New to Airsoft

[Brophy]

Hi Guys, 

At the subtle age of 33, I've suddenly found myself very interested in airsoft. Whether that's my body telling me to get some more exercise or my mind telling me to get away from the wife and kids for a bit, I dont know ?

Never done it before (done the odd bit of paintballing but mainly part of stag dos, so didn't have much structure to it). 

I live literally on the border of Dudley and Wolverhampton, so have a few places to try out. 

Obviously going to be rental a few times to see if its actually for me but do you guys have any individual sites near my location that you would recommend as being newbie friendly, I just want to have fun and learn as I go along and cant be arsed to deal with arseholes (the odd one don't bother me) or cliques that will put me off. 

Any particular tips, tricks and advice you would give to a virgin to the sport like me? 

Thanks in advance. 

P.S. While browsing multiple tabs it appears I inadvertently posted this in general chat rather than the new players forum, so apologies (if a moderator sees this, can you please move it over for me, cheers!) 

 

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

I can't think of a non- new player friendly site, maybe some events cater for more experienced airsofters sure but for the most part I find airsoft events a friendly atmosphere, its really nothing to worry about. When I skirmish solo I normally end up tagging along with people during the game and some people to shoot the breeze with during lunch break. 

One issue I can foresee is lots of site aren't doing rental equipment due to the coronavirus but of course YMMV.

I'd take a look at local sites on youtube/facebook to get an idea and take it from there. 

Airsoft is a super weird hobby with an insane amount of potential - there really is something for everyone. I love it so much!!!  Enjoy! 

 

[Cr0-Magnon]

Hi there, welcome!

I'm not local to you, so can't comment on sites.

Nothing wrong with being a mature participant. I took it up aged 32/33 and that was three years ago now. As you mentioned, it's a good way of getting some exercise and fresh air. Plus nothing wrong with having your own hobbies! (remember to tell yourself that when you've got £3k of toys sitting in your spare room),

Sturdy boots are pretty obvious but also find some eye/face protection that you get along with. Don''t stress about buying gear/guns. While you doing your three games to get UKARA, you can ask people to hold and shoot their guns. In my experience the average airsofter is happy to show you their equipment. What looks cool on a website may feel unbalanced and unergonomic in the hand.

*Disclaimer - mine was from a pre-COVID stance*

 

[Dogsbody100]

Don’t let age stop you, 

I started in February this year (just in time for that virus thing) at the not so tender age of 41! And I have a mild arrhythmia of the heart along with being apparently obese according to the Nhs ? ? 

Apart from being being a little slower than the other youths due to my abundance of  ballast and bodily defects, the sport is still immense fun and I wasn’t the only slightly older person there either.

You’ve picked a great forum to join too, there’s many, many knowledgeable folk here with great advice and perspectives (not me btw I’m a noob) and you’ll be very unlucky not to find the info you need here. 

I was a soldier many moons past and found the whole experience pleasantly reminiscent of those days, indeed the community in general could not be more friendly and you’ll find that as you progress. As has been discussed elsewhere here it’s good practice to ignore some of the inflammatory YouTube content and go to a site for yourself.

Oh and watch out for the accumulation of gear, it can catch you up if you’re not careful! I have everything bar a gun so far without actually intending to buy any of it! 

Enjoy! 

 

[GAMBLE]

@Brophy ?

Welcome to forum, doesn’t matter what age you start, granted I wish I started earlier! ??

Not the best time sadly, but if you can sort out a rental and be safe, have fun! ?

Check out what sites are near you, find out which one you want, as your local site? ?

People will help on this forum! ?

One of the best sources is YouTube, during this whole time, unable to play I put some videos up, waiting to play again! ?

Hope this helps? ??

?GAMBLE?

 

[Asomodai]

Hi Guys, 

At the subtle age of 33, I've suddenly found myself very interested in airsoft. Whether that's my body telling me to get some more exercise or my mind telling me to get away from the wife and kids for a bit, I dont know ?

Never done it before (done the odd bit of paintballing but mainly part of stag dos, so didn't have much structure to it). 

I live literally on the border of Dudley and Wolverhampton, so have a few places to try out. 

Obviously going to be rental a few times to see if its actually for me but do you guys have any individual sites near my location that you would recommend as being newbie friendly, I just want to have fun and learn as I go along and cant be arsed to deal with arseholes (the odd one don't bother me) or cliques that will put me off. 

Any particular tips, tricks and advice you would give to a virgin to the sport like me? 

Thanks in advance. 

P.S. While browsing multiple tabs it appears I inadvertently posted this in general chat rather than the new players forum, so apologies (if a moderator sees this, can you please move it over for me, cheers!) 

No worries mate. I started when I was 32! Now 35 and I am carrying around LMG's and such. I whine about it all the time though!

 

[Brophy]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment, gives me even more enthusiasm to get involved.

Seems like a great community over here and hopefully as I learn, I can contribute something back to it. ?

 

[PopRocket123]

I got into this with my dad when he was 46 so it's never too late. Probably my best advice is pay attention on here, learn what you can when it comes up as someone will always mention something you would never have thought of. On your game days don't be scared to get stuck in and play aggressively, especially when you're hiring as I can guarantee you that you'll be getting outranged a lot. Yes it stings getting hit but it's really not that bad and with the adrenaline it barely registers as pain. Maybe get someone to shoot you before the game starts so you know what to expect lol. 

 

[Albiscuit]

My advise is this:

Find what works for you, unfortunately this could take a while and after you have spend a lot of money.

Start slowly and only buy things which solve a problem, ie need something to carry mags, get a rig of some kind, found yourself needing extra storage, add pouches etc.

Speak to other players about kit and what they use and why. 
 

Use the combined knowledge of this forum, we all play different styles, have different budgets and limits and will give you multiple answers based on varying experiences, but at least one of the replies will be the correct one for you. Good luck working out which   

Airsoft is extremely personal, there are hundreds of choices for everything from boots and gloves to eye protection and guns.

plus everyone has an opinion and Airsofters like most niche hobbies have people with strong opinions.

Dont put too much sway in what you read or are told as gospel as you will need to make up your own mind.

Gear, is a hard subject as all you need to play is eye pro and ideally a gun of some kind (but you could get into a game and on the field with JUST eye pro). Everything else is either useful or to show off. Plenty of people are happy with jeans and a hoodie and others Are happy spending  2k on what they wear to look a certain way. Boots are always a good idea, and you can get surplus army boots or hiking boots from almost anywhere.
likewise with guns, a kill from an £80 entry lever gun is just as effective as a 2k upgraded machine of death. Find your limits especially when starting off, go slowly with it.

Sites vary greatly too, from woodland, scrubland, urban and cqb and sites which try to have a mixture, be careful as rules can vary from site to site too. 
Find one you enjoy playing at, with rules your happy with and with/against a typical clientele you don’t mind mixing in. 
I won’t name and shame but a group of regulars at a site near me has put me off returning.

 

[strykerles]

First welcome to this money sinking hobby, I only started a year ago but love it

I'm from stourbridge and the local I use is a CQB site in rowley regis

It's west midlands airsoft high command, unfortunately they are shut for the time being due to covid but they're outdoor site near stoke has recently reopened for limited numbers

afaik they are still doing hire kit

https://www.wmairsoft.co.uk/

good people and well run

also I've found most airsofters will have some sort of excess kit for sale ?

 

[Brophy]

Brilliant, thanks. 

I'm looking at the west mid airsofts FOB site and perhaps the CQB site once it reopens (used to live right by it and never knew it was on that industrial estate!) 

Any of you guys had any experience with the FOB site ran by west mids airsoft in stafford? 

 

[strykerles]

personally no i've only been to the cqb site so far but i've booked on for their 12 hour survivor game in august

may try get a game in there beforehand though

 

[GAMBLE]

@strykerles ?

Just had a quick look at the 12 hour survivor game, looks interesting! ??

Will speak to a few of my Airsoft friends and see what they think? ?

?GAMBLE?

 

[strykerles]

@strykerles ?

Just had a quick look at the 12 hour survivor game, looks interesting! ??

Will speak to a few of my Airsoft friends and see what they think? ?

?GAMBLE?

Definetly looks like fun ?

 

[Brophy]

@strykerles

Sounds like fun, I'll look it up. 

Just another thing.

The only possible issue I think I will have is that I'm short sighted, not a massive prescription but do need some glasses to watch tv and for driving to stop me constantly squinting. 

I've looked at some bolle ones in which you can have prescription lenses fitted, would you recommend those or the ski type ones and wearing normal glasses under them? 

 

[strykerles]

I used to use fully enclosed goggles but they steamed up too easy and got uncomfortable after a while

I now use some bolle tracker glasses which are far more comfortable

I have seen people wear glasses underneath goggles before but I don't know what they were

Ones I know of are the bolle raiders which I think are the ones you mean where you can take them to your opticians and get lenses fitted

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/bolle-tactical-raider-kit-ballistic-airsoft-safety-glasses

 

[Brophy]

Cheers dude, I'll check them out and hopefully bump into you at one of the events! 

 

[PopRocket123]

I've asked about getting a set of Bolle tracker II inserts glazed in Specsavers. I think they said it'd be like £30-£40 but I think it'd be cheaper from somewhere more specialised. Look for tactical optician

 

[mintsauce5]

Brilliant, thanks. 

I'm looking at the west mid airsofts FOB site and perhaps the CQB site once it reopens (used to live right by it and never knew it was on that industrial estate!) 

Any of you guys had any experience with the FOB site ran by west mids airsoft in stafford? 

the FOB is a great site , well run , good games all the hire kit is done through www.sixmil.com good selection of hire kit , theres also fireball squadron at bassets pole near sutton coldfield

 

[Brophy]

I've asked about getting a set of Bolle tracker II inserts glazed in Specsavers. I think they said it'd be like £30-£40 but I think it'd be cheaper from somewhere more specialised. Look for tactical optician

Unfortunately the majority of items no longer show on tactical optician however I've managed to find an online retailer based in Wales with good reviews that can do this service from a mere £6.99 depending on the lens package you have. 

https://www.reglazemyspex.com/

I dropped them an email about the inserts, they said they do quiet a few of them and are classed under the full rim service which starts at the £6.99 price. I hope this helps. 

Reviews: https://g.co/kgs/96iv6r