General help on getting started

[Golverman]

hi all,

i'm relatively new to Airsoft, never played a game, don't own any equipment,

but I've decided to jump into the deep end and give it a try.

i definitely need advice on camo and equipment, and even more so for a gun.

i'm sure i've got my heart set on a rifleman sort of class, and i'll probably run an m4 or m16 variation of some kind, but since i'll only be 16 (soonish) when this happens, it'll have to be a two tone since im not 18 and there's no way im getting my hands on an RIF any time soon, but that doesn't bother me.

I've had my eye on an "SRC M4 RIS GEN2 OG" and it has about 350 fps, this gun is exactly what i'm looking for, it has 4 forward tactical rails and the carry handle is mounted on a 5th rail, which i can remove easily, the only bad thing for me is there's o battery included, and i have NO idea about batteries and what one i should get, hoping you guys could help me out on this one.

so where am i on equipment?

i'm pretty much set for mags, boots and a chest rig.

but im not so sure about the actual camo itself, this is where im really stuck, i originally was going to get flecktarn trousers, shirt and helmet cover (PASGT helmet)

which is a very cheap option, but then i looked at what other dudes where wearing, and it seems to be dominantly DPM over here, whereas as far as YouTube videos go, over in the States most guys are wearing sort of tan mulitcam etc.

as far as helmets go, im stuck until i choose a camo and load out, as some camo have certain covers for certain helmets, but it's defiantly toss up between a PASGT and a MICH 2000.

now i know that alot of MICHs have NV and side rails and some don't making it possible to leave a helmet cover out.

just another note, the M4 i mentioned can be found on www.justbbguns.co.uk.

hope i made some sense, all help is appreciated.

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

Before you think about buying anything, go and play first.

Most sites will have camo overalls and guns you can hire. You might find it isn't what you thought, or you might pick up no end of knowledge from other players. Best get a taste before taking the plunge.

Once you've been and have a better feel for it all we can help you better.

I'd say it doesn't particularly matter what camo you wear. DMP was designed for use in Germany, as far as I know, so it's not the best camo to use here. Flecktarn on the other hand, was designed to be used here, in England. So it works a lot better. In fact, for the price, it's the best camo there is for actually using as camo, and not just to look cool.

As for the rifle, look at G&G rifles, they're the best out there by a mile, their cheaper polymer rifles will match the performance of most full metal guns at twice the price. SRC aren't great, their Gen2 guns especially.

 

[sp00n]

Before you think about buying anything, go and play first.

Most sites will have camo overalls and guns you can hire. You might find it isn't what you thought, or you might pick up no end of knowledge from other players. Best get a taste before taking the plunge.

Once you've been and have a better feel for it all we can help you better.

I'd say it doesn't particularly matter what camo you wear. DMP was designed for use in Germany, as far as I know, so it's not the best camo to use here. Flecktarn on the other hand, was designed to be used here, in England. So it works a lot better. In fact, for the price, it's the best camo there is for actually using as camo, and not just to look cool.

As for the rifle, look at G&G rifles, they're the best out there by a mile, their cheaper polymer rifles will match the performance of most full metal guns at twice the price. SRC aren't great, their Gen2 guns especially.

+1 on the g&g

my G&G CM16 Raider L is brilliant, dosen't cost the earth, feels good and looks great .... the only way they could have made it better is by providing a battery and charger .... but i am in a way glad they didnt

 

[AK47frizzle]

NEVER EVER EVER EVER BUY FROM JBBG.

Get a G&G CM-16 Raider; More cool looking, similar price and more reliable.

Or you get the G&G GR-16 or GR-16 CQW RUSH with the pneumatic blowback if you prefer it to be more realistic

 

[Ian_Gere]

+1 to play before you buy, except eye protection. Most sites will have a full face mask with a clear polycarbonate eye shield for customers who rent, but these things fog up something bad. My local site also insist that under 18's wear full face protection; you had best check that with the site/s you intend to try out.

I would suggest that you buy some mesh eyepro and a separate 1/2 face mask like these here and here. You may read/hear scare stories about Chinese products, or ACM (All China Made), but I have and continue to use them myself, even after testing some to destruction; obviously it's up to you to decide whether I would deliberately advise you to do something dangerous just for the lols or not; something which you can verify for yourself however is that there has never, not even once, nowhere, under no circumstances, been an incident where Chinese eyepro has failed during an airsoft skirmish leading to someone being blinded or even injured seriously enough for it to be reported.

If money is an issue, for your first games you could go for this. If airsoft turns out not to be for you, you'll not have wasted much money.

+1 for not buying from Just BB Guns - if you search this site you'll find plenty of first hand reports of them being wankers.

I'm in no position to advise on AR15 variants as I hate 'em, but, if you already have some STANAG mags, you're pretty much committed, unless you go for an SA80 variant, which would probably be better, but also more expensive.

Camouflage wise, DPM is designed for Temperate Northern Europe, which includes Britain, and jungles - it's cheap, easy to get in a wide variety of sizes, and easy to get on loads of different types of clothing, from lightweight summer gear to full-on Arctic. I agree with Ed about Flecktarn being the best for actual use as camo in the widest variety of British environments, but it's not as easy to get in all the possible sizes without spending, on average, something like twice as much as for DPM for less common items, but for a simple trousers, shirt, and cap or helmet cover, if you're a common size you should be able to get what you need for not much more than DPM.

In the UK these days a lot of people are wearing Multi Terrain Pattern, Multi Cam, or a mixture of the two - not surprising since that's currently the prevalent western military style. There is an ongoing debate about how suited to British environments it/they is/are, but there is no question that it was designed primarily with more arid climates in mind and temperate Europe as a secondary concern.

A lot of it will depend on whether you want to fit in, or wear something different to everyone else, and whether you want to wear an authentic uniform or just go with what you like the look of. Remember that you don't have to stick to one type of camouflage; even some military units wear mixtures such as MC & Coyote Brown, MTP & Olive Drab, etc.

If you do want to go for something less common, you might want to look at Italian Vegetato, or Russian Flecktarn, Cadpat, Danish gear, or whatever lol!