Home practice

[Geap]

Hi Guys,  I have a 28 Foot Lounge/Diner and had a go at shooting my Pistols indoors (net catching target box etc)  but it seemed very loud and am worried in case the neighbours hear it and maybe call the Police, is it legal to shoot these at home indoors and any advice on making things quieter 🔫👍🏻😀.

[Immortal]

They don't sound like real guns, more like someone doing frenzied DIY with a nail gun.

[Rogerborg]

37 minutes ago, Geap said:

is it legal to shoot these at home indoors

 

There's no specific offence and I doubt anyone's going to mistake a gas pistol discharge for a real firearm.  However, out of common courtesy, why not pop round and, you know, talk to your neighbours, ask them if you've been disturbing them.  No need to wax lyrical about your collection of shooters, just say that it's "like paintball without the paint" if they ask what they've been hearing.

[Jedi_Master]

Just put the TV on; there are plenty of US programmes with shooting in them .

[Geap]

Thanks for the replies (new to Airsoft). Are Electric Guns much quieter than the Gas ones? 

[MisterG]

Generally yes, but some of my EBB rifles are comparable in noise, but i only GBB I have is a G17.  A badly shimmed AEG can be quite loud.

 

My tippman was louder until I oiled the big spring.

 

What gun do you have that is so loud and realistic?

 

The G17 sounds more like a nail gun than a real gun.

 

None of mine sound like a real gun that would trigger a neighbour to think a real gun was being fired.

 

As Jedi said, telly should easily mask it if you are really worried.  Just put on the Expendables or any other film with lots of shooting when you use it 😉

 

Cheers

 

G

 

[Geap]

Thanks Jedi, MisterT, the TV idea sounds like the best option 🔫👍🏻😀

[AshOnSnow]

There is no restriction, however you may find yourself in trouble if you’re in clear public view - eg. in front of a window where people can look in.

 

Airsoft guns sound more like hammers than real guns, but you can always pop round to your neighbours first. I’m glad I did that, now we have target competitions between us 👍

[Druid799]

1 hour ago, AshOnSnow said:

There is no restriction, however you may find yourself in trouble if you’re in clear public view - eg. in front of a window where people can look in

But one would think as long as your not pointing it at the window then no fowl plus unless your doing it at night with the curtains open there not going to see much anyway due to the movement of light in to the darker (in relavance to the level of light outside) room ? 

[AshOnSnow]

2 hours ago, Druid799 said:

But one would think as long as your not pointing it at the window then no fowl plus unless your doing it at night with the curtains open there not going to see much anyway due to the movement of light in to the darker (in relavance to the level of light outside) room ? 

Just a matter of whether or not it would be considered by a jobsworth “in public”

[Rogerborg]

7 hours ago, AshOnSnow said:

Just a matter of whether or not it would be considered by a jobsworth “in public”

 

"Public order" offences don't have to be committed in public.  It's explicit in POA 1986 S5  "alarm and distress" that an act committed inside a dwelling can be an offence if it could terrorscare someone outside that dwelling.  And it doesn't even have to do so, as long as it's "likely" to be capable of doing so. 

 

Technically speaking, the hypothetical victim would have to be outside any dwelling, rather than a neighbour, but don't expect a copper, CPS goon or Magistrate to know or care, once the word "firearm" is being bandied around.

 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/64/section/5

 

[Geap]

So it's blinds closed, TV or Music up loud, then I should be okay lol,. Sheesh, why can't someone just open up an indoor range here in Kent, 🔫👍🏻😀. ( just both my Neighbors are old Peeps and I think the slightest mention of "Gun" would send them into meltdown, lol) 

[Rogerborg]

3 hours ago, Geap said:

both my Neighbors are old Peeps and I think the slightest mention of "Gun" would send them into meltdown

 

You might be surprised.  Why not pop round and ask.

 

Worst case, at least if you ever do go shooty mental, they can then appear on the news saying that you were ever such a nice young man, always a kind word.

[AshOnSnow]

4 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

You might be surprised.  Why not pop round and ask.

 

Worst case, at least if you ever do go shooty mental, they can then appear on the news saying that you were ever such a nice young man, always a kind word.

+1 this.

 

I cant get into any local gun clubs because the members are all oldies who don’t want anyone else joining their special little crew.

 

Just cos they’re old doesn’t mean they don’t secretly dream of hanging off a helicopter dual wielding M60s.

[Geap]

Maybe their is an "Air Gun" Club out there that would allow Airsofters to use their Range 🔫👍🏻😀

[sonofsammo]

I've spoken to a couple of airgun ranges.
The best response I got for why they didn't want plastic BBs flying all over was this:

Hi Andrew, it's because the range is set up specifically for lead pellets, plastic pellets ricochet back (we know, we've tried it). The way to stop ricochet's would be to have a net as a backstop, but a net in an airgun range would last about 5 minutes Basically, we're just not set up in terms of a suitable backstop for airsoft and at the moment there isn't the demand to make it viable.

 

Which, tbh, sounded perfectly reasonable, if a little disappointing....