What does airsoft cost?

[Druid799]

You may as well post out a bog roll to every Airsofter and say start writing your list ! 

Me personally I don’t think you can really quantify a scurmish day down that easily , I play predominantly at just two sites (black ops Cribbs and Black ops Portishead) and I can safely say no two game days will cost the same one day I will use a sh*tload of ammo , gas and pyro the next time I go I’ll use two or three mids all day and zero pyro BUT still enjoy the day ! 

Only thing I can say that’s set in stone is fuel to get there and the greens fee , so really it’s from £45 on would’s from there .  

 

[Rogerborg]

Every game:

£30 Walk on at the depot [...]

Wow more expensive than I realised  :blink:

Especially as it's £32 now.  Still worth it for a well run big indoor site with lunch, I reckon.  Couple of £££ for BBs, I get through hundreds rather than thousands.  Maybe £1 on primers, £2 if I'm fragging myself and Aengus.

£20 outdoor at Nomad, maybe £5 on a few thousand BBs, probably a bit more now that they've gone bio, plus whatever you want to spend on lunch.

Nothing on gas, nothing on consumable batteries yet.

Daft amounts on guns and gear that I don't need.  100% agree that's where the cost is.  But if I didn't spend it on that I'd just waste it on the mortage and food and such.

 

[Arwen]

Oh I forgot about pyro. I've got a bfg, so only a few quid tops each game day. I don't use smokes. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

I think I only ever use that much if I'm running my SAW!

it depends on the game, but a defensive game where you end up playing whack a mole with the other team for half an hour you can go through a lot.

of course if i break the mg out it's guaranteed to cost 

i like to think of it compared to a cinema ticket, £25-30 for 8 hours entertainment works out about the same as a £7 ticket for a 2 hour film

 

[Tommikka]

i like to think of it compared to a cinema ticket, £25-30 for 8 hours entertainment works out about the same as a £7 ticket for a 2 hour film

That to me is the key factor

Whatever we’re doing with our spare time; ideally we are buying fun

If one thing costs more than another thing, is it worth that money (and the time it took to earn it)

I began in Paintball as a punter, and went back.  I would buy the paint for the money I was willing to spend, I discovered other flavors of Paintball, such as walkons and scenarios.  Walkons were cheaper and at another site, so I bought more paint and spent the same money, I also still returned to the original site spending the same money at a higher rate - because I liked the site 

I was told about scenarios and travelled for weekend events - expecting to shoot twice as much .... but typically shot the same or less due to putting time into objectives rather than firefights. Extra costs on entry possibly balanced out, but were worth the extra for bigger, more complex games with effort and features by organisers 

I jumped on the bandwagon and organised our own events 

I dabbled into tournaments, and actually spent and shot less - irrespective of individual shooting but on an equal share of the team costs. This was balanced by structured training instead of other teams that ‘trained’ by repeatedly playing ‘practice’ games of just shooting 

Then became a photographer, but possibly jointing in skills training on Saturday and taking photos Sunday 

But there is always something that can be bought so the disposable income still goes

Any one of these brings me pleasure, pumps adrenaline and provides time with friends

 

[Adolf Hamster]

indeed, it's a hobby, something to spend money on and enjoy, if this was an rc forum we'd be talking about how much fuel we use, on a pc forum it'd be how much electricity our rigs drained, etc etc.

at the end of the day it gets you out of the house, meeting new people, and doing something that you wouldn't normally do otherwise.

i find it a great stress reliever, your worries of the world very quickly fade away when "**** i'm being shot at better hide" comes into play

 

[Aengus]

Maybe £1 on primers, £2 if I'm fragging myself and Aengus.

I'm still salty btw

 

[AshOnSnow]

I will work it out on a yearly cost, compare hiring to buying:

I airsoft once or twice a month. Probably safe to say 18 times a year. If I were to just hire kit each time, I'd pay £900 a year.

Instead, I have an M4, mags, batteries and accessories which cost me probably £350 and will last me easily through next year. So my primary gun is £175 a year.

A P226, holster and mags which cost me £250. Lasting 2 years before internal swap is £125/yr for the first 2 years, then £25 for each subsequent year.

My clothes are simple, with probably about £120 of camo, boots and stuff to choose from. Lasted 2 years still good as new, probably last another 2 after this at least, so I put that at £30 a year.

Eye pro cost me £100, will last just under 3 years, so £35 a year.

I'll get through 3000rds of ammo over 2 game days, and a few bottles of gas each year, so that's about £140 a year

I've spent more money on it with other pistols and primaries but I mostly do second hand swaps now for fresh gear, so the cost is small.

All in all, it costs me about £650/yr factoring in fuel driving to different sites and extra little purchases.

Full hire kit each time would cost about £1050 I reckon.

Best purchase? £110 Sig 226 that's still going after being sat on, fallen on, dropped, someone even grabbed it and threw it at a tree in a tantrum too, it didn't seem to mind much.
Worst purchase? £450 JG BAR-10 that I had ordered in and custom upgraded from a supposedly reputable retailer and tech, that's never been clear quite what they put into it, has never fed right, and never been able to use in a game.

 

[pierce09]

I'll be at Urban Assault on April 14th knowing I'll pay walk on fee of £25. Consumables I'll sort beforehand.

However, I can see why this hobby isn't as easily entered into for youths as it is in the US. Not only are the actual RIFs vastly more expensive but so is the game day.

Walk-ons in the US (and I skirmished in 11 different states) was about $15-25 (£11-17) with usually a discount for military of at least $5. 

 

[Rogerborg]

Walk-ons in the US (and I skirmished in 11 different states) was about $15-25 (£11-17) with usually a discount for military of at least $5.

I'd got that impression.  Any idea why?  Cheaper land?  Bigger games (so less cost per player)?

 

[pierce09]

I'd got that impression.  Any idea why?  Cheaper land?  Bigger games (so less cost per player)?

I'm guessing overheads are far cheaper (land, running costs, etc) and rentals aren't needed as much which keeps costs down (guns in general are far cheaper. check Evike.com to cry). Fields also fight with 'unofficial' games in less populated areas sometimes.

It's certainly more expensive to enter the hobby in the UK which I think holds it back from growing as much.

 

[Immortal]

Everythings more expensive here. Well everything I want to have and do is anyway.  

 

[pierce09]

Everythings more expensive here. Well everything I want to have and do is anyway.  

Yep. Airsoft in the US is pretty much swapping the £ for a $ on the price tag. that makes only a small difference on $10 items but $350 items it's a big increase.

 

[callumbagshaw]

Here’s a topic I’ve intended to put up for a while.....

I’d like to ask ‘what airsoft costs?’

At least 10 times what you told your mrs it costs.

 

[madmogga]

based on my last game a week ago

£25 walk on fee

£8 Food and drink

£12 for BB's

£15 for Pyro's

+ a few £££ for petrol So about £60 for a full days play (i don't always go that mad on Pyro's but it is fun   so worth the money to me)

however if you factor in that i have spent well over £4000 on new guns / upgrading them, buying kit - batteries and chargers etc over the 12 months since i started - i think ive played about 15 times so far that brings each game up to about £325 

Or if the wife asks its about 20 quid .......

 

[Rogerborg]

Mmm, that amortised cost-per-game really doesn't bear thinking about.

So I don't.

You can't make me, you're not my dad.

 

[Albiscuit]

based on my last game a week ago

£25 walk on fee

£8 Food and drink

£12 for BB's

£15 for Pyro's

+ a few £££ for petrol So about £60 for a full days play (i don't always go that mad on Pyro's but it is fun   so worth the money to me)

however if you factor in that i have spent well over £4000 on new guns / upgrading them, buying kit - batteries and chargers etc over the 12 months since i started - i think ive played about 15 times so far that brings each game up to about £325 

Or if the wife asks its about 20 quid .......

too true....  

On both counts...

 

[djben9]

Or if the wife asks its about 20 quid .......

ditto that!  :lol: :lol:

 

[Tommikka]

Just an update that I have not forgotten about this.

I had my 'What Paintball costs' update on the back burner and had intended to finish the Airsoft version first, but got grabbed to do a presentation on 'A passion'*, so did paintball and had to refresh my paintball stuff.

With this done (other than one section that needs a big rewrite) I now intend to complete an airsoft section for it which will ease some of my airsoft/paintball commonalities and then I'll get it up on here.

Feedback from you guys was great so I just have to update my 'research' parts and make it readable, so it will be up on here in the foreseeable future.

* It turned out that I was right and could not do a proper presentation in a 2-3 minute time slot.

After 5 scripts each on a separate area & cutting them into bullet point notes I binned the lot and cuffed it for a 4 minute quick run through of Toms life from punter to event organising and an arms deal in Lidls car park.  Even got laughs in the right places.

 

[proffrink]

I had my 'What Paintball costs' update on the back burner and had intended to finish the Airsoft version first, but got grabbed to do a presentation on 'A passion'*, so did paintball and had to refresh my paintball stuff

Reported your post. Absolutely disgusting behaviour.