RostokMcSpoons

Yeah, can't argue with that. I went with the cheap option (KJ Works G19) because there's realistically every chance that two pistols are one too many in my loadout. I'll get to try out the Glock to see if that weird itch was short-lived or not, and I can move the gun on for what I bought it for, and upgrade to the TM 'as and when'. Edit: For anyone following this thread interested in a TM G17, there's one in the Classifieds (It's a gen 3 not the gen 4, so the smaller BBU, but it'll still be pretty damned good, I'm sure) In the meantime (and blowing my budget to bits), there's another Gas Blow Back gun about to join my collection...

If I do go ahead with a TM, it'll be because of the cold weather performance from the plastic slide, so although the metal upgrade would be nice, it's not so vital. I'm sure it'd be great in the summer though, and maybe I'll be trying to spend money I don't have at that point! I am unsure about the AA R17 with the plastic slide (and the cheaper-looking plastics) because it might still be a bit of a poor performer in the cold, and therefore £70 not brilliantly spent But, as I said, I'm sure I could recover most of my outlay if I don't like or use it. Also, rather annoyingly, I bought a specific Hi-Capa retention holster for my TM, rather than the AmoMax universal that I could have tweaked to hold this as well, so there's a bit of a shortfall in my kit that might be enough to stop me buying anything! Edit: Seems patrolbase have a lot of the retention holsters on sale for discounted prices, so I could get a universal, or even a specific Glock holster and swap over... https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/swiss-arms-adaptx-level-2-adaptable-holster?pv=16886 Edit2 : Bought @cart3rlfc's G19 so I'll have a Glock to try out... if it floats my boat then I'm sure the TM will happen in the future Thanks all!

No you can't Do you think the plastic slide will improve the winter weather performance much? Had another google to see if there were any cheaper prices than the £70 at Wolf. Hah, darned things used to be £57 at some retailers. That is proper 'impulse purchase' territory. Looking at SFA's unboxing video, I can see it does look pretty cheap, but also looks quite snappy... Special Ops usually have a selection of AA pistols for sale, I'll see if they've got one I can take a close look at. The TM... well it's still the best long-term option isn't it.

Thanks Roger, that's £70 new by the looks of it. https://wolfarmaments.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1179 Given the amount of skirmish use it'll actually get, it would be a logical choice. Especially as I'm sure I could punt it on for [not much less] if I still wanted the TM after I tried it. I've bought some tickets at the Airsoft Competitions site, so maybe I'll be winning a TM FNX or Glock soon anyway, because I'm always soooooo lucky in raffles and lotteries (NOT) Edit: Also bought tickets for the Cybergun Scar-PDW (which looks very nice, but is expensive) Ball 89 came out... which no-one had bought. Re-draw... Ball 88 came out. No-one had that either... I had ticket 87. Re-draw... someone else won. Bah humbug.

"Buy once, buy TM" seems to the regular take-away message

I've got this weird fascination with Glocks - weird because I always thought they were the crappiest looking mainstream gun in existence. But then I got to shoot one, just a few plinking rounds fired, and I "got it". I've been to the clinic, they couldn't clear it up. So although I really, really, really don't need another GBB pistol as my TM Hi Capa DOR is absolutely peachy, thank-you very much, I still keep looking in the classifieds and YT review videos. I tell myself "no" but "no really means yes", in this particular instance, I suspect. Now obviously the Gold Standard of shoot-ability is probably going to be the new gen4 Tokyo Marui. For mil-spec realism, probably the VFC / Umarex metal slide gen5? They're both knocking on at around the £160 mark. Should I hold out for one of those, or are the boneyard / bargain bins likely to yield something vaguely worthwhile? There are WEs and AAs that show up around the £60 mark, but if they're not going to shoot on a cold day, there's not all that much point. I've got some other fish frying / irons in fires, such as wanting a GBBR of some sort, or a Specna G36, which will probably drain my budget before I get around to this. But damnit, I might as well know what I'm going to do. Any thoughts and experience from The Hive Mind?

... having a chrono is very useful for identifying whether changes improve or spoil performance. This one from @Ak2m4 is cheap, but effective, if you're on a budget https://www.ak2m4.co.uk/ht-x3006-chronograph?search=CHRONO Argggh, just noticed its Out Of Stock. They're available at AliExpress if you don't mind a wait

I think most people will agree that the owner and his marshals are probably the key to whether a site is good or not. I have great trust in Carlos and his guys look after everyone really well, and do their best to nip cheating and bad behaviour in the bud. To set expectations... The site itself is mostly woodland with some height variation. There are two main camps made up of wooden barriers and tents, and a few small structures, there aren't any Instagrammable real planes or tanks on site, but what is there does work! Obviously the amount of leaf cover makes all the difference on how it plays, but I've had fun through the year there. Parking gets 'interesting' but there seems to be enough space across two parking areas Hope to see you there sometime!

Ok got a pair of each in (on!) my hands... my initial observations are: Both pairs seem to be really well made and look goooooood, so much more impressive than the cheap Chinese ones I'd bought on-site. The Fast Fits feel noticeably thinner and lighter, and therefore indeed more flexible. They still substantial enough to reduce the pain from impact though. The M-Pacts have really impressive protection across the back of the hand, and right down to the ends of each finger (trigger fingers excepted... It'll be just my luck to get a bad hit on my left hand's index finger!) I got the right size (Large) and both fit the same, but each has a tiny annoyance... Both pairs have a seam inside the end of each finger that's quite pronounced, so hitting those seams with the fingertips (especially the trigger finger) is the dominant sensation. It's a stronger sensation in the Fast Fits, surprisingly. The M-Pacts have an extra layer of wear-protection leather on the palm but this bunches-up when gripping, so there's less direct contact from hand to the gun - a little less feel in that part of the grip. That's probably not very important tbqh. Both those annoyances will probably ease after some wear out in the field, or a turn through the washing machine, as the fabric breaks-in. £45 got me two very good pairs of gloves, that will probably last me until I give up airsoft, and will cover me for both outdoor and CQB. Thanks all for your valuable input

I bought a pair of M-Pacts. Maybe I'll get a refund on the FFs, maybe I'll just keep em as spares

Hi, welcome back I too came back to this last year, after a long lay-off, it's still great fun! I play up at Milton Keynes, at Special Ops. If you have good experiences down in Beds and Herts, please do share as I might travel a little further afield for good sites

Hah, too late, my Fast Fits have just arrived. And with the news that the Special Ops new CQB site - currently referred to as "The Barn" - is going ahead. maybe I should swap 'em for the M-Pacts. I did at least get the right size. Unlike the British Army "crap hat" that I just got off eBay. Turns out measuring your own head must be harder than it looks, I think I was out by 2cm too big. My head isn't quite as huge as I thought, just still a bit square

Yeah I'd seen that video a while ago... IIRC he ran about 3000 rounds through it before a failure? Mind you I've just coincidentally found his MP7 videos and see he's had problems with a sticky nozzle, a cracked rear receiver, and a sleepy trigger. So TM isn't immune from issues. It does look a cracking bit of kit though, and if it's usable outdoors on a cold day then I'm sure it'd be a great intro to the world of GBBR's. Maybe my best choice is: in the short-term, get the Specna G36 with EBB for compatibility with my existing rigging... the EBB might well break, but for a while at least it's not as 'inert' as the typical AEG. And it's cheap (£135) And I wait a little for the TM MP7. It's my birthday in April, so if my contract gets extended and I'm still in work, I can treat myself

Yes that's a good shout - I do like the look of the MP7 (played it in Battlefield 4 etc quite a lot) - and I could do with a true CQB gun. Is it just the TM version I should consider? Edit: £275 at WolfArmouries on a pre-order for March, plus £40-odd quid per mag. Quite a step up in cost. And... I run a battle belt with plastic pouches for M4/M14/AUG mags, so changing to something for SMG mags is a bit of a pain-point. Might need an alternate belt or chest-rig setup to accommodate different pouches.

Chaps, you may well have seen my G36 thread in the AEG section. It would be remiss not to at least consider the related but enticingly different option of the same gun but gas powered. I've got a Tipmann M4 which is still mid-fettle and maybe not yet going to be accurate enough for a full woodland skirmish, but I really do enjoy the bolt slamming back and forth. I love my GBB pistol too, it's all a bit more exciting than a pure AEG when shooting. https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/army-armament-r36-ar36c-gbb-rifle-w-2x-magazine?pv=19593 (Yeah, it's out of stock there, I have seen it at the same price elsewhere, just couldn't remember which shop off the top of my head) So apart from the fact I'd have 60 shots, instead of 4-6 hi-cap mags in my belt, and a bit more expense in running it, is it a decent gun? I know @SheriffHD got one a while back - how's it held out? Is it a false economy getting one of these or should I just hold out (potentially much longer) for an MWS? How well does it work during these cold months? I may just stick with the plan to buy an AEG version as I already have an M4 mag adapter... it makes sense to use my existing collection of mags, but sensible is not why I have so many guns already

Had a quick look, I've already got a pair of lined leather gloves that I've used in super-cold weather for airsoft that look very similar- so thanks, I've got that covered I think Well the giveaway would be if you've got big dangly earrings - are they made of fake gold, or sheep's intestines... ?

Awww crap, I've already ordered them in Large. I might have gone for Medium if I'd seen this. Oh well, returns policy should cover me if need be... but I do have long "pianist's"* fingers so hopefully it'll be fine. * Can't play the bloody piano though.

Coolio, a pair of Fast Fits it is then! Checking the glove-sizing chart on eBay, it seems I'm a "L"arge, for width, but a "M"edium for length (oooooh Matron etc). Should I go for snug-fit? Do they stretch out at all? I guess at this price it's no great worry either way... @Lozart do you have shares in the company? Sounds like you ought to

As I'm actually booked in to a skirmish I've decided I should make sure my gear is up-to-snuff. I'm currently rockin' a pair of cheapo Chinese multi-cam gloves that are a little small. I've had my eye on Mechanix forever, and should've bought a pair from the outset, so now's the time to do it, I reckon. So which to get? As I have "L"arge hands the price gap on Amazon between the two is smaller than I would have expected - it's £22 vs £30. I fancy the idea of the M-Pact in case I play some CQB (or just get shot at close range by someone cheating the fps limits), but also fancy the dexterity of the Fast Fits. If anyone has experience of both - which is better? (And is there anywhere better (cheaper) than Amazon to get 'em?) Edit: eBay. eBay is cheaper... £15 for the fast-fits, but still £30 for the m-pacts

Aren't .12g BBs what all the cool kidz use these days? Look at them fly!

They claim it shoots at 250-300fps, out to 40m. Camo it up and skirmish it properly At a £135 I can't see the Specna getting knocked off it's perch at the top of the "most favoured" tree. I just need to time it right so the wife doesn't get too upset

I think this little beast might be ultimate humiliater... In fact it would sooooo get people's kink on, I'll change my name to Mr Whiplash and charge 'em real cash money for getting shot by it.

Thanks Roger, very good post. BBGuns4Less (I know, I know) has the Specna down at £135 The temptation grows! But... You surely know my great love for my Double Eagle M906, I really can't believe I've overlooked this beauty!

Oh blimey. I've got a lot more than I bargained for out of this thread! Does the Specna's microswitch trigger still mean the thing is safe for 11.1v? I'm not really worried about the fancy burst modes etc, it's more about not wanting to have to crack the gearbox open to replace the trigger unit than anything else... Also, a quick change spring and the EBB have quite a lot of appeal to me. The WE may have great externals but I won't miss what I can't put my hands on, plus it's a bit more cash, with fewer features. Ok, I do like the idea of great build quality and realism... But enough to overrule the Specna...? Unless I can get my hands on both to compare, I'm not sure it can win. BigAl thanks for the offer but I don't really want the built-in sight, would rather have the lower rail for my own sights. Edit: I replied to a YT review of the Specna asking about the trigger, and got an answer. Ok, so it's not got a MOSFET or any protection so I should just run 7.4v in there. Disappointing. And I've just watched a video of the WE. Yes it does look very nicely made, but the reviewer complained it puffed up his batteries as the motor was too demanding. Guess I've got some more thinking to do 🥴