Baz JJ

I also believe the Greens have plans to indirectly stop Airsoft as we know it.

Best do the sums. Cant really see much of a technical benefit either way - just comes down to bundling offers. There is a long and short version M203. I have a HK416 with a long version and I can only just get TAGs into it. Not sure if this would therefore be a problem with the short version ?

G&P or G&G Top Tech for M4 variants. Dont forget to include battery, charger and accessories like optics, suppressors, foregrip, etc in your budget calculations.

If you are 16 or over, youre welcome at one of our milsims. We rent rifles and we had some first time players at the last game and they loved it. There are enough experienced guys in the team to show you the ropes and theyre very welcoming. Its across the border into Hertfordshire but only about 45 mins to an hour from south essex.

There are new guys who rent every game. Some just play as a one off and never come again. Some do their three games and get their own guns etc. Nobody will think any the less of you if you rent, but its like any pastime. People will start to take you more serious when you show some commitment to their airsoft. I used to go on my own and people would largely ignore me. I kept going back and after a while, people remember you and when you start collecting your own kit, they take more notice. Dont be put off if players seem uninterested in you at first.

Good point. I think I heard it was 15m but still a bit close for us.

How do you prime a showershell with CO2 ? adapter ?

We are allowing the PECKERs at the Okto Eight Milsim next month and we will be trialling the REAPERS which probably means they will be allowed at the following game in August. However, we wont allow the Archangels or Paladins because we are concerned the impact grenades might deflect off someone closer accidently and go off and people arent happy about getting their gear hit with orange powder at the beginning of a weekender.

Fired the PECKER practice round today - I aimed it at the weatherporoof cover of my garden swing thinking it would absorb the impact as it does when hit by BBs. The round went right through it at a range of 10m so I now have a nice split in the cover. I can see why these need a minimum engagement distance. Despite the tight fit in the tube and its reluctance to screw down in the rifling, it pops out a treat.

The date for the next game is 22/23 August at Eversley, which is near Hook and Basingstoke at the top of the M3. The game will go on sale once Operation Tailspin is finished next month and the outcomes of the war between government troops and the rebels known. In Okto Eight, the games run like a serial with the players action deciding the outcomes which then affect Moldistan history and subsequent games.

Dates for a August game have been set and will be played at Eversley near Basingstoke. There is also talk of a winter game in January. The aim is to have a game in the series every 4 months or so.

Try Gunman Airsoft at Eversley - they have a lower minimum age for their milsims.

We have a large group who come to ours from Portsmouth. Perhaps you could tag along with them if you are over 16?

In defence of the Airsoft trade, dealing with the general public can be wearing at the best of times. I tend to read the Airsoft groups on Facebook and there seems to be a lot of attention seekers and timewasters on there. If you have a shop full of customers and have a lot of money invested in stock, it stands to reason that you would want to maximise on those customers with a sincere desire to spend. There is no excuse for rudeness but there is a difference between that and being selective with the customers you give a lot of time to. Ive been in shops where the staff stand around messing about, letting the phones ring, checking their mobiles etc and that is just a waste of the owners money. Horses for courses really !

I read something the other day as a review and it said something like older guys go here - some are 30-40 - haha. Youre as old as you tell yourself you are. PS Im early fifties going on ten lol We have our own series of milsims running round the M25 from you and the youngest is 18 and the oldest are in their fifties. Age doesnt matter.

Its good when the players get so enthusiastic, they start making their own props !!

We slid into this accidently on another topic so I thought I would start afresh so as not to derail that topic. People seem to throw their hands up in horror when a UK retailer shows any sign of closing up shop, but it seems nearly everybody I talk to buys their airsoft weapons abroad because its cheaper. Surely, it stands to reason that if people buy their Airsoft high expenditure items overseas, the UK retailers will start to disappear ? At best, their quality (stock, manning levels, speed of response) will suffer. You cant have your cake and eat it ? I know there are some crap retailers out there, but there are some good UK ones as well. How many of you peruse the websites of the UK Retailers to look at the range of products then google to get it cheaper overseas ?

Fire Support have TM slides and frames, but its not that much cheaper than a new gun. Spare parts typically attract larger mark-ups than complete pistols so the pricing of the part is not pro-rata. http://www.fire-support.co.uk/category/pistol-slides-and-frames/

You are by design or good fortune, following the correct charging regime, so you shouldnt see any adverse effects. I was charging them up after the game and leaving them charged until the next game, often topping them up just before the game. Keeping them for more than a week in this charged condition was what did the damage. The puffing was quite noticeable as the battery packs were squigey when gently squeezed. Interestingly, little seems to be written about this. I bought new batteries for £12 each from the Component Store and when they arrived in nice little storage boxes, nothing was said in the manufacturers charging instructions. Im not so bothered about the replacement cost as the potential for damage to expensive rifles and home/property by batteries I no longer trust. Incidently, although not so crucial, their lives are shortened by heat, so they do not recommend leaving them anywhere too warm. Many old hands in the RC world seem to keep them in the fridge when not in use.

To be honest, I have no idea. I have a simple charger which just balances and charges them up then goes green. Rather than buy another charger I bought a capacity meter for £12.50 which plugs into the battery pack and tells me the % charge. With my new batteries, Im storing them around 5o%. On the assumption that they lose about 10% a month, I will check them next month and charge them for 10-20 minutes to get them back up to approx 50% again. The night before a game, I will charge them to full. A lot of people seem to be buying the B6. In light of my discoveries, I would get one with a storage function if I bought a new charger.

Ive used LIPO since I started and always thought it was important not to let them get discharged. Cant remember where I got this idea but use lots of different battery technology in my day job and generally its not good to run batteries down. Anyway, long story short, Ive been charging my batteries about once a month and then leaving them charged up, to gradually self discharge until the following month. I dont tend to play skirmish airsoft regularly now so they can be standing for a few months. Apparently, this is very bad and to confirm it, my batteries have "puffed" slightly. Skeptical about battery advice on airsoft social media, I have researched the matter more fully and it checks out. Apparently, current wisdom (pun noted) is to not charge them after a game if they have more than 50% charge in them, let them hover in storage at around 40-50% charge and then recharge them the night before a game. Ive bought a couple of new batteries and the difference between old and new is very noticeable. Dont want to trust puffed batteries in my gun for the sake of a £12 new battery.

Let me know if you find an adaptor. Ive got a very nice Russian suppressor complete with trades that I cant use on my G&G because of the sizes issue.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5KqI48P7GZk

Ive got the WE PX4 which is based on the real Beretta PX4 Type F 9mm with reinforced fibreglass technopolymer frame and black Bruniton steel slide albeit without trades. I run mine on Predator Ultra gas and haven't had any problems.

Ive got the G&G blowback and would agree with Bright Candle. I quite like it but dont let it sway my gun choice, Ive subsequently bought G&G without it. My advice is to look at the Raider in a shop and dry fire it to see what you think.