Gun Advice Required for my Son - 420 Fps ????

[mr_nice]

So my son has a small BB pistol which he uses on private land with his friends, he is 15. This year for xmas he wants this bad boy ....

 

WELL MB01 WARRIOR MK3 L96 (ORANGE)

KEY FEATURES:

- Site-Legal 420Fps (To be confirmed) ?? what does this mean
- 25 Round Magazine
- Smooth barrel to allow for mounting of any low/high profile scopes
- Metal Barrel (Of course!)
- Full Working Safety

 

I am not sure that this is even legal ??

 

I am looking for some advice on weather this is suitable to be used in a field with his friends, also I will ensure that he goes to some supervised games that companies organise would this be allowed I think not !!!!

My feeling is that this is a NO but are there any other suitable alternatives ?

 

What is maximum Fps allowed, I spoke to a company called Ambush and they said that the rifle above is illegal and classed as a firearm

 

As always any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

Nicey

[GingerBreadMan]

It is certainly not illegal in terms of against the law of this country as i have one and some sites allow up to 500 fps for snipers. Looking at the ambush adventures website i gather that it is mainly cqb due to a relatively low 328 fps limit on .20g bbs. They were probably saying that it would not be allowed for use at their site.

If your son really does want to start airsoft at a managed site, then it is generally said that starting with a sniper is not a great idea as to be competitave over others, they often require more money to be spent on upgrades as well as possibly being boring. However, if your son is happy with staying with his friends in a field it should be fine, but you may want to consider an aeg like a combat machine or similar or alternatively read this - http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/17294-ians-guide-to-noobism-on-a-tight-budget/

Hope i helped

[Monty]

Welcome to the forums!

 

I'd recommend getting him a G&G Combat machine, reliable, cheap and can be easily upgradable. He'll probably be much happier with it.

[Liam Porter]

So my son has a small BB pistol which he uses on private land with his friends, he is 15. This year for xmas he wants this bad boy ....

 

WELL MB01 WARRIOR MK3 L96 (ORANGE)

 

KEY FEATURES:

 

- Site-Legal 420Fps (To be confirmed) ?? what does this mean

- 25 Round Magazine

- Smooth barrel to allow for mounting of any low/high profile scopes

- Metal Barrel (Of course!)

- Full Working Safety

 

I am not sure that this is even legal ??

 

I am looking for some advice on weather this is suitable to be used in a field with his friends, also I will ensure that he goes to some supervised games that companies organise would this be allowed I think not !!!!

My feeling is that this is a NO but are there any other suitable alternatives ?

 

What is maximum Fps allowed, I spoke to a company called Ambush and they said that the rifle above is illegal and classed as a firearm

 

As always any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

Nicey

 

420 FPS is definitely legal, and will be allowed at certain sites. Urban/CQB sites will most likely not allow it, but woodland sites where the engagement ranges are longer will generally have a 500 FPS limit for bolt action rifles.

There will be a minimum engagement distance (usually 20-30m) for higher powered rifles (normally anything over 350 FPS), and some sites will say you have to have a side arm (pistol or similar) for use at closer range.

 

That said, I'd recommend against a sniper as a first "proper" rifle, simply because out of the box, it'll be no better than a standard AEG and will limit the sites you can go to and the type of play you can do.

To get decent use out of a sniper rifle, it takes quite a bit of money in upgrades, and a lot of time fiddling with it and making tiny adjustments.

I'd recommend a G&G Combat Machine AEG instead as a first gun.

[Lozart]

 

spoke to a company called Ambush and they said that the rifle above is illegal and classed as a firearm

 

 

I think someone there is pulling your pisser in an attempt to sell you something else. The bigger issue is that while it's not illegal a 420fps sniper rifle would normally be used in conjunction with a Minimum Engagement Distance. If he's messing about in a field with his mates that would probably get ignored and that could get dangerous (potentially).

 

As others have suggested I would say look at an AEG like the G&G Combat Machine range. They're capable of full auto as opposed to single shot bolt action which is what that rifle would be.

[GingerBreadMan]

Our love for the combat machine is real. I think the forum should start getting commission on the ones people have bought after coming here

[team flex]

yep, not illegal in the slightest.

 

A lot of people like to get into it by buying a sniper, because that's whats fun on video games. However, as said before a sniper rifle is weird with airsoft, if you want a good one you need to upgrade stuff no matter what.

 

Normally everyone would recommend an AEG me included, but I can see how they are fun. However to get them to a decent level, a lot of money is needed for upgrades.

 

TBH, it could be dangerous, but I have played with a mate at 500 fps sniper in <20 metres and it was ok for me however if you know its that hot, you definitely get scared, I would never do it again imo. Even then many things can go wrong, and it could potentially cause problems.

 

Overall, I would tell him to think long and hard about his decision. AEG's need little to no maintenance and are very effective. Maybe you should try some out before hand to see if he likes it or not.

 

IF he needs a sniper, maybe look at the alternative which could be the Tokyo marui VSR10. Basically, this is THE SNIPER to have for anyone wanting to get a great sniper rifle OOTB, however it shoots at 300-330 fps and so normally people upgrade them, spending 500+ quid on upgrades for it so it shoots 500 fps and is very accurate. However it is good ootb, and if you are worried people could get hurt it is less powerful, but for backyard shooting thats fine...

 

hope this helps

[two_zero]

Welcome to the forums!

 

I'd recommend getting him a G&G Combat machine, reliable, cheap and can be easily upgradable. He'll probably be much happier with it.

Much this.

[team flex]

Our love for the combat machine is real. I think the forum should start getting commission on the ones people have bought after coming here

I was thinking about that the other day. I reckon we should get payed, because we practically advertise it for them...

[Airsoft_Mr B]

I have a feeling from the description that you're looking on one of those "bb gun" websites. I wouldn't recommend buying from them, as you can see from the JustBBGuns thread here they are pretty bad to say the least.

I think other airsoft retailers such as Zero One or AirsoftWorld for example would sell the same gun for around the same price, with much better service. Z1 also gives you a free skirmish voucher AND free two-tone too I believe?

Usually you'll see retailers charging £20-£25 to two-tone for you.

From what I've heard, the WELL / Warrior MB-01 (L96) is a good rifle, but every sniper rifle on the market needs aftermarket upgrade parts to perform as you'd probably expect from one. Out of the box you're looking at them probably doing the same sort of range and around the same level of accuracy as your standard AEG. So you're disadvantaged against most other players. They are fun and satisfying to use, once the performance is improved.

Thing is buying the new parts alone can easily cost twice / three times the price of the gun itself. Oh and needless to say orange is a terrible colour if you're trying to stay stealthy - just a thought for if you wanted to properly skirmish it.

 

I can imagine the L96 must be around £100-£120 new here in the UK (I know overseas would be cheaper, but not possible without a defence) For the same price you could get a very capable, good quality AEG such as...yep the G&G Combat Machine. Just make sure to avoid guns that are any cheaper, or anything else for that price as a matter of fact. There's a reason we all recommend em, really nothing around that price is as good. Apart from maybe a CYMA AK? (My dad got one on sale for £120, but then again it was on sale from £190)

 

FPS limits are usually 350 for AEGs (basically anything full auto) Then 400 for DMRs (semi auto, but with a 20M Minimum Engagement Distance) and 500 for snipers (bolt-action, 20M MED)

Although some sites will be different, for example as low as 328 or up to 370 for AEGs.

 

Hope this helps

[Russe11]

Shooting airsoft guns on private land is fine. The only issues are whether it is possible for members of the public to see the gun being used and misinterpret and safety issues. Hopefully your son and his friends are wearing eye protection?

At 15, I would recommend that you get him going to play at an airsoft site. He will probably enjoy it more and it will be safer.

As has been said, an electric gun is a far better starter gun than a single shot sniper rifle.

Look at www.airsoftmap.net/skirmish/ for airsoft sites near you. Check any age restrictions, most sites are fine with 15yr olds, especially if there's an adult with them.

[mr_nice]

Chaps many thanks to you all for sharing your experience and taking the time, you have definitly given me something to think about and what ever happens I will not be getting the gun that he wanted...... thanks

 

I am sitting down with him on Sunday and will make sure that he reads this thread, should have an outcome Sunday evening / Monday.

 

Thanks again !

[Sitting Duck]

think "some" places like Ireland may limit all airsoft to 328fps or 350fps

 

Scotland may sometime try to lower fps limits I heard

but all this is next to impossible to enforce especially if on private land

think Germany has aeg's on semi only but dunno if this is true

Australia - airsoft is banned or at least until it gets reclassified

Even Amercica - California has brought in some recent changes - orange guns soon

 

decent 330fps G&G will be a perfect choice for most teenagers

 

and target practice is ok for a while but nothing compared to a proper skirmish site

(please ensure that eye protection is worn - even just plinking I had a few close rebound shots)

sounds a bit gay or wimpy but when using this stuff - you only got one pair of eyes though &

really should take a couple of basic simple precautions especially with higher fps guns

[Ian_Gere]

I suspect that a lot of youngsters want an airsoft sniper rifle because they imagine that it will be like a game: that you put the cross hairs on your target and, from sufficient range that they cannot shoot back if they even see you, pop them in the forehead. No, it's not like that. At all.

 

Even with a £700 upgraded gun the air conditions affect the trajectory of the BB so much that, at long to extreme range (whatever that range is for that gun) the BB has slowed so much and is so light that a good fart makes it drift off target, let alone a breeze. Also to get to extreme range the trajectory of the BB is a pronounced parabola, which sounds complicated but really isn't... if you imagine that your sight is zeroed for targets at 70m, in still air the BB leaves the muzzle and rises to the peak of its trajectory then drops and hits somewhere on a level with your cross hairs, but if the target is even 10m closer the BB would sail over their head, if the target were as little as 5m further away the BB could have dropped so much that it has hit the ground in front of the target, or the cover they are hiding behind.

 

Obviously you can learn the characteristics of your gun and get good at using it, but it takes a fair bit of practice. In the meantime, while a 420FPS L96 may have a 10-12m effective range advantage over most of the AEG's in the hands of the opposition, even a knackered old sod like me can rush that distance in 1 second, but a novice sniper cannot recock their gun and reacquire me as a moving target in that time, and as soon as I'm in range I will fire a full auto burst before diving for cover - at least 1 of my BB's will hit... and this kind of thing will keep happening all day long.

 

The up to 80FPS extra we are allowed from bolt action sniper rifles (BASR's) will increase that effective range advantage, although not by as much as the difference between 270 & 350FPS for eg, but the moment you increase the power of the spring, the trigger mechanism is put under more strain and fails much sooner, so you need upgrade parts for that too, and once you can fire 75m crouching-man-sized-target-accurately you will come to the attention of opposition snipers, and it's likely that at least one will have other upgrades which allow 80-90m accurate shots - so you'll get picked off early all day long again... so you need more upgrades, and at this stage, when you swap out one part for a better one, you are kind of locked into needing to upgrade several parts to get the best from the first, if you see what i mean...

 

Trying to learn the game under those circumstances would be extremely difficult. I mean 'trial and error' only works if you get some successes With an AEG your son will have sheer volume of fire on his side until such times as more tactical awareness and marksmanship sinks in.

 

TBH I would discourage anyone from messing about with even crappy BB guns on private land, unless it was literally in the middle of nowhere: the chance that you may accidentally shoot some random passer by may be miniscule, but the consequences of such a mishap are potentially so bad that the risk is just not worth taking. There is also the fear of being shot - people react really badly to feeling afraid and become vindictive. What really concerns me about unsupervised teens shooting each other with BB's though is the tendency youngsters have to be reckless and how 'uncool' it seems if you're the one thinking about saying "hold on a minute these things will have someone's eye out if we're not careful."

 

But... but... but... nobody is daft enough to shoot each other in the face, right? Obviously you know what 'ricochet' means. The following took place at one of the UK's best marshalled sites:

 

A small collection of photos...

 

These things happen when people are wearing good protection, under trained supervision. That's not to say that airsoft is really dangerous - it isn't, but it is an adventure sport/hobby so you should expect to pick up small injuries periodically under the best of circumstances. Under the worst circumstances... and i'm by no means saying that your lad is a dick, but let's have it right, we all dicked around when we were 15, didn't we?

 

Besides, assaulting/defending purpose built positions with a bunch of likeminded people has gotta be more fun than a few mates in some random field, right?