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UTG 4.2 ITA hasn't broken on me yet and is rated for real steel so I'd recommend it. There are a lot out there but it's about what you're willing to spend and the ITA is about the cheapest properly rated red dot I've found (and it gets alright reviews from actual firearms owners from the research I did before buying mine so clearly it at least doesn't break immediately). http://www.aliexpress.com/item/UTG-4-2-ITA-Red-Green-CQB-Dot-with-QD-Mount-Riser-Adaptor-SCP-DS3840W/32330881383.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9,searchweb201644_4_505_506_503_504_301_10020_502_10001_10002_10017_10010_10005_10006_10011_10003_10021_10004_10022_10009_10008_10018_10019_9963,searchweb201560_2,searchweb1451318400_-1,searchweb1451318411_6448&btsid=a86c0e1d-2b21-4b9d-a6f7-b22ebea7268c Obviously you don't need to have the same concerns with a short dot or scope (if you're needing this for a DMR) as anything will work really. It's the cheapo holographic 552 and 551-esque clones that tend to break quickly or at least start ghosting after a while.

This is discussed in a lot of threads so I won't go into detail, but you can change the muzzle energy to whatever you like, has a shorter and lighter bolt cycle (you can get shots off quicker) and doesn't require a lot of the upgrade parts like sears and trigger mechanism that a spring build requires. Can run off HPA or CO2 (with an adapter), which makes it cheap to run as well. Also, my point about the GSpec was the clones - the JG BAR, are slightly more upgrade-friendly purely because the cylinder isn't pinned. If you go down the SDiK route and are upgrading the barrel and hop unit anyway then it's not worth buying a Marui as it's a waste of money if you're stripping out all the good bits and the ones with pinned cylinders can be a bit of a pain to get open if you're not swapping the cylinder (which you wouldn't want to in an SDiK as it won't give any performance upgrade). Someone will probably come in any confirm this, but you may be alright anyway as I think the newer Gspecs have the cylinder just threaded anyway *shrugs*. If you have the money to upgrade now then go SDiK in a JG BAR (Gpsec) or similar. If not (or you want to upgrade to spring later on) then the TM VSR (Gpsec) is your best choice. Really this all boils down to whether or not you want to upgrade immediately (the SDiK giving the flexibility to shoot at 1J until you move, or by just setting up a springer with a weaker spring and then swapping it when you do more) or if you want to bide your time with the stock rifle for a bit, because the JG BAR is a good platform for upgrades and will save you a fair bit of money, but ultimately isn't much good stock like the TM is.

Probably not the BBs. Check if your muzzle energy is fluctuating first by firing a few shots through a crono. Anything more than 15ft/s in either direction is really going to mess with your hop consistency. Also it's seriously cold outside right now - GBBRs are very susceptible to the weather and any cooldown will be exacerbated by the cold.

Well at least you're not useless enough that you were shooting blanks for the first 10 minutes of a game because you forgot to release the BB tensioner after filling up one of your magazines.

I think I covered this earlier, but a barrels length means nothing in airsoft. Sure, you may get a marginally higher muzzle energy but you can just upgrade the spring to mitigate that. There's also the issue of a longer barrel costing more and having to buy a rail (Pro Sniper versions don't come with one, like Snakeeyes said). If you find the barrel too short then you can always buy a much nicer, longer one off PDI, ORGA, EdGI, AA, etc. in the future anyway, but some people just attach a suppressor permanently and run the inner-barrel through it (giving an overall inner-barrel length of up to about 450mm). Again - and I can't stress this enough - barrel length is not very important in airsoft. Also, look into the Mancraft SDiK kit. Discussed in other threads (use the search) but a reliable and surprisingly affordable upgrade route for the VSR when you offset its cost against what you'd usually have to buy in a springer setup but don't. One final thing: Most of the TM VSRs come with a pinned cylinder head that's a bit of a pain to remove for later spring changes and upgrades. You'd likely be looking to swap the cylinder later on if you go for the conventional springer route, but if you do like the look of the SDiK then that pin can cause issues as switching the cylinder to just a normal threaded one is mostly a waste of money with the SDiK. I say this because a lot of the clones - like the JG BAR - come with a threaded cylinder. If you come to the conclusion that an SDiK might be a route you want to try then reconsider buying a clone.

Ah, I see what you meant in the PM now.

Which second link? The ASG ones? I don't know of any goggle that comes with a true permanent 'anti-fog' coating beyond the usual sales speak, but there are certainly a lot of effective ways to get rid of fog and products you can buy to help with it. FogTech DX and Catcrap are two I've had a good experience with, but Bob Heath is also one that crops up on this forum a lot - use the search and see if you can find the thread about anti-fog. There are many varying opinions on this though so I'd really encourage you to do your own research.

That's a real shame - they did a good job with the VSR ones. How did they manage to drop the ball so badly?

I always liked the Lees Precision one I bought as it was light and tough but also quite small. Foam filled so had some degree of suppression. Regretted selling it really. http://www.leesprecision.com/collections/external-parts

Yeh, this is NAE - runs every year at Ground Zero Woodland (as Baz posted). Allegedly the games aren't brilliant but the social aspect is - more like a big camping trip with airsoft thrown in. http://forums.zeroin.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?211-August-2016-The-National-Airsoft-Event is where they tend to post updates.

I've too have 'fully' upgraded a VSR and an APS-2 Type96 clone and would pick the VSR purely for functionality reasons. This is a good point. The TM VSR uses the guide rings in the receiver slightly differently, and this can be a problem on the BAR, for example. It is fixable though and sometimes the cost can justify still going for a clone, but as OP wants to use it in Ireland before moving the TM VSR is no question the vest option for its out of the box performance anyway.

Good fun. Thanks for organising it Trigger.

If you're going to upgrade everything then the JG BAR is a good clone. If you want it more skirmishable at 1J first then the TM VSR will be best - you'll pay a slight premium but it'll perform better. The GSpec is an easier platform to work with. Barrel length never matters in airsoft, so you'll be fine.

The VSR is the most upgradable platform for a BSAR. The Type96 APS-2 clones can be heavily upgraded too, however. Really with the sub-1J law you're limited to working on the hop. You may want to buy an aftermarket hop unit, a barrel with a nicer finish and a decent bucking (or maybe flat hop or R-hop). Seeing as those are things you'd do on a 500ft/s build anyway, you won't be losing out too much and have to swap things if/when you move.

I meant it literally.

Exactly what jcheese says: Go Marui - they're excellent for that 1J limit, but the point still stands with regards to the VSR vs L96 AWS vs APS-2 Type96 in that you could still buy a Marui VSR. They're extremely good out of the box so if you do want functionality over form then the TM VSR is still the way to go.

If what I've heard about Trigger is true then you don't need a very strong hand.

This was my first impression too: Did you not ask for these things to be put in? What exactly was the 'tech' asked to do?

Bad feed ramp. Buy a Maruzen Type96 APS-2 clone like the WELL ones. You can do the 'fake magazine' mod if it bothers you, but ultimately the AWS (the TM and its clones with the realistic magazine location) is a bit naff. Reasons for the VSR being basically the most functional BASR out there are well documented on these forums and others, but in essence it boils down to it having a well refined selection of upgrades and a smaller stock that's very manoeuvrable.

PayPal dispute. He'll be forced to reply then.

I love TM - over half my guns have been Maruis, but they're lagging behind a little when it comes to refining the V2 gearbox in a standard M4. They're more of a wave maker with new-to-market stuff like their M870, AA12, recoil shock etc. rather than a company that spends a lot of time on an already pretty done-and-dusted platform. That's why I'd recommend a Krytac to OP with that budget: They make very, very solid AR gats that can perform as well as a Marui out of the box but are a little more up to date. Also he'd still have £50 left over for BBs and batteries. That said, if you want to go out of the ordinary with something like an M14, a SCAR, EBB, etc. then TM really is the only choice if you don't want to have to fiddle around with internals. TM still lead the field in GBB pistols though. I completely agree on that front, but then they are also revising a lot of their dated pistol designs like the M92. When it comes to AEGs, a lot of other companies have the luxury of improving upon what Marui and others have done immediately, rather than having to wait for their older version to cycle out and become profitable enough that they can justify the cost of all that new tooling.

eBay users are stocking genuine ESS V12s because the MoD bought far too many and there's an astronomical surplus right now. That's why they're cheap - not because they're copies. I agree though that I'd never buy unrated goggles or glasses.

What's your budget?

For mesh, there are certain horror stores, but like you say it's for the cheap stuff - the same stories exist for cheap polycarbonate glasses and goggles too. Heroshark are a good brand for mesh. The V12 Advancers are excellent. Remember to use the anti-fog cloth regularly and consider removing all the foam from the top bottom and sides to help with airflow and fogging (the foam is mostly there to keep dust out, which is probably why the MoD bought a load some years back).

They're good, but they're GBBRs so they're a whole different kettle of fish. Check your site doesn't ban CO2 or be ready to fork out for an HPA setup. You can get reviews for lots of these guns outside of this thread - I'd recommend doing that first as you'll get a more complete answer and won't waste people's time if they're just having to repeat what's already been discussed elsewhere.