Would Like to Take up Airsoft but Where to Start?

[Winter]

Hi all,

 

I'm keen to start but no clue where I go near me (Hitchin, Hertfordshire Bedfordshire border). Any good suggestions?

Also, before splashing the cash on needless gear, what should a noob purchase?  Cheers

 

[MiK]

Welcome!!
 

Find a local site to near you - book in and hire some of the sites gear and see if you do really like it before you drop any cash as if you do like it the your wallet and credit card won’t ever be the same again

 

site wise do a search on the tinter-net or have a look in the site reviews lower down in the forums, but I’m sure within in a few hours lots of people in and about Herts will be suggesting sites

[Shamal]

38 minutes ago, Winter said:

Hi all,

 

I'm keen to start but no clue where I go near me (Hitchin, Hertfordshire Bedfordshire border). Any good suggestions?

Also, before splashing the cash on needless gear, what should a noob purchase?  Cheers

 

Hi Winter 

Welcome to the pleasure dome.

Eye pro first and foremost. Cant play without it.protect them peepers! Lol

Boots and some long sleeve jumpers.😄👍

Have a blast though.

Regards 

[GAMBLE]

Hi @Winter! 👋

Pretty much what @Shamal said!
🔫😎👍

Find your nearest sites, then choose, might want to see which one works for you?
Quick list:

1. Eye protection, can’t play! 

2. Boots, for all terrain weather!

3. BDU, any camo of your choice? 
4. Gloves, Knee & shoulder pads, protect your joints, optional? 
5. When you get there, payment (online or on the day?), listen to The Rules, how to use the rental (covers🔫, bbs, & face protection), trigger discipline, have fun, make some friends, mission accomplished and replay! 🤪
Hope this helps, made a channel, during Lockdown, covers a few Basics & Gameplay? 🤔👍

💷GAMBLE💷

[EDcase]

Goggles are the only thing you really need.

 

Look in Google map and type 'Airsoft' to show shops and sites near you.  (There is ' The Outpost - Sentinel Airsoft' on the other side of Luton which has good reviews)

 

Rent for a few games and just see what others are doing.  Its intimidating to see everyone all geared-up at first but if you can get to talking to a few you're bound to find a friendly talkative type.

[Albiscuit]

The only thing I would suggest would be face pro, grab yourself a reasonable mask as right now I wouldn’t want to use a rental one.
 

if you have boots then wear those but you don’t need to buy them for your first game and I wouldn’t by uniform or clothes, wear something old you don’t mind getting muddy/ripped jeans and a hoody like most rentals is fine for your first game or two or outdoor style clothing if you already have it. 

 

[Rogerborg]

24 minutes ago, Albiscuit said:

if you have boots then wear those but you don’t need to buy them for your first game

 

Depends on the site and the conditions. I'd likely have done an ankle on Sunday if I hadn't been wearing boots.

 

A site rental package will include eye protection, generally a mesh face mask.  It's a reasonable point that you might want to be a bit wary about sharing one, but any decent site will have cleaned them.  If you want to get your own glasses or goggles be aware that they can steam up and put a real damper on your day.  You won't know until you play though.

 

Woodland, a lot of folk play without lower face protection as the ranges are longer, but a 0.46g sniper BB in the teeth won't be much fun.  Up to you whether you want to risk it, get a mesh mask, use a shemagh, a gimp mask or whatever you fancy.

 

No need to wear camo, it has little effect at airsoft ranges. As soon as you move you'll be seen.  It adds to the experience for a lot of folk though.

 

You don't need anything else, but bring plenty of water.  Two litres plus, even in winter.

[Adolf Hamster]

52 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

No need to wear camo, it has little effect at airsoft ranges. As soon as you move you'll be seen.  It adds to the experience for a lot of folk though.

 

<i_sense_heresy.png>

 

although in fairness whilst camo can help, it's certainly not necessary and plenty of folk actively choose not to wear it for (insert perfectly valid reason).

 

i do agree on good boots though, especially for outdoor sites, indeed i'd argue they're more important for comfortable enjoyment of the game than a premium gnu.

[Rogerborg]

If you're sniping in a full bush-Wookie suit, and in a bush, and keeping still, it's great.

 

If you're running and gunning up an open lane of plantation pines with a rental G36 spitting 0.2g through a worn out misadjusted hop and getting maybe 30m of effective range, you might as well be wearing a day-glo mankini for all the good that MTP will do you.

 

Flecktarn though...

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

14 hours ago, Winter said:

Hi all,

 

I'm keen to start but no clue where I go near me (Hitchin, Hertfordshire Bedfordshire border). Any good suggestions?

Also, before splashing the cash on needless gear, what should a noob purchase?  Cheers

 

 

Can't hurt to get to a game or two first to see if you like what its actually like.

 

1. Eye pro (if you are a sweaty type, get mesh, or spend the rest of your airsoft "career" messing about with anti fog "solutions")

2. A decent starter gun - M4 or AK (will get back to this later)

3. Some decent batteries (no reason not to use lipo, but the benefits are overrated) and a decent charger - I like the accucel 6

4. Decent footwear and clothing. Doesn't have to be boots, doesn't have to be camo. The "combat" shirt and trousers which have the heat wicking torso and integrated kneepads are really useful

5. Another decent starter gun - airsoft guns break, and it can take time for them be repaired if you can't do it yourself. And I'd advise against learning to tech on the one gun you have, if you actually want to go skirmishing.  One really is none. 

 

That's basically it.

 

Depending on how much you enjoy airsoft / how much money you want to spend I'd then look at

 

6. Blank firing grenades if you play indoors. Get a timer one first, an impact later

7. GBB pistol

8. Midcaps

9. Some tactical gear to hold the above items

10. At this stage you can keep getting more of the above items, or more fancy versions of the same thing, or investigate specific types of airsoft like milsims, historical themed ones, just banter-soft, whatever the case may be

 

 

[ziCk_]

You don't really need to purchase anything in order to try it out - every site that I've been to offers rental kits: eye protection, gun and pack of BBs. Drop them a message and ask if they have any rentals available.

 

The essentials are:

1) Eye protection

2) Gun and charged battery

3) BBs

All 3 are part of every rental kit. Depending on a site the above might also include face mask if you ask for one. I know my site does offer face protection on rentals upon expressing such wish. However there is more you can bring with yourself, even if you rent a gun:

I vote against mesh eye protection - granted, guys run around with these and are fine but shrapnel from shattered BB in your eyeball is no joke. Other than that where I come from power limits are a bit higher than in the UK and these just don't hold up after couple of shots so I have absolutely no trust in them. Fogging up IS a big issue however (especially indoors) - I recommend Bolle Anti-Fog spray - it works WONDERS, I brought it on game day last week and everyone was borrowing it. Need to reapply after couple of hours:

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/bolley-safety-b-clean-anti-fog-kit

 

I use these googles - these are copies of Bolle X800, probably only good for airsoft as far as protection goes but mine easily eats full auto at 500FPS (legal limit in the UK, 350FPS) at point blank, however the chinese copy is chinese copy, use at your own responsibility. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Protective-Protection-Interchangeable-Motorcycle-Paintball/dp/B07F26M5BH/ref=sr_1_69?dchild=1&keywords=bolle+anti+fog&qid=1602150421&sr=8-69

Original is 4 times more expensive, highly recommended if you decide to keep investing into Airsoft - probably the best ventilation out of all googles out there:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bolle-X800I-ultra-ventilated-nylon-Black/dp/B003ICKCJQ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=bolle+anti+fog&qid=1602150465&sr=8-2

 

Face protection is not necessary but if you get shot in your mouth you WILL lose teeth. Also, after one game session (4-5 hours) with a bit of luck without face mask you will look like you're going through puberty again...

One of these is great: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/acm-padded-half-face-mesh-mask-2-0?pv=2604

Keep in mind the metal mesh part will need to be bent into shape to fit your face better (they come a bit flat as standard so they will squish your nose and be generally uncomfortable to wear) 

 

Overall I've connected my googles with my mask and now it's one piece impenetrable wall:

Spoiler

 

That's my full setup in action - NOTHING squeezes through:

 

 

 

One girl at my site runs this one:


The only problem is mask will prevent you from looking down sights - it doesn't bother her because she's running pistol only, she also wears headphones to cover her ears from BBs.

 

Wear gloves - BB hitting your fingers hurts and I've seen couple of times BB getting under nail and prying it off the finger... NOT FUN AT ALL. 

 

Wear long sleeve, will avoid getting blood wounds (BB hit is not really painful but it hits hard enough to break skin - unless you don't care that is, I work short sleeve so looking like I'm going through some exotic disease isn't ideal) - getting hit through fabric you will get tiny bruises (about 20pence in size)

 

Head protection is not necessary but after getting first hit in your ear or back of your head you will wish you've had taken at least a hoodie. Also if you will go into CQB arena you will be surprised how many times you accidentally hit your head into something. I personally run helmet while my friend runs baseball cap with bump insert.

 

Boots with ankle support are highly recommended but again not necessary. Saved me twisted ankle more than once in the last couple of months just going up and down the steep ramp in a hurry. Beware though - bringing army boots might sound like a good idea but it really isn't... life will quickly verify that running around for several hours with couple of kilos strapped to each of your feet wasn't that great of an idea, especially if you're not used to it already or worse, aren't in shape or are otherwise unfit couch potato.

 

 

Now, if you decide airsoft is your kind of fun and you want to have your own equipment but don't want to spend fortune on it:

 

1) Primary: Either new or second hand CYMA CM.045, CM.045A or CM.045B (avoid CM.045C, handguard is dogshit that makes gun uncomfortably front heavy, it has sharp cuts and in general it's trash) - short AK (Krinkov), great performance out of the box, built like a tank, will probably outlive your desire for airsoft. And it's on the cheaper side (140-150 pounds)

Another option is G&G ARP9 - this is all the rage lately, polymer construction, super light, very compact, absolutely shreds and has great drum magazine available (probably the best drum mag design on the market)

Length in airsoft doesn't give any tangible benefits (SMGs and full size assault rifles will have pretty much the same performance), it's just more cumbersome to run around with, especially indoors. If you want full size AK, CYMA is hard to beat for the money - just make sure you pick from CM.040-048 series (avoid CM.028 like a plague) - externals are good enough and internals are often better than more expensive brands.

JG G36 are also great bang for your buck, I wouldn't lie when I said most of us ran one of these at some point at the beginning of our journey.
 

 

I recommend checking out forum section Classified (at the very top) for second-hand guns - every now and then there are some decent deals:

https://airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds/category/4-electric-rifles

Sometimes they will ask same or near new price but will throw in a lot of goodies (like red dot, sling, megazines, batteries - all the extra stuff you will need to get anyway)

 

2) Fitting LiPo battery and dedicated charger (your gun will come with battery and charger - battery will work but will be trash and charger with a bit of bad luck will burn your house down...) - just don't get "Nuprol" LiPo chargers, these might be cheap but are ticking time bombs.

 

3) Secondary: You don't really need pistol. It's more of an accessory rather than something you will use often (or at all). That and gas magazines are rather expensive, guns require regular maintenance and you will spend cash on gas to supply it. Electrical pistols are a thing but they're rubbish - they work as an emergency backup... granted I did kill a mouse with it couple of weeks ago... pistols are great fun but it probably should be at the very bottom of your shopping list, unless you have some disposable income available. Also could go for second hand for possibly better pricing or some extra bundled magazines that will save you quite a bit of money:

https://airsoft-forums.uk/classifieds/category/7-gas-pistols/
However, speaking brand new pistols ASG CZ P-09 and Action Army AAP-01 are under 100 quid and hit way above their price bracket. Just great out of the box. AAP-01 might be hard to get as it sells out almost immediately whenever it's back in stock. Online stores are running pre-orders for these so you can get it eventually. Also AAP-01 is compatible with Glock magazines, would you ever want to add Glock to your collection. Also, it comes with fun mode (full auto switch :D)

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/asg-cz-p-09-gas-blowback-pistol-w-hard-case?pv=841

 

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/action-army-aap-01-assassin-gbb-pistol?pv=14745

 

4) Clothing wise, to everything listed in the first part of this post knee and elbow pads will be great investment. You might think they won't be very useful but you will thank me later.

 

5) You will need either battle belt or chest rig to attach pouches carry all your extra magazines and other stuff. I recommend grabbing mag dump pouch (where you will drop empty magazines).

 

Great belt:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/emersongear-Tactical-Inner-Outer-Riggers/dp/B07KT1BSWX/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=emerson+gear&qid=1602155282&sr=8-15

It's pretty much just Chinese copy of Warrior Assault Systems Low Profile Belt. Gets the job done.

 

Great chest rigs:

 

Condor Ronin:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Condor-Tactical-Police-Carrier-Airsoft/dp/B00BSNLBWE/ref=pd_sbs_200_4/260-2861619-9568351?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00BSNLBWE&pd_rd_r=ffb24be6-fe98-4576-961e-0a8ac3a4e473&pd_rd_w=SiAVg&pd_rd_wg=FoeNG&pf_rd_p=b9bf232d-9a8a-4c7d-aa9d-641c0995d3a2&pf_rd_r=S907ZFKG6P56BN52B5CH&psc=1&refRID=S907ZFKG6P56BN52B5CH

and a bunch of mag pouches

Has option to replace back part with hydration pack:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Condor-Hydro-Harness-Black/dp/B00CEZ4B9K/ref=pd_sbs_200_3/260-2861619-9568351?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00CEZ4B9K&pd_rd_r=461eed3b-f7a0-4515-8c95-ba5e30b6a58d&pd_rd_w=0IoIb&pd_rd_wg=3m0YA&pf_rd_p=b9bf232d-9a8a-4c7d-aa9d-641c0995d3a2&pf_rd_r=C0F2W439TF3XJ4YHNMTX&psc=1&refRID=C0F2W439TF3XJ4YHNMTX

 

or more expensive option but already comes with all the pouches

 

Chinese copy of Spiritus Systems Micro Fight chest rig (original cost 200 pounds, copy is good enough for airsoft purposes) by whichever manufacturer sells the color your want, really - just type Micro Fight chest rig on Amazon and pick your poison:

One of examples: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helikon-Training-Mini-Shadow-Grey/dp/B077GX8K8J/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=micro+fight+rig&qid=1602155637&sr=8-14 (edit: actually Helikon Training Micro Rig is it's own design but it's very similar - it's better out of the package though as it comes with 2x kangaroo pouches that take 1 AK/M4 magazine and 2 pistol magazines each)

Main pouch has insert that can be replaced for different type of mags (standard it comes with AK/M4 compatible insert, if you run something like MP5 or ARP9 that uses slim smg magazines, Viper offers compatible insert for like 15 quid).

Also has option of purchasing hydration back pack for it (AliExpress has better choice of colours than Amazon):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EMERSON-EM5815F-LBT2649E-Hydration-FACTORY/dp/B07924W361/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=micro+fight+rig&qid=1602155926&sr=8-15

 

Generally speaking I recommend using AliExpress for your accessories (sights, torches) and chest rig/pouches - unless you can afford and/or want to support local business and they have what you want in stock that is. They get their stuff from AliExpress as well but you pay them extra for not having to wait few weeks to get your stuff.

 

If you get a pistol you will need a holster for it. Some pistols are harder to find fitting holsters for than other. Getting a holster for Glock or HiCappa is a non-issue, however there is an option that will take almost every pistol you attempt to put into it and it's worth the money - the one and only decent universal holster out there with paddle locking mechanism, Warrior Assault Systems Universal Holster:

https://www.uktactical.com/p-11449-warrior-universal-pistol-holster-black.aspx

I use one of these with 5 different pistols - I would need separate holster for each one of them but with this one I'm covered.

[Jedi_Master]

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[Brophy]

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