 4 GTX (£120 on-line, £170 in-store) - look the part, super lightweight OEX (GO Outdoors / Blacks brand) Crusade Mid Height (£100-120ish?) - look good, very comfortable for my feet (I'll try to add some links in for the best prices I can find. It seems 10 / 11 are popular sizes so a lot of places just don't have stock) I've just found the German jungle boots are ~2.1kg which rather surprised me, and I'm a bit concerned a lot of the other boots are going to be heavier than expected. Maybe those expensive boots will become more attractive! Current front runners are the Iturri Cold and Desert boots, and the Karrimor SFs ... unless someone is going to put me off I'll probably try to find the best deal for one of those on eBay and go for it, because £35-£60 depending on condition on eBay makes them all a tempting value proposition. Some slightly tatty Lowa or Salomon boots at the same price might tempt me too, though.

~ Yes, sorry, that did occur to me halfway through proceedings - apologies. I'll start one!

I had ruled those out as a little too pricey, but I can feel some 'budget creep' coming into play here, I'll add them to my shortlist. £70 new, aren't they? Edit: £80, at the only place with any stock I've found, so far... https://www.horseandhoof.com/viper-special-ops-boots---multicam-68428-p Oh yeah, I've found my combat boots in the loft, and weighed 'em. 2.4KG for the pair. I suppose for a full height paratrooper boot in size 44, it's not actually outlandishly heavy. But they do feel hefty for sure. (Here are the same make / model boots in a recent ebay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295588238936) Chances are I'll be either picking up something cheap (~£30) now, or wearing the chonky para boots next skirmish and hoping I get a job so I can treat myself to a pair of those Lowas (or something similarly fancy)

@rocketdogbert does the horse piss and shit come with the boots, or do I have to pay extra for that? Well that's quite a recommendation. And a very good price, compared to the sticker shock in the shop. However, we both know what happens when you recommend something to me matey.... :Goes off to search Alibaba for a cheap knock-off for a quarter of the price: In all seriousness, I am tempted. Given the intermittent use they'll get, they'll last me a lifetime and they'll look good when I wear them to the pub

That could just be the gearbox locking up in semi, and then getting cleared in full auto (that's a thing with some gearboxes - if you spam semi fast enough... someone please jump in to verify)

Went t'shops - Cotswolds/Trek (high-end), Decathlon (rubbish), GO Outdoors (sale) - tried on some boots... Cotswolds had Lowa Renegade GTX. Blimey that's a nice pair of boots, you can feel the quality oozing out of them (Like the River Ouse, but with fewer discarded condoms, and less effluent). And so they should be, for the Kingly (rather than Princely) sum of £215. Lovely though, very comfortable even in a slightly too narrow size. I am very impressed. Salomon Mens Quest 4 GTX. Blimey that's a light pair of boots, you can really feel the weight not being there. Like a helium balloon weighed down with only a small number of miniature lead ingots. Honestly. 655g for a full-height walking boot is silly when my paratrooper boots have a pair of black holes in orbit around them. They also look very 'Special Forces' with a nice green / carbon-fibre grey effect. £170 on special offer there, but I think they can be had for £120 on t'internet. If I was feeling super-flush they'd be bought by now. Decathlon had 20 minutes of my time which I'll never get back. Let us not speak of them. Oh alright, if you insist. A lot of own-brand mid-height walking boots that didn't look like they'd survive for long even if I was walking up and down my carpeted staircase (though to be fair, the barbed wire does tend to catch on things a little, and the acid can be problematic). GO Outdoors in MK are closing down for a refit, so there's 30% off at the moment, but they're actively packing away the boots right now, so there was not much to see on display. I worked my way through stacks of boxes. I saw some Peter Storm boots (which I suspect won't be amazing in practice, but looked alright-ish), and some other cheapo brand which also came in a 'safety boots' version. Nah. They did have their own brand OEX Crusade WP Mid-height boots. They looked like really good quality. I tried them on, they fitted very well (size 10 standard width), felt very supportive around the ankle too. They're £120 on the net, but usually ~£150 in-store. There was no price, and no kindly shop assistant to ask, so I left without getting a 'best price'... they're more than I want to spend, so no problem. So I circle back to my shortlist... but I'm going to be scanning eBay to see if I can get a cheap pair of Lowa or Salomon boots too!

Okey dokey, so a quick search and I find an old model of the German jungle boot,which actually looks exactly like the Wellco classic Vietnam jungle boot, but had a different sole grip layout (smaller chunks, perhaps more suited to gripping on hard surfaces?) And there's a new model which is only slightly more expensive, looks the same, but claims to be waterproof because it doesn't have the drain holes. Both are available in green + black which does look cooler than the all black Wellco's at the preppers shop. So they're definitely an option. This leaves a shortlist looking like this at the moment: Wellco classic jungle boot £28 brand new, available in wide, slippery soles? German jungle boot, £35 grade 1, green and black for extra style points, better soles? Karrimor SF full leather wet weather boot, £50 grade 1 Iturri Desert boot, £35 lightly used eBay, wide fitting, not great ankle support? Iturri Patrol boot, full leather ~£45 used on eBay Also found some used AKU army surplus desert boots for £35 but no one has recommended those, and I've not checked reviews yet. The chunky patrol boots might be too close in style and usage to my paratrooper boots, that might be an unnecessary doubling-up of my inventory, so I think I'm more likely to go desert or jungle. Desert boots might get some extra use walking to the pub ? I think I'll make a trip to Decathlon and Go Outdoors .. if nothing else I'll try on some boots to get a feel for the most likely best size

If you chaps can't tell me there's a clear winner I'll just have to stick with my Swiss army paratrooper boots that are so heavy the Earth is gravitationally attracted to them (rather than vice versa). I am unemployed, and therefore allegedly skint, after all ?