Gun Recommendation and critical kit

[SelbySelby]

I’m going to start playing airsoft and want to get myself a quality gun and key protective kit.

I’m selling a air rifle to fun a air soft gun and have a budget of £300-500 for the gun.

I’d like to buy something good and something that I can upgrade further over time. What gun would people recommend? 
 

Also what protective kit would people recommend? I don’t mind investing in quality stuff.

 

[Impulse]

Good eye protection is key. I have a set of Heroshark mesh glasses with a prescription insert that I find myself using the most, since it's mesh and provides a lot of airflow which helps keep the inserts from fogging up. I also have a set of Revision Sawfly glasses, again with a prescription insert, for when it's a bit warmer and my glasses don't steam up as much. If you don't need prescription inserts, both are still very good.

Boots are important too, but I wouldn't say that you need to splash out hundreds on them. I'm using a pair of boots that cost me about £50 and they're doing just fine. As long as it has ankle support you'll be good.

I'd also want to pick up some camos and some load-bearing kit from your local army surplus. Can pick up a set of DPM or MTP as well as some sort of vest or webbing for pretty cheap. Not totally necessary, but helpful.

In terms of gun... there's no right answer (though there are definitely wrong answers!). It comes down to what you like aesthetically since pretty much all airsoft guns function the same way; you can use a small SMG in woodland and have the same range as the guy with the full length m16. So I guess my question would be what sort of guns do you like? AKs? M4s? MP5s?

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

I'm playing my first game in a loooooong time, and went a bit bananas today trying to work out what I needed. 
So I put all my kit into a spreadsheet (and greyed-out the stuff I'm not taking / don't need)

It's a bat-shit crazy amount of kit
I know it's quite an OCD thing to have done... I wish I could attend to important things with as much diligence

View attachment 101910

The TL;DR version is

• Comfy clothes (plenty of cheap army surplus available)
  
• Decent boots with some ankle support (the first time you trip over a tree root or stick your foot in a hole, you'll thank yourself for buying them)
  They're a very personal thing, but I took a punt on Swiss Paratroopers' boots which are heavy, but good.
  
• Eye protection: Bolle Tracker 2's a cheap and good starting point, or British Army ESS goggles perhaps.
  
• Half or full face mask (cheaper than a visit to the dentist)   Perhaps a Dye full-face mask if you're thinking of CQB.
  
• Baseball cap or bush hat (scalp shots hurt, protect yourself at least a bit)
  
• Gloves (knuckle shots hurt too) - Mechanix are great value.
  
• Battle belt or chest rig + mag pouches.  You can just stuff things into pockets, but it's just not tacti-cool
  

If you're thinking of spending upto £500 on a RIF then you could be choosing AEG, gas or HPA  "The world's your oyster" - make some friends and ask to try their guns out on the field for a few shots, you'll soon get an idea which way you want to go (might be all 3 of course, in the long term)

We usually advise it's best to rent for a few games, make sure you really enjoy it first before splashing major cash though.
 

There are plenty of separate threads for more discussion on all these things so have a search... see if they help at all.

Good luck and have fun!  (And call your hits)

 

[C-Diddy]

So I put all my kit into a spreadsheet 
 

@RostokMcSpoonsyou're not alone in doing that ? So used to having a kit list, I've carried it across to airsoft. 

 

[Krisz]

Play at least three times on the same site so your UKARA can be sorted and you can buy brand new guns (if you wish). Choose a platform (AK, M4, G36, MP5 etc.) and it's eaiser to recommend something. I don't think you have to spend a lot on your first aeg, 99% of them does the same job out of the box.

Essential kit? Some sort of helmet (even a cap is better than nothing), impact resistant glasses/googles, lower face mask or you can just buy a chep paintball mask. Chest rig or plate carrier so you can carry some mags on you instead having them in your pocket.

If you play indoor you can get away with a lot more because you don't need that much gear, like camo or boots. Outdoor is a different aninal. 

 

[SelbySelby]

Great info so far. My brother and nephew always play outdoors. In terms of gun style I was thinking a AR style, I’d rather something that’s good at range than some nippy little thing. 
 

I keep seeing NOVRITSCH pop up in videos but then there seems to be equal amount of negative about them. 
 

I’m guessing there’s a few brands which are known for quality and have good upgrade path. I think to start with I’d rather keep away from gas.

My brother has swears by some knees pads…so I’ve added some trousers with inserts to the list. 

 

[Impulse]

I keep seeing NOVRITSCH pop up in videos but then there seems to be equal amount of negative about them. 

I like to think I'm fairly impartial when it comes to Novritsch stuff. His stuff is generally fine but it's entirely not for me. Novritsch guns typically shoot okay out of the box, but they're hard to tweak and won't perform as well as a well-tweaked gun. His ghillie leaves are wank though, do not recommend as they fall apart too easily!

If you're looking for an AR style gun, I know that Double Eagle have some really nice offerings, but I just don't like the look of them. I'll leave AR suggestions to people more informed than me as the only AR-style rifles I have are an SR-25 (which is a big, long boi) and a TM MWS (which is a gas blowback). Both are fantastic, but not sure it's what you're after, though that said the Cyma Platinum SR-25 is pretty damn good out of the box and fits your budget, but yeah... looooooong

 

[Duff Beer]

I don’t think anyone’s suggested it but if you’re playing indoors or anywhere where pyro is frequently used I’d suggest some decent ear protection.  It doesn’t cost a hideous amount (a pair of Earmor M32’s is £75) but it will save your ears (and also protect them from being shot which stings like nothing else).  
 

Of all the kit I’ve bought over the years I wish I had access to active hearing protection back in the day.  I can’t believe we used to play in the chapel at CAGE with all the pyro going off like we did and not use any.  

Apart from that decent boots, decent eye protection, and a pair of decent gloves (Pig Deltas for dexterity, OR Ironsights for a bit more abrasion protection) and you’ll be sorted.

 

[Wavey_Gravey]

Protect your eyes, ears and teeth, everything else is a bonus.

Gloves can take the sting out of finger/hand hits but aren’t essential (wouldn’t bother wasting £30+ of your budget on gloves) you can get mechanix for £10 odd and they’re perfect.

Wouldn’t bother with Gucci camo or plate carriers or even chest rigs on your first run out. Grab some protective gear as above, some outdoor clothes (or jeans and a tee if indoors) splooge your budget on a decent RIF and a few mags and anything you need to make it work, battery, bb’s etc.

Looking cool and larping can come over time, just go have fun playing with toy guns.

 

[SelbySelby]

Thanks for all the great info. Nice to join a forum that offers advice to newbies, so many forums aren’t nice places.

Has anyone used the guys at Camoraids? I’ve been reading some good things about them and the guns they customise.

I’m currently looking at all the face protection options you’ve recommended.

 

[Emergencychimps]

Camo raids are good, though everything they do, including their upgrades are on the high end of both quality and price. Worth looking at that level once you have a bit for experience.

For a new player I'd recommend something cheaper, for around the £200 mark you can get a specna arms or g&g. 

I'd also recommend waiting, rent for your first 3 times. First time attendees can love it, but by the 4th game the passion is often drying up. 

If you love it then the extra rental fees will feel like a waste, if you don't love it enough after 3 games it's saved you a much bigger outlay. 

It also allows you to look at other people's kit and decide what you want. Airsofters love chatting about kit and guns, if you see something interesting go and chat to the player. When I first started I was adamant I wanted a sig 552, avoid m4s (cause everyone has one)....as a more experienced player I'm very lucky to have not gone that route. Avoid buying airsoft kit as well, perv on everyone else's and then make decisions. There must be 1000s of viper fabric holsters and other miscellaneous kit collecting dust cause it's crap but looks good to new players.

 

[Guest]

Has anyone used the guys at Camoraids? I’ve been reading some good things about them and the guns they customise.

They’re round the corner to me, Miguel and the boys are great, BUT it’s all modified kit that is expensive in the first place.

If you must upgrade before you play, buy a weapon with an electronic trigger to start with, and modify or get modified the hop.

it’s not as glamorous as a super extra duper motor or tight boring barrel, but it will improve your range and accuracy.

DO NOT buy a gas gun. They’re utterly brilliant, far more satisfying to shoot and work on, but you will be out-ammoed immediately 

 

[Tackle]

Of all the kit I’ve bought over the years I wish I had access to active hearing protection back in the day.  I can’t believe we used to play in the chapel at CAGE with all the pyro going off like we did and not use any. 

Probably your fault why I can hear bells ringing 24/7, poxy tinnitus ????️

 

[Rogerborg]

Ahoy and welcome, Selby.  I assume that your brother already has a UKARA or similar that would let him buy realistic guns then (looks around) "gift" them to you?

However, I'd urge you to play at least  twice before committing proper money to airsoft.  You'll get a big adrenaline hit from your first day, it's the best hobby ever, you'll play it until you drop.

The second day, you'll start to see some of the issues with it.  You'll see more as you continue, and they'll always be there.  On balance, I enjoy it, but a lot - a lot - of players drop out after a few months. Classifieds are full of "used once, not for me" deals.

AR platform is fine, and most mid-range stuff is decent enough these days.  We actually see more issues with VFCs and Krytacs than CYMAs or JGs.

I'd look at the CYMA platinum as a default choice, then find specific reasons to buy something else.  Doesn't really matter which specific version of AR, the only real difference is barrel length, and that's not really an issue in airsoft. 250mm is as long as you need to go for an AEG, and that's outdoors. People do well with less.

Pistols are great fun, but depending on site, you'll very rarely have a real reason to use one.

 

[Duff Beer]

Probably your fault why I can hear bells ringing 24/7, poxy tinnitus ????️

Sorry mate, you’ll have to speak up. I can’t hear a word you’re saying!

Nick and the ACU lot at Chatham with their 12G Dynatec’s probably didn’t do either of us much good.  I think the worst one I had was Solitaire‘s 9mm Dynatec going off next to my ear as I threw it.  I hadn’t held the spoon down hard enough and off it went!

 

[Dan Robinson]

I'm playing my first game in a loooooong time, and went a bit bananas today trying to work out what I needed. 
So I put all my kit into a spreadsheet (and greyed-out the stuff I'm not taking / don't need)

It's a bat-shit crazy amount of kit
I know it's quite an OCD thing to have done... I wish I could attend to important things with as much diligence

View attachment 101910

The TL;DR version is

• Comfy clothes (plenty of cheap army surplus available)
  
• Decent boots with some ankle support (the first time you trip over a tree root or stick your foot in a hole, you'll thank yourself for buying them)
  They're a very personal thing, but I took a punt on Swiss Paratroopers' boots which are heavy, but good.
  
• Eye protection: Bolle Tracker 2's a cheap and good starting point, or British Army ESS goggles perhaps.
  
• Half or full face mask (cheaper than a visit to the dentist)   Perhaps a Dye full-face mask if you're thinking of CQB.
  
• Baseball cap or bush hat (scalp shots hurt, protect yourself at least a bit)
  
• Gloves (knuckle shots hurt too) - Mechanix are great value.
  
• Battle belt or chest rig + mag pouches.  You can just stuff things into pockets, but it's just not tacti-cool
  

If you're thinking of spending upto £500 on a RIF then you could be choosing AEG, gas or HPA  "The world's your oyster" - make some friends and ask to try their guns out on the field for a few shots, you'll soon get an idea which way you want to go (might be all 3 of course, in the long term)

We usually advise it's best to rent for a few games, make sure you really enjoy it first before splashing major cash though.
 

There are plenty of separate threads for more discussion on all these things so have a search... see if they help at all.

Good luck and have fun!  (And call your hits)

All that and no Tamya to Deans adapter?  ?????

 

[The Waco Kid]

Hand sanitizers and bog roll. Possibly a nose clip. Have you used a site toilet recently?