New player situated in the North West

[Karl Serjeant]

Hi all!

 

First and foremost I would just like to show my appreciation to everyone in the forum, especially admins/mods, for all of the excellent information readily available, which is invaluable to a newbie like me!  I have been making my way through it, familoarising myself with the rules and forum sections etc. I am an active member on other forums like this (within different hobbies) so I had a good idea as to how this would work, but wanted to be sure I understood things before making my  first post!

 

I had been exploring the idea of getting into airsoft for a while now however Covid and work had got in the way. I finally decided to take the plunge into the world of airsoft a few weeks back, visiting a (somewhat) local shop to ask for advice and get my first beginner gear (For anyone interested it was Bomb up in Warrington). Following that, I went to one of their pistol club nights and had a great time, everyone was really friendly and more than happy to help me out and offer advice.

 

I have booked my first skirmish in at Outpost airsoft near Chester for the full day on 16th April and I am extremely excited for it, whilst also a tad nervous as despite being in my 20s, my fitness is not what it was pre lockdown, largely due to my office job, working from home for a good portion of that time, stopping going the gym and Tarkov.... 😂

 

I have all the gear I need and will wait patiently for my UKARA defense before I buy my first gun, therefore will be using rentals until then as I don't really see the point in investing in a two tone only to replace it 2 months later!

 

Any advice or knowledge you can bestow upon a complete beginner like me would be greatly appreciated!

[Shamal]

Hi @Karl Serjeantand welcome aboard the good ship Afuk.👍

 

Well your first time will be terrifying!

You will get rinsed and you will return home a bloodied and welt ridden mess and wondering why you paid good money to get that look.

 

The rules that will be barked at you regarding safety and game play will leave you bewildered and confused.

 

You will be shouted at by experienced players for not being in the right place at the right time or obscuring their line of sight.

 

Make sure your kit is up to date and worn correctly and that you are fully acquainted with the external and internal workings of your weapons or you might be laughed at.

 

Wear good quality eyepro( eye protection. Make sure you learn these terms or you will be laughed at)

 

Look attentive during briefings even if they last 40 mins.You may be picked on to answer a question.Always a source of amusement for regulars!🤭

 

Other than the above just enjoy yourself and have fun.😊

 

 

 

 

disregard  all of above mate.......you will love it 👍😀

 

regards

 

 

 

 

[colinjallen]

Wear good boots and eyepro that you trust, take your hits, talk to other players in the safe zone and, most of all, enjoy yourself!

Free advice; it is worth what it cost you.

[Karl Serjeant]

3 hours ago, Shamal said:

Hi @Karl Serjeantand welcome aboard the good ship Afuk.👍

 

Well your first time will be terrifying!

You will get rinsed and you will return home a bloodied and welt ridden mess and wondering why you paid good money to get that look.

 

The rules that will be barked at you regarding safety and game play will leave you bewildered and confused.

 

You will be shouted at by experienced players for not being in the right place at the right time or obscuring their line of sight.

 

Make sure your kit is up to date and worn correctly and that you are fully acquainted with the external and internal workings of your weapons or you might be laughed at.

 

Wear good quality eyepro( eye protection. Make sure you learn these terms or you will be laughed at)

 

Look attentive during briefings even if they last 40 mins.You may be picked on to answer a question.Always a source of amusement for regulars!🤭

 

Other than the above just enjoy yourself and have fun.😊

 

 

 

 

disregard  all of above mate.......you will love it 👍😀

 

regards

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the warm welcome mate! 😄

 

2 hours ago, colinjallen said:

Wear good boots and eyepro that you trust, take your hits, talk to other players in the safe zone and, most of all, enjoy yourself!

Free advice; it is worth what it cost you.

 

Thanks mate! 🙂

 

I am the kind of person that heavily researches something before actively joining "the community" so I know all about the importance of good equipment! I also watch a lot of airsoft related content on YT so have a little exposure to what was needed before going to the shop and picking out my beginner gear

 

Picked up some good sturdy boots with good ankle support and some bolle x1000 goggles that I got a good deal on. Also got a full multicam set up purely because I like the look of that camo (despite likely not being ideal for UK sites) so from the gear perspective I think I have all I need for now (although I can already tell this hobby will likely be a money pit for me in the not too distant future) 😅😂

[GAMBLE]

Hi @Karl Serjeant 👋

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

Good luck getting into it and hopefully enjoy the hobby? 🤞

Have a channel if interested, with some tips, advice and game footage? 🤔

💷GAMBLE💷

[Khyber]

Welcome bud. I like you, heavily researched before being involved online and at games. So much so I had a shopping list well before my Ukara. My first ever game was in october 2021 and  I am now the proud owner a TM M4A1 GBBR. I went against the common recommendation of starting with an AEG due to already knowing my reasons for wanting to play. I wanted realism and a mechanical RIF. The way the M4 works and how it sounds brings the biggest smile to my face. It's a feat of engineering but hey I digress. Just know what you want from it and take note on how you want to play in your rental days and I'm sure you won't go wrong. I bought my own eyepro and face protection after my first game as I hated the fencing style mask and it made that second rental game 10 times better than the first. It sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Don't be shy to get stuck in here it's a great forum. Lots to discuss. Have fun 

[Karl Serjeant]

15 hours ago, GAMBLE said:

Hi @Karl Serjeant 👋

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

Good luck getting into it and hopefully enjoy the hobby? 🤞

Have a channel if interested, with some tips, advice and game footage? 🤔

💷GAMBLE💷

Thank you mate, I'll be sure to check your channel out! 🙂

 

13 hours ago, Khyber said:

Welcome bud. I like you, heavily researched before being involved online and at games. So much so I had a shopping list well before my Ukara. My first ever game was in october 2021 and  I am now the proud owner a TM M4A1 GBBR. I went against the common recommendation of starting with an AEG due to already knowing my reasons for wanting to play. I wanted realism and a mechanical RIF. The way the M4 works and how it sounds brings the biggest smile to my face. It's a feat of engineering but hey I digress. Just know what you want from it and take note on how you want to play in your rental days and I'm sure you won't go wrong. I bought my own eyepro and face protection after my first game as I hated the fencing style mask and it made that second rental game 10 times better than the first. It sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Don't be shy to get stuck in here it's a great forum. Lots to discuss. Have fun 

Thank you for the advice mate! I had watched a video a while back talking about AEG vs GBBR and it was talking about the reliability issues of GBBR due to more metal and moving parts. I really love the idea of full immersion and the more realistic looking/feeling/sounding the gun the better for me! With that being said, have you had much issues with reliability and if so, would you say its a significant difference over an AEG? 🤔

Edited April 14, 2022 by Karl Serjeant

[Khyber]

1 hour ago, Karl Serjeant said:

 

Thank you for the advice mate! I had watched a video a while back talking about AEG vs GBBR and it was talking about the reliability issues of GBBR due to more metal and moving parts. I really love the idea of full immersion and the more realistic looking/feeling/sounding the gun the better for me! With that being said, have you had much issues with reliability and if so, would you say its a significant difference over an AEG? 🤔

Honestly they are not as bad as people make out. The main thing is they do need maintaining after almost every game where as an AEG rarely needs much doing. Now if your like me and enjoy tinkering etc this is more of a positive over a negative. I love disassembling it and giving it a once over. And it only really takes 20 mins to remove the bolt wipe off and clean it, the receiver and the barrel and regrease it all ready for next time. Reliability wise only issue I had was I skipped the maintenance and the bolt ran dry by the end of the day. But just carry a tub of grease and this isn't an issue of stopping your game day. I like the noise of it cycling, the fact it locks back on empty and the low round count and having to reload etc.. really adds to the immersion for me. Some people like to just point and shoot so for them an AEG is better. But like I say know what you want from the sport and satisfy your needs. That's why there is such variety to what you can get. You will get maximum enjoyment out of it then.

[Guest Mr. No_Face]

2 hours ago, Karl Serjeant said:

Thank you mate, I'll be sure to check your channel out! 🙂

 

Thank you for the advice mate! I had watched a video a while back talking about AEG vs GBBR and it was talking about the reliability issues of GBBR due to more metal and moving parts. I really love the idea of full immersion and the more realistic looking/feeling/sounding the gun the better for me! With that being said, have you had much issues with reliability and if so, would you say its a significant difference over an AEG? 🤔

 

I'll give you my honest answer. GBBR's aren't for everyone. There is a lot of info to process in order to fully optimize your performance when using one.

A number of factors need to be taking into account, for example; weather conditions, the most effective gas to use, maintenance, BB weight and quality, how to fill your mags correctly and a catalogue of others. All these will impact the performance of a GBBR. Whereas AEG's are pretty much plug and play and their performance isn't as critically impaired when it pertains to overall maintenance. I've had over 12 years of paintballing and airsoft experience and only recently made the switch to GBBR platforms and it didn't really go as smoothly as I'd hoped. It's also more expensive than running AEGs, although people could argue differently when considering a long-term basis.

With that being said I still absolutely love the platform and the illusion of realism but it comes at a price. Not completely sure I'd recommend this platform as your introduction into this sport. Not unless you're "All-in". Otherwise it could turn out to be a very expensive disappointment.

 

So in concluding if you're prepared to be far more proactive in general maintenance, love the immersion, are ALL-in and you're OK with crippling your wallet. I'd say go for it.👍

I don't regret my decision. I just love the sound of metal and instead of gunpowder, we're greeted with the sweet aroma of green gas. 😁👌

 

[Khyber]

@Mr. No_Face sums it up well there. They are 2 completely different platforms and GBB definitely requires more care and attention. But don't be put off by the umpteen recommendations of not going GBB first if that's what you decide. Just be aware it's a much steeper initial learning curve.

[Rogerborg]

On 12/04/2022 at 16:55, Karl Serjeant said:

UKARA defense

 

IT'S NOT A DEFENCE, IT'S A LICEN-

 

Oh, no, wait, as you were.

 

Ahoy and welcome.  Sounds like you'll get on fine, and you've already found that airsofters are a welcoming lot.

 

There's no right or wrong way to get into it, just whatever works for you.  Renting is perfectly sensible, and lets you find out if you actually enjoy the process of playing. Some people love the toys, but hate being shot, while others run around with a springer pistol moaning and shuddering in pleasure.

 

Blag a go on a variety of toys to see what you prefer, and if you crack and decide that you really don't want to wait 8 weeks, well, paint comes off.

[Karl Serjeant]

On 14/04/2022 at 20:08, Rogerborg said:

 

IT'S NOT A DEFENCE, IT'S A LICEN-

 

Oh, no, wait, as you were.

 

Ahoy and welcome.  Sounds like you'll get on fine, and you've already found that airsofters are a welcoming lot.

 

There's no right or wrong way to get into it, just whatever works for you.  Renting is perfectly sensible, and lets you find out if you actually enjoy the process of playing. Some people love the toys, but hate being shot, while others run around with a springer pistol moaning and shuddering in pleasure.

 

Blag a go on a variety of toys to see what you prefer, and if you crack and decide that you really don't want to wait 8 weeks, well, paint comes off.

I made sure I learnt the correct wording for this at the very least before I embarrassed myself in my first post 😉

Just as a general update, I went for my first skirmish today at Outpost Airsoft and had a fantastic time, will definitely be going again soon!

 

The people there were great and it was incredibly well organised! I will absolutely recommend to anyone on here based in and around d the North West, or for anyone that doesn't mind travelling 😄

[Jedi_Master]

Welcome .

[Karl Serjeant]

5 hours ago, Jedi_Master said:

Welcome .

Thank you mate 🙂