Hi, Complete Beginner, Never Been Before, What to Buy

[welsh]

Hi all, been looking at getting into this for a while. Completely lost after looking at reviews on what to buy as my first gun.

Then I seen I need batteries, charger, mags, googles and mask.

Im not looking for the best stuff but also don't want something that will brake after a month.

 

Ideally a good deal that's fairly cheap. I didn't want to spent £200 all in but i think that might be a stupid thing to say now.

 

Any help would be massively appreciated 

[EDcase]

Hi and welcome 

As you can probably guess we've all been in that situation...

 

Best thing you can do is read all the sticky threads in each section.

 

Then you can search for any specific questions on gear etc.

 

Since we can't play yet its a good time for reading up. 👍

Edited March 12, 2021 by EDcase

[welsh]

23 minutes ago, EDcase said:

Hi and welcome 

As you can probably guess we've all been in that situation...

 

Best thing you can do is read all the sticky threads in each section.

 

Then you can search for any specific questions on gear etc.

 

Since we can't play yet its a good time for reading up. 👍

cheers thank you, more reading lol

[EDcase]

Yep, gotta be done 😉

[Shamal]

Hi.

Welcome to the asylum.🙂

Don't rush into buying gear cause there is plenty out there.look in classifieds where you will find some good deals.

I have never bought new gnus but have never had a bad one.

You can get started I think within your budget and then see how you like it.

👍🙂

Regards 

 

[DRay]

There are loads of threads about what to buy, how much is a reasonable amount to spend etc. Equally good videos by people like Lone Wombat Airsoft and Gamble on YouTube that are kit buying guides. 
 

Appreciate that you want to do it on the cheap so I would recommend (in order of importance)

 

1. Military surplus boots - Altberg or Haix - will cost you about £40. Loads of military surplus websites online. Take good care of them with polish and they will last years. Not the most exciting purchase but everyone who is a regular poster will agree with me on this. 
2. Eye protection - don’t skimp on it, about £30 will get you a reasonable pair of goggles. Pretty unexciting purchase though. 
3. Camo - there are some pretty god awful hideous knock offs of MTP (modern UK pattern) around on eBay etc that I would steer clear of. Again, military surplus websites will often do combats, UBACS and  a smock in MTP or DPM (80s/90s UK pattern) for £40 or something like that. This is a slightly more fun purchase than goggles! If you push the boat out a bit you can get flecktarn (German pattern) or US woodland pretty reasonably and look a bit more individual (Airsoft sites are normally a sea of MTP and Coyote!). 
4. Rifle - clearly the most exciting thing to get but also the least necessary and the hardest. You need a UKARA registration to buy one (don’t jump the gun and buy a two tone because you will regret it!). There are loads of threads and advice on this which I won’t repeat, but in short you need to have rented a RIF for a few games over the course of a couple of months and then you can get a UKARA number and buy toy guns to your little heart’s content. You can pick something up in the classifieds on here for about £100 and it will shoot reliably and probably come with some magazines/maybe a battery etc. You’ll know what you like more once you have rented one a few times (normally about £20 on top of the game fee) but an M4 variant is a pretty safe bet. Don’t fall into the trap of buying a sniper rifle, it isn’t like playing COD and your enjoyment of the game is very different if you are sat dressed like a bush. 
5. Webbing/load carrying/helmets/radios/tacticool items to complete the ‘look’ - least important but a fun purchase so you may well end up getting this before you get a RIF. This is absolutely something worth buying in the classifieds on here because there are always loads for sale cheap as people change their loadout/look. My preference is a chest rig rather than a plate carrier but that is personal preference. 
 

Final point; ‘you can’t have a toy gun right now’ is the last thing that you want to hear. But dems de rules. Don’t try and circumvent them, or ask covertly how to get around UKARA and VCRA. We are all in the same boat, you just have to rent a RIF for a couple of months while you save up, which is better in the long run because that is more money to spend on a better quality RIF that you will get a lot more joy out of. The kind of people that want to get around the legislation on RIF ownership aren’t good for the sport because the rules are what protect all of us. I also think it is a good indication of a non-hit taker but that is a side issue. Just generally don’t be that guy. 

These guys are a pretty reputable firm (although by no means the cheapest! I have used them when I have lost/broken kit and it is cheaper to buy it from them than get another set from stores ironically!) with free delivery and a good returns policy for camo and boots;

 

https://www.militarykit.com

 

The rest you can pick up in the classifieds. 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by DRay

[Jedi_Master]

Welcome .

[Adolf Hamster]

1 hour ago, DRay said:

1. Military surplus boots - Altberg or Haix - will cost you about £40. Loads of military surplus websites online. Take good care of them with polish and they will last years. Not the most exciting purchase but everyone who is a regular poster will agree with me on this. 

 

can confirm, a good set of boots is an absolute must, damp or aching feet will absolutely ruin your game day.

 

1 hour ago, DRay said:

2. Eye protection - don’t skimp on it, about £30 will get you a reasonable pair of goggles. Pretty unexciting purchase though. 

 

yep, you want to be sure of your eyepro, personally i'm a bolle fan but other brands are available.

 

1 hour ago, DRay said:

3. Camo - there are some pretty god awful hideous knock offs of MTP (modern UK pattern) around on eBay etc that I would steer clear of. Again, military surplus websites will often do combats, UBACS and  a smock in MTP or DPM (80s/90s UK pattern) for £40 or something like that. This is a slightly more fun purchase than goggles! If you push the boat out a bit you can get flecktarn (German pattern) or US woodland pretty reasonably and look a bit more individual (Airsoft sites are normally a sea of MTP and Coyote!). 

 

i'd say if you're going to skimp on anything skimp here, camo does help outdoors (caveat being if you know how to sneak properly), but you absolutely can (and plenty do) just run regular clothes, something weather appropriate, long sleeves (until you get the hang of how much bb's can sting and if you wanna run bare arms) and reasonably tough (ie it's not going to get pulled apart by brambles, kneeling etc).

 

however what you do want is gloves and something to cover your ears, both places that can sting and especially fingernails......

 

1 hour ago, DRay said:

4. Rifle - clearly the most exciting thing to get but also the least necessary and the hardest. You need a UKARA registration to buy one (don’t jump the gun and buy a two tone because you will regret it!). There are loads of threads and advice on this which I won’t repeat, but in short you need to have rented a RIF for a few games over the course of a couple of months and then you can get a UKARA number and buy toy guns to your little heart’s content. You can pick something up in the classifieds on here for about £100 and it will shoot reliably and probably come with some magazines/maybe a battery etc. You’ll know what you like more once you have rented one a few times (normally about £20 on top of the game fee) but an M4 variant is a pretty safe bet. Don’t fall into the trap of buying a sniper rifle, it isn’t like playing COD and your enjoyment of the game is very different if you are sat dressed like a bush. 

 

as above your choices are 2-tone or serving your time.

 

i'd recommend going the time served route, not only do you skip the 2-tone thing but it'll also allow you some time playing, make sure the hobby is for you, and give you a chance to see the variation of pews out there giving you a flavour of what style of gat you fancy going for as a first purchase (eg do you prefer an ak, or an m4, or something else).

 

ordinarily i'd point out airsofters are generally more than happy to show off their kit if you ask politely, but COVID might make that kind of thing a bit trickier for the forseeable.

 

once you've done that, do a bit of window shopping online, if you find something you like the look of come back and ask before buying, if only to be sure there isn't a better deal or similar gun from a more reputable manufacturer etc.

 

personally, whilst there can be some cracking deals second hand, i'd advise new for a starter. it's the sad truth that secondhand gats run the very real risk of something wrong internally, either from wear or more normally tinkering gone wrong, whilst a new gun isn't guaranteed to be flawless either at least you get the "just send it back to the shop" card to play.

 

1 hour ago, DRay said:

5. Webbing/load carrying/helmets/radios/tacticool items to complete the ‘look’ - least important but a fun purchase so you may well end up getting this before you get a RIF. This is absolutely something worth buying in the classifieds on here because there are always loads for sale cheap as people change their loadout/look. My preference is a chest rig rather than a plate carrier but that is personal preference. 

 

agreed here is where the secondhand market is a good shout.

 

you don't need to jump into covering yourself with kit, it is entirely possible to play just fine with a spare hicap and a bag of bb's stuffed in a pocket, indeed it can be quite fun to run around super lightweight every now and then.

 

it's a very easy trap to fall in to is loading yourself up with a bunch of unnessecary weight, carrying gear you never use in-game. although once you reach this point it becomes a lot of personal preference.

[Iceni]

2 hours ago, DRay said:

Eye protection - don’t skimp on it, about £30 will get you a reasonable pair of goggles

You can get decent goggles cheaper than that if you look at the specs correctly. Goggles are one of those items that you 100% need and you need them to be right from the get go.

Airsoft specific goggles tend to be expensive. And they also sell a lot of mesh goggles. Players have mixed opinions of mesh, They have less protection than a solid goggle, but mesh is also less problematic in wet and hot conditions. I do not advise anything made of mesh unless you know the risks and accept those risks.

For total protection you can look in places like screwfix and toolstation. At industrial goggles, They all have kite marked lenses and are rated for specific impact protection. For £10-15 you can get a decent pair of goggles that will be better than any cheap pair of airsoft specific goggles.

B rated lenses are rated for a 0.86g BB shot at 120m/s - That's 6 joules - Airsoft is typically under 2.5 joules so they have a solid margin for error.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-concealer-concealer-premium-safety-goggles/69051

 

If you are under 18 then most site also enforce mandatory full face protection. This can be a lower half mouth, nose and chin cover with a pair of goggles. Full face airsoft specific masks with mesh are generally one of the worst options you can go with. They might look good, but with no impact ratings, and generally a poor face fit and low QC on the mesh fixing you can find they fail in unexpected ways.



Camo is completely optional. In fact you don't even need a look. Jeans and a hoodie, with decent boots is plenty good enough.


If you want to do things on the cheap then go with an AK47/74 variant. You can get a chicom chest rig for £15 and a balaclava, and a few high cap mags and that's the loadout done. Your a terrorist! And not a single person will question it. Even with a full wardrobe of kit I've had many a game where I've played with nothing more than a parka and mags stuffed in my pockets.




 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Iceni

[Adolf Hamster]

28 minutes ago, Iceni said:

If you want to do things on the cheap then go with an AK47/74 variant. You can get a chicom chest rig for £15 and a balaclava, and a few high cap mags and that's the loadout done. Your a terrorist! And not a single person will question it. Even with a full wardrobe of kit I've had many a game where I've played with nothing more than a parka and mags stuffed in my pockets.

 

not to mention the well served budget ak market, and i'd argue when things get to that stage the ak platform is much easier to work on than an ar variant.

 

also that picture is an absolutely perfect example of not needing camo or webbing kit.

[GAMBLE]

Hi @welsh! 👋

Welcome to the forum, full of advice and like minded players! 🔫🤪👍

Good luck getting started, rent first, get an idea for your first RIF! 🔫

Also consider getting your BDU sorted out, not long until the fields reopen! 🤞

Have a channel aimed for new players, hope this helps? 🔫😎👍

💷GAMBLE💷

[welsh]

Thank you for all the help and advice, i really appreiate it and will take it all on board.

I think I will rent for a bit and try it out and see what I like whilst also then working towards my  UKARA.

Ive seen a place locally that charges £40 for 6 hours and that includes all the rental so I think i'll start there.

 

Thanks some great info there

[Iceni]

2 hours ago, welsh said:

Thank you for all the help and advice, i really appreiate it and will take it all on board.

I think I will rent for a bit and try it out and see what I like whilst also then working towards my  UKARA.

Ive seen a place locally that charges £40 for 6 hours and that includes all the rental so I think i'll start there.

Nice sensible approach.