TheFull9

I wasn't referring to the conversation in this thread, which is obviously an error on my part; my mistake on that one. On a different forum we talked about an airsoft Minimi that weighs more than the real one, it was a while back though and I can't remember the details of the brand or stock/barrel setup.

A fair few RIFs weigh more than the RS, because the insides are absolutely packed out 100% with the parts necessary with no spare room at all. A firearm has lots of empty space inside for things to move about. Obviously airsoft guns that don't mimic the original in certain ways which are only made possible by the lack of an exploding cartridge are the main exception. But a pot metal AR-15 receiver set will weight more than a quality RS aluminium AR receiver set (for example). It'd take a long time to elaborate on all the comparisons between different parts and materials, but the Minimi is a good example of airsoft weighing more than the firearm (depending on brand and setup of course).

Well, ok that's your personal choice and if you really want to do things that way then that's entirely up to you, it doesn't affect anyone else so I have no qualm with it. But, imho, when we're discussing these things with people who're new to airsoft (of which this board has many) we should all encourage fiscal responsibility, which is why I said what I said.

Now that's the one new-player-stereotype trap you do not want to fall in to.

That explains it, I was about to say it looks too good for any of the guys making them in this country, heh. I just followed them on FB the other week, I'd imagine it'll serve you well in game.

Yeah that's a RIF right there, how the fuck any store thinks that's at least 50% I do not know. I can only presume they put the colour blind guy in the painting department. Shit like that is just another opportunity for the powers that be to say "look they're not following the law!" and clamp down even harder. What does being U18 have to do with two-tone anyway? Do you mean your parents, who presumably don't have VCRA defences, had to buy it?

If everything else fits right now, then it won't when you get a difference size glove. I'd stick with what you have if most areas are fitting correctly.

Looks pretty good, who made it?

Most people I see starting out who've zero knowledge of military kit and don't seek advice from more knowledgeable folks end up with most awful looking chinese knock-offs imaginable, the types of vests and armour carriers that literally fall apart at the seams 2 games in and rub the wearer raw in all the wrong places through the absurdly cheap knock-off fabrics and poor workmanship. Generally they're meant to be multicam but just look like a mixture of barbie pink and phlegm. That classic old assault vest design has been around for donkeys but it's a brilliant option to this day if you just need load carriage without the armour; rugged as hell, water-proof materials (at least the issue ones built the same as PLCE should be), light, well ventilated and a plethora of well placed pockets. The only real down-sides are the old 'spanish fly' buckles not being ideal and the fact they're so damn big in order to go over some of the old issue body armour.

That's a steal right there, even if it were pretty heavily used. I hope you're a fairly big lad though because those things never adjust very small, heh (not that it's the end of the world, especially for £4 as a first purchase).

As in, what would people suggest specifically for airsoft skirmishing as far as some kinda vest/rig goes? Depends entirely on your budget and the look you want. As a starting point, a simple chest rig from either BULLE at flecktarn.co.uk or Warrior at uktactical.com.

Slabs of flat black stand out nicely in most environments. Amongst the military units where painting of weapons is allowed, doing so is common place for the exact same reasons they all wear camouflage uniforms and plate carriers/pouches etc. Desert-y type paint jobs are the most common by far, which shouldn't be any surprise to anyone because all the US/UK/other ISAF SF types have been fighting in Iraq and Afghan constantly for well over a decade. All seems very obvious to me.

Not to burst any bubbles, but what 'looks coolest' is totally subjective on every level, every single person has different opinions on that. I can't see how a thread themed around that concept would work.

Not too much cordura shiz this time, but the rails were a tad pricey it must be said. EraThr3 10" M-LOK forend and Speed Shop jacket Haley Strategic MP2 inserts and 200 lumen CB Inforce WML Mechanix originals PIG Alpha gloves BCM KeyMod angled grips Magpul MOE SL stock HSGI belt mounted TACOs Fortis SWITCH 12" KeyMod forend Hexmah grip stickers Oakley Gascans FR multicam combats Swag n' ting bruv

The Osprey is an armour carrier for conventional troops with a whole crap load of space for soft armour protection, not just a plate carrier. Hence, in an environment such as airsoft and military cadets where you're not getting blown up by IEDs, RPGs and other IDF, it does not make any sense at all. It's huge, bulky and heavy; massively over the top compared to a decent set of webbing as mentioned. Personally I'd never recommend them to anyone for airsoft, child or adult, total overkill. If people like the look/for brit mil impressions then sure, but in terms of practicality - poor choice compared to many other options on the market.

Haha, sorry for not providing that info mate.

I'm not sure the clones (presuming that's what the OP wants) follow the naming convention do they? I've never really looked but I seem to recall reading that. I know there is a brand that makes a copy of the Large or XL, but no idea who I'm afraid. Probably be better off asking on a forum/FB group related to US SF gear.

I've had a proper arm chair permanently installed to my fence on account of the amount of time sitting there. I can see why it could be an issue for some really young players, but as an adult (presuming the site has a shop) then I think if you literally don't have even a tenner to your name by the time you've paid for your skirmish day, you possibly shouldn't have paid the £25-35 for the skirmish day in the first place. There's no need to be running your bank account on empty for the sake of a hobby.

You'll always sweat in something waterproof and the more breathable you go, the less water it'll keep out. There's not really any ideal solution, though I think the main priority should be lightweight uniform that dries quickly once it does get wet, so you're not staying soaked once the sun does come out; really old school gear is pretty bad in that regard usually. Thin and lightweight synthetics do the best in that regard, so if (for example) it hammers down all morning then the sun comes out, you'll be dry again after lunch. I got soaked through standing on parade in denim coveralls once, crappy day that was, darn things literally did not dry the slightest bit; CS95 and PCS however by comparison would dry from just your body heat in very little time. The best middle ground is probably a non-insulated softshell, would want to be from a reasonable brand though. You can try adding extra water-proofing treatments to garments as well, lots of those on the market that seem to work pretty well (long as you re-apply them every so often).

Realistically, for me, any gun that actually looks what I'd call 'sorted'. Don't care on the platform or the make, but it's really bloody rare I see a gun with a setup that makes me think "that's actually well done" (obviously excluding the comedy guns in this one). I get people might be limited on the batteries the have in relation to the gun and their budget etc, but if you can't afford to setup your rifle in such a way that all the weight of that Large type NiMh isn't entirely dangling directly from the wire connection.. well I think you should just wait til next payday before attending another game. If anything for your own sake as that's just not a good thing for the battery, the gun or the shooter. Also anyone that actually uses their attached foregrip, be it vertical or angled. I almost never see those used, they're just hanging out in front there while the shooter grips the magwell all day long. Not saying people 'aren't allowed' to grip the magwell that's entirely personal preference, but it's rare I see anyone actually utilise the foregrip they've paid for and attached, so that stands out to me.

Honestly, I've never in all my years come across someone that straight run out of ammunition; any time I've seen that happen, said person has gone straight to the site shop and bought another bottle. Yes,I know this doesn't work for sites without a shop but I'm pretty sure they're the exception not the rule from what I've seen. I've leant someone my speedloader when they had no tool for bombing up their midcaps and they gave a general shout across the safe zone, so I volunteered my kit. But not once have I seen someone straight run out of BBs or ask me for BBs. I often only bring a very small amount with me due to the small amount I shoot in day, so if someone did ask me then my response would depend entirely on the way in which they asked. Someone who's got a legitimate reason, approached and ask politely without presuming or giving the impression they'll get shitty if I did say no - absolutely, I'll sort them out. However I've had more than a few little s*** bags address me as 'Oi!' at games before and they get the hardest blanking possible, if some little f***** came over demanding BBs with a bucket full of crap over-entitled attitude they're getting the square root of sweet-FA from me personally.

You just have to pick carefully with WE. Lots of their Glock series guns do fine, I've read good reports on the M&Ps, XDMs, PX4s and Sigs; the 1911 line however is almost universally severly slated, similar story with the Hi-Capas. You hear of lemons amongst the 'good models' and unlikely-performers amongst the 1911s, but generally if you stick to the more recently released/redesigned models (their Glocks for example have been around much less time than the 1911s) you should get a decent pistol considering the metal parts and low prices. Always a good idea to buy from the likes of Pro Airsoft, As Zone etc who're known to be good on the customer service side of things.

LiPos are easy really, barely any maintenance needed compared to the old types in my experience. You can buy fire-resistant storage bags which will contain them at least to some extent if the worst happened (which is absurdly unlikely and would generally require deliberate physical abuse of the battery), they also remove the shorting risk being fabric and all. Tbh I give all mine a charge before I put them away, have about 8 packs here and owned most for at least 4-5 years, never had any trouble. For taking to a game I use said 'Fire Safe' bag within my gun bag just as an extra belt and braces Only time I've had a battery puff up on me personally was actually in my PSP funnily enough. Bought it in 2007, used it loads when I was going through training as I couldn't afford a laptop and we had no internet for the first few months. Put it away some time in 08, got it out when I moved base a few months back (so it'd been totally flat for around 6 years) and the pack had expanded just enough that the bay door wouldn't shut any more. I've personally only ever seen issues in airsoft when they're run too close to empty; or one time when I left my battery with the site staff at a certain place in Norfolk (said staff were utterly shite at running an airsoft game and everything related to it) who somehow managed to make my pack puff right out almost immediately, despite the fact I'd been using it for some time with zero issues using a very basic charger. You'd think someone running the shop at a site would know the day 1 school-boy basics of what sort of juice to put in to a given style of battery.. but apparently not. They didn't give a fuck about my equipment they'd literally just destroyed through their sheer incompetence and then got a sulk on when I left it on their counter to dispose of. Genuine morons.

That's a better end solution, it'll cut a lot of weight from the very end of the gun as a bonus. Less likely to wear your outer barrel/muzzle device over time vs the standard steel part.

It'll be a hell of a job to drill through the centre bolt. There's a reason those things are so hefty. If you can find someone with a really good quality drill press and (presumably) some diamond tipped bits, then with enough time I'd imagine it's possible. My knowledge of machine work is absolutely minimal, but given the BFA can capture at least a couple of SS109 spec 556 bullets (I'm fairly sure we're still using those as standard, and they're really good at penetrating solid objects when fired out of an L85 barrel) it's gonna be a tricky task for sure. If you can find somewhere to do it they may charge a pretty penny, but I reckon it'd be unique. I've seen people with airsoft L85s who had BFAs and a blank mag or two inside their gun cases just for the cool look of it, but to my knowledge nobody has ever drilled one out to actually use it while shooting.