Newbie in North Kent

[Osiris]

New Player here!

I have been to Skirmish at Ace combat Brenchly so far and booked to go again (there is one much closer but it was shut when my mate could come haha),found out about Airsoft after watching some Airsoft on youtube (dunno how i had never heard of it before). I Went with a pal who probably wont come along much so i will generally be attending alone and/or looking for some airsoft groups/communities to play with. My friend had to duck out around noon so i ended up solo all afternoon and just tagging along with whoever was at the spawn point or a group i died with so ive got no worries about going alone.

I am 30 so not exactly a spring chicken but i was pleasantly surprised to find out that i was not just running around with some kids so theres hope yet  plenty of people in their 20s and older than me to chat to so i hope there are groups and teams that are not just full of kids (nothing against young folk i just think i will enjoy it less if im just surrounded by teens ) i think it will be a pretty good way to lose some weight and have fun at the same time. I have already bought my own eye protection and face mask because it was god damn hot the day i went and i was melting in the face masks provided (i guess thats how they get you!) also got some gloves and camo kicking around (Electrician by trade so used to use a lot of that kind of stuff on site) so don't need to buy much gear unless a plate carrier/belt is really worth it.

The site i am going to rents 4 different types of gun : G36C, G&G mod0, Spetsnaz, ICS M4, (https://acecombat.co.uk/events-2/gunrental) i will rent each type before getting ukara to see if there is a kind i dislike using or love.

So my main questions are these:

1. My budget is fairly decent at the moment i could spend up to £300-350 on a gun (maybe more if its really worth it) and then get some other bits so would you recommend getting  a more expensive gun for starting out or just go with something around the £200 mark and upgrading it or buy a new one when i am more experienced? I will probably end up going a lot solo anyway so i will get my moneys worth if it kills me. (i have read the guides and watched a lot of videos so i am not going for anything fancy like a blowback, a sniper rifle or a pistol but i do like some of the less popular guns too)

2. After watching a lot of YouTube videos I have seen that a lot of people go to CQB during the winter, does that happen as much over here? Living in Kent there are a lot of big and small woodland sites but not so many CQB so does everyone just stick to the fields in winter? (will inform my choice of gun once i have got ukara)

3. Are there any Airsoft communities and groups in kent? I don't use facebook so much and looking around the internet just shows a lot of dead links and sites that don't exist anymore (that was very annoying when trying to find one) I saw a small group running with Fallen 26th Patches but forgot to ask anything about it so im sure there must be some groups around somewhere im just not sure where to find them.

I know its a lot of questions and a mess of a post for a Hello but there you go  

 

[Jedi_Master]

Welcome .  Spend what you want to on a gun.  I had a healthy budget so bought a TM as my first gun because I did not want to have to upgrade it later.  Do not go cheap on eye-pro, can be more money but worth it to protect your eyesight and getting goggles with a fan is worth it.  I play CQB most of the year, and especially in the winter as I prefer comfort (being indoors) over potentially getting wet and cold.  There are several Kent members on the forum as well as sites, try typing "kent" into the search tool and reading through the results, you may get lucky.

 

[Osiris]

cool ill take a look around the forum

eye protection i bought was Pyramex I-Force Slim Sporty Dual Pane Anti Fog Clear Lens Goggle  so i don't think its too cheap. Cant see much cqb near me so i guess ill invest in some warmer clothing for winter 

 

[Prisce]

You won't need the warm clothing that much when you start running around. I'm cold blooded and even I still don't wear 2 layers in the winter! Makes you get stuck into the game a bit more. Goggles are good, same as the Valken Zulu. I have a pair.

 

[Gregatron]

Welcome. 

Im new too and having the same debate about how much to spend on a gun. 

I may be about to be crucified on the internet but I'm getting the sense that there isn't much gain between I'm getting too good a gun early, better to buy basic and spend money on skirmishes and petrol. To paraphrase a real steel adage: basic kit + range time is better than Gucci kit and no skills 

 

[Slamz]

Welcome. 

Im new too and having the same debate about how much to spend on a gun. 

I may be about to be crucified on the internet but I'm getting the sense that there isn't much gain between I'm getting too good a gun early, better to buy basic and spend money on skirmishes and petrol. To paraphrase a real steel adage: basic kit + range time is better than Gucci kit and no skills 

While I agree mostly, it's about finding a balance between cost and longevity. No point buying a £80 gun that lasts a few months when you can buy a £200 gun that lasts years. I'm a tart and spent £300 on a gun pretty early on, but have had no need to fix or upgrade it since, so feels worth it for sure.

There's definitely no need to go out and buy hundreds of quids worth of Crye clothing though, get some surplus trousers and boots, pair of gloves (because finger shots hurt like fk) and a battle belt and you're set

 

[Dentonboy]

Definitely get a TM gun if you have the budget. 

Ace is my team's regular haunt - along with Battle Lakes - and I would say you would be hard pressed to find a better site. 

 

[Rogerborg]

THREAD NECRO!

Wut?

Buy cheap, buy twice.

Which is great, because then you have two guns.

 

[Slamz]

I have no idea how I ended up on a thread this old, my apologies!