Options for a beginner purchasing

[Biddy381]

Hi people,

 

I have been reading up on how to get started in taking part in airsoft.

 

I understand that you need to play a minimum amount of times over a period no less than 2 months in order to purchase a RIF.

 

My issue is that how do you go about not wasting a couple of hundred quid on a two tone to use 3-4 times until you can purchase an RIF not in two tone?

 

This is the only thing holding me back from participating in the sport.

[Game Cam]

I would just rent guns for your three games to get UKARA then buy a gun.

[Iceni]

The restrictions are there for good reason.

Hires are the best solution. Your not going to break the bank doing 3 hires at most sites.


A typical hire day breaks down like this.

Walk on fee £25
Gun hire £20 including 2 magazines, webbing, Camo overalls, Face protection, 3000BB's.

Total £45.

In game terms 3000bb's is £10 worth of ammo, so the hire is actually £10, as even if you own your own guns you will have to pay for ammo.


To get setup as a new player your costs break down like this:

Camo clothing (budget DPM) Trousers £5, Shirt £5, Parka £15, Webbing £20 Total £45.

Face protection £10-100

Gun Budget (£100) midrange (£200)
Battery £15, Charger £20, Gun bag £20, 4 magazines £25, Scope £25-100, Sling £10.

That base investment is going to total £300-500.

So the cost of three hires at £135ish is pretty reasonable, and gives you a chance to really get to look at gear and see what you want and need. It also gives you an opportunity to get some of the base kit before you go and buy a gun. Grabbing the camo gear and your own face protection whilst you are still on hires means you can spread some of the startup cost over those 2 months, and get saving to push yourself out of the budget gun range into the midrange. And getting a midrange £150-200 gun will save you money in the long term, As you should get something in that range that is setup correctly, rather than a budget gun that is mostly a collection of parts that fit together.

 

[Rogerborg]

That, essentially.  3 rentals is only going to cost you a net £30 or so.  Given that you're likely going to drop hundreds on toy guns once you have your UKARA, that's not a huge barrier to entry.

 

If you really can't stomach it, then I'll note that paint can be removed.

[Biddy381]

Thanks for all the information, haven't visited my local site yet. Really appreciate the info about hiring, didn't know that would be an option.

 

Much appreciated for taking the time to answer.

[Jedi_Master]

Welcome .  Have a read of the pinned (sticky) posts in each section, lots of useful information.

For example:

 

 

[Rogerborg]

No problem, it's not always obvious how to get started.  Don't fret about turning up as Billy No Mates either, airsofters tend to be a friendly bunch.  Just ask someone about their RIF and you'll have your ear bent off.

 

You'll have to ask the site about hire options, but worst case, buying a 2-tone isn't the end of the world.  The BBs hit just as hard, and there are options for sorting the looks when you feel that it's legal and appropriate to do so.

[Beat90]

dont worry about buying any gear (guns) before you play for the 1st time. It could end up being a case of you spending hundreds of pounds only to find out you hate airsoft! Best place to start would be to get some decent boots and maybe some eye protection/mask as hire kit is usually abit Ming. 

 

ive been playing for a little over 18 months and only just purchasing my 1st rifle. At first I was using rentals most sites offer some form of hire and interview varies from site to site which may help you decide on a weapon style 

[Arwen]

9 hours ago, Biddy381 said:

Thanks for all the information, haven't visited my local site yet. Really appreciate the info about hiring, didn't know that would be an option.

 

Much appreciated for taking the time to answer.

 

Welcome! 

 

Just to add, some sites (like my locals) do not actually charge for hire guns at all. You simply need to book them in advance. 🙂 

[Rogerborg]

15 hours ago, Arwen said:

Just to add, some sites (like my locals) do not actually charge for hire guns at all. You simply need to book them in advance

 

That's ace, which site is that?

[djben9]

18 hours ago, Arwen said:

 

Welcome! 

 

Just to add, some sites (like my locals) do not actually charge for hire guns at all. You simply need to book them in advance. 🙂 

 

i wish others did that, luckily on my 3rd game my AEG was delivered to the game site for use   so only 2 rental days at £50 each....

[Arwen]

2 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

That's ace, which site is that?

 

Viper Strike Airsoft, just north of Dundee. 🙂 

[MisterG]

2 hours ago, djben9 said:

 

i wish others did that, luckily on my 3rd game my AEG was delivered to the game site for use :), so only 2 rental days at £50 each....

£50 seems high, did that also include the walkon fee?

 

Cheers

 

G

[djben9]

Urban Assault (Walkon (own gear) £25, Rental £50,  (£25 deposit)

http://www.urbanassault.org.uk/ (then prices)

 

GMA is similar but a little more gear for rentals

http://www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk/open-days/

 

Team Green better

https://www.teamgreenairsoft.co.uk/prices

 

Combat Airsoft

http://www.combatairsoft.co.uk/prices.html

 

Combat Airsoft is the better priced for me but further away so the extra diesel / cost saving probably wont be noticed 

 

Struggle to get friends to come along at those prices so have to lend them an AEG to tempt them in!

 

 

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, Arwen said:

Viper Strike Airsoft, just north of Dundee. 🙂 

 

Blimey, so they do.  That's commendable and smart, as they're making an investment in their future.

 

 

37 minutes ago, djben9 said:

Struggle to get friends to come along at those prices so have to lend them an AEG to tempt them in!

 

Yes, that's also my excuse for having at least 2 spare working guns on the go.

 

[Arwen]

Yea, VSA are a pretty good site. The lack of silly hire prices does help get new playing in I think. There are always new folk every time I go there! 

 

I do wonder about some sites extortionate (to me) hire fees. Considering they probably buy the aeg's for around £80-£100, why do they feel the need to charge an additional £20-40 for each hire?! Surely the aeg's they buy for hires last more than 3 or 4 games? 😕 
An additional £10 on top of the walk on fee I think is acceptable, especially if it includes bb's as well. 

[Taiga]

Super late to this thread! But my local site charges,
£15 Half day walk on
£25 full day walk on
£25 half day hire

£45 full day hire

For me, I just did 3 half day hire's over the full course of 2 months, that's £75 total for my ukara but had some fun while doing so.

[heroshark]

Some sites (not many) do a rent to buy type thing where they keep hold of the rif till you are eligible. 

[MisterG]

Also

22 minutes ago, ShirouAshiya said:

Super late to this thread! But my local site charges,
£15 Half day walk on
£25 full day walk on
£25 half day hire

£45 full day hire

For me, I just did 3 half day hire's over the full course of 2 months, that's £75 total for my ukara but had some fun while doing so.

Also buy going skirmishing and renting you can see a range of guns, and many will even let you have a try of theirs if you ask nicely.

 

Though the go to for a starter gun is a usually a G&G Combat Machine of some description.

 

Many things come into play when buying a gun, looks, weight, performance etc

[powlimo]

Good luck and have fun. You have to start playing so you can purchase. For a start, renting would be a good option or you can buy then you can resell it.

[BigStew]

On 29/08/2018 at 13:46, Arwen said:

Yea, VSA are a pretty good site. The lack of silly hire prices does help get new playing in I think. There are always new folk every time I go there! 

 

I do wonder about some sites extortionate (to me) hire fees. Considering they probably buy the aeg's for around £80-£100, why do they feel the need to charge an additional £20-40 for each hire?! Surely the aeg's they buy for hires last more than 3 or 4 games? 😕 
An additional £10 on top of the walk on fee I think is acceptable, especially if it includes bb's as well. 

1 word profit they are a business after all. I wonder how they can make a profit as most sites need a minimum number of hires to break even. Also hire gun get treated like shite they will be broken multiple times in their service life. also with the cheaper rifles a lot of the time they need a gearbox rebuild to make them reliable before they see one game day.

[Arwen]

I don't know VSA's financial records or situation. However numbers are always pretty reasonable for the location. Most shoots there is 30+ players. During the summer it has been reaching 60+. Walk on is £20 (£18 if you are a member) including a hot dog for lunch.

Say the hot dog an bun costs £1 per person, that's £510 a day (assuming 30 people, who are all members. so £17x30) and they all have their own guns so no maintenance required. 

I am unsure how much they pay to use the land, or how much marshals and staff get, or how much the insurance costs. However as they have been going for a few years now, and not went bust I can only assume that their free hires thing is not detrimental to their finances. 

 

I think some sites hire fees are extortionate as they use sub £100 aeg's and charge each hire £20 for the use of them. Does that mean they only use the hire aeg's 5 times before getting rid of them or dropping the hire price?

Or to they use the hire aeg's 25 times (a year if you play every fortnight) so each hire guns alone earn them £350 a year in hires (assuming they are booked each shoot, minus £50 for general maintenance and repairs.)

 

Say a site has 5 hire aegs that they hire out at a cost of £20+ a £15 walk on fee, this included a face mask. The site plays 25 times a year and the AEG's are all hired each shoot. 

• Start up costs
  • Purchase price of aeg's = £500
  • Purchase price of face masks = £100 (5 x £20 for "fencing" mesh mask)
  • Total start up cost = £600
• Income
  • Hire's (£20 x 25)x5= £2,500
  • Plus walk on fee of £15 each time = £1,875
• Total income = £4,375
• Maintaining and repairs = £300
• Net profit = £3,475

So yea, that is a healthy profit for not much outlay. However now think about this from a long term point of view, especially if you also run a shop.... 

 

If you are trying to encourage people to take up the sport. Then their initial outlay is high (£35 plus what every they spend on bb's and other kit). This can put a lot of people off. It also encourages most people to look for cheap things by scouring the internet and does nothing to encourage them to keep coming back to you (unless you having an amazing set up/personality)

 

If you have their initial outlay as low, they are more likely to take the plunge and actually try the sport and get hooked. So you get a regular stream of new players, who are buying kit from your shop (guns, pistols, clothing, bb's, pyro etc), giving work to your gun tech's and they are happy to come back to you time and again because of your good prices. Because they will then probably like you and your site, they will invite their other friends along... 

 

 

If you want quick profit, then yea, charge for everything. If you want a long term profiting business that people like and appreciate then lowering prices is a good move. 

 

[BigStew]

You are not taking into account prop  costs construction cost site maintenance, land rent , insurance, tax, national insurance then take into account all the hours owner /employees works out side of games day then coupled with limited number of game days a site can run. I have been marshalling for years believe me having regulars are great they help create an atmosphere but even if You have an amazing site regulars fade out.  new higher players make the site money. If VSA can afford to not charge for rentals that great I doubt many other sites could.