New Player Northants

[Ranger78]

Hi Everyone,

 

I’m new to Airsoft and have only played 4 games (rented equipment). I’m in my 40’s so not a young speedy player. I now have a UKARA and I’m looking to buy an M4 type gun. I have a budget of up to £400 for the gun and an additional £150 for the batteries, mags, protection etc.. I have been playing in woodlands, but would also like to play indoors. I would rather have a gun that’s good out of the box and not have to initially upgrade, although in time I’d like to upgrade it, but happy for that to be a different gun to this recommendation. I’d rather have a gun that performs rather than looks good, obviously both would be great. I’m after some advice regarding:

 

1. What websites and social media channels would you recommend to learn more about the hobby and interact with like minded players

2. What M4 brands and guns would you recommend. I seem to come across a lot of conflicting information, for example I’ve heard G&G used to be good, but not so much now and VFC and Krytac are good out of the box but the UK version of Krytac comes with a 20k motor instead of a 30k, as sold abroad, which stops it being as good.
3. Any site recommendations that’s within 30 miles of Northampton. I’ve heard there is a site in Leicester called The Department and one in Nottingham which I need to research. 
4. Now you’ve been playing for many months/years, what advice would you give a newbie?

 

Appreciate you taking the time to read and respond, so thanks!

 

Tony

[Shamal]

Hi fella and welcome to the good ship Afuk. 👍

 

Check out our friendly info warrior @GAMBLE. He has a tube channel full of information for everyone really. A laid back and informative fun channel from which you will get some good advice and insight.

 

I have specna arms,ares,g&g and we RIF's and not had probs with any really. But then again there will be others that will have had nothing but trouble with them. It's all a bit of a gamble really. 

 

Best thing is to read as much as poss and make your own decisions. It helps if you like the look of a particular gat to start with.

 

Have a look on playairsoft.uk for sites near you.

 

Advice for a newbie? 

get a second job....you are gonna need it!😉

 

Just have fun,listen and call your hits 🙂👍

 

regards

[RostokMcSpoons]

Spec Ops down at Olney, just outside MK is worth a visit... Its small, friendly and well run, but the woodland site is currently shut due to the council blocking its use at the moment. 

However a new indoor CQB site will be open shortly.  I'll let you know when there's more info

[EDcase]

Welcome mate.

 

Adding to the above:

I use CYMA, JG and Specna Arms and all have been reliable and playable from the box.  If you just want one toy you can afford something more up-market though.

Some people on the forum have good opinions of G&G but personally I think they're a bit pricy for what they offer.

 

Can't really advise on more expensive options so more reading and review watching needed.

I prefer to have a couple of (cheaper) play style options on a game day like an MP5 for sneaking attacks or a longer M4 for longer range work.

(Having multiple weapons on a game day has also come in handy when a friends or my other main stopped working)

 

Decide on the look you want, find what companies sell it and then check reviews of each option.  Video reviews are good if you watch plenty to get different opinions and then ask on the forum for specifics.  The thing to remember is you can spend a LOT of money to get a few extra feet of range when you could just sneak a bit closer and pick people off with better tactics and movement.

 

Best advise is not to take it too seriously.  Winning a game is less important than having a good firefight 😁

...and call your hits.  Its just a short walk to respawn and offers you a different approach to the target.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by EDcase

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

2 hours ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

Spec Ops down at Olney, just outside MK is worth a visit...

Is Sabotage still going near MK?  I had a damn good day out there a couple of years back.

 

You won't go far wrong with a G&G M4 Ranger.  It's just that other brands have got a lot better than they used to be.  G&G have not got worse quality wise. 

 

I wouldn't pay too much for a first rif.  When you get a few games under your belt and have a play with other people's toys, you may decide that you want something else or loadout specific.  

[RostokMcSpoons]

I don't know about Sabotage, I'll go for a search later. 

There's Sentinel down near Dunstable which I've not tried yet, and I think there's a site near Towcester as well. 

 

A little further afield Finmere looks like an excellent site but events are quite infrequent there I think

[Rogerborg]

Ahoy and welcome.

 

20 hours ago, Ranger78 said:

Hi Everyone,

 

1. What websites and social media channels would you recommend to learn more about the hobby and interact with like minded players

 

Websites are getting fewer and further between.  There are some Facebook groups, but, urgh, Facebook.  "UK Airsoft Community 2.0" seems to be the least bad.

 

A lot of YouTube airsoft is clickbait, fakery, and toxic drama, I've largely given up on it.  If you want unvarnished technical commentary and some giggles, we do have quite the man-love for https://www.youtube.com/c/NegativeAirsoftTech

 

 

20 hours ago, Ranger78 said:

I’ve heard G&G used to be good, but not so much now

 

The G&G CM16 used to be the default choice for a budget M4 AEG.  I wouldn't say they've got worse, just that they've stood still and raised their prices in a market that's crammed with better featured - and cheaper - alternatives. Their microswitch based guns are also fussy about batteries.

 

 

20 hours ago, Ranger78 said:

and VFC and Krytac are good out of the box

 

There are plenty of happy owners of each, but I personally wouldn't touch any VFC with a bargepole due to ropey internals, and Krytacs have nothing special on the inside to justify the price. Both have good externals, but that's not your priority.

 

I'd agree with @EDcase on CYMA and JG (Jing Gong) being solid choices.  CYMA used to be viewed as a no-frills budget-only brand but they're cheap because they make so many of them - my bargain basement CM.516 has nasty plastics, but is cockroach tough.  Their newer Blue and Platinum ranges are now credible mid range contenders.

 

Specna Arms, mayyyybe.  They pulled a bait-and-switch with their OEM and the quality plummeted.  It's since recovered a bit, and I took a gamble on an Edge last year which has worked out well.  They're quite fussy about mags though, I have a thread on that here. In your budget, I'd be looking at an Edge 2.0 with the well featured Gate Aster mosfet (the Gate X-ASR offers nothing more than trigger contact protection). The "ONE" range reportedly has better internals, but fewer features.

 

The other option getting lots of love at the moment is the Double Eagle M90X / M91X range which offer great features include a decent fire control system at bargain price.

 

Your problem might not be choosing, but finding anything in stock.  With the supply chain issues in the Orient, shipments are few and far between, and the good stuff sells out in very short order.

 

 

20 hours ago, Ranger78 said:

4. Now you’ve been playing for many months/years, what advice would you give a newbie?

 

Not to take anything you're told as a guarantee.  Airsoft guns are really expensive toys, any you can get a peach or a lemon at any price point, with any label on it.  Set your expectation to be delighted if they work at all, and try and have a cheap backup handy.

[Ranger78]

16 hours ago, Shamal said:

Hi fella and welcome to the good ship Afuk. 👍

 

Check out our friendly info warrior @GAMBLE. He has a tube channel full of information for everyone really. A laid back and informative fun channel from which you will get some good advice and insight.

 

I have specna arms,ares,g&g and we RIF's and not had probs with any really. But then again there will be others that will have had nothing but trouble with them. It's all a bit of a gamble really. 

 

Best thing is to read as much as poss and make your own decisions. It helps if you like the look of a particular gat to start with.

 

Have a look on playairsoft.uk for sites near you.

 

Advice for a newbie? 

get a second job....you are gonna need it!😉

 

Just have fun,listen and call your hits 🙂👍

 

regards

Hi Shamal,

 

Appreciate the response and advice. I’ll check out the Gamble videos. I can see how expensive this hobby is already and I’ve not bought anything 😁. That’s the experience I’ve had when researching, different people have different experiences with the kit. I guess I’ll try and go with a decent make and hope I’m one of the lucky ones. 

16 hours ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

Spec Ops down at Olney, just outside MK is worth a visit... Its small, friendly and well run, but the woodland site is currently shut due to the council blocking its use at the moment. 

However a new indoor CQB site will be open shortly.  I'll let you know when there's more info

I’ve played there and it’s amazing! Carlos is such a nice guy and always there to help you. I saw on FB there’s a new site, very much looking forward to playing there. With a CQB site do you have to have a CQB gun, or can you have a longer barrel gun (it prob. has a technical name 😂) but obviously it may be a little more awkward to navigate in an enclosed area?

14 hours ago, EDcase said:

Welcome mate.

 

Adding to the above:

I use CYMA, JG and Specna Arms and all have been reliable and playable from the box.  If you just want one toy you can afford something more up-market though.

Some people on the forum have good opinions of G&G but personally I think they're a bit pricy for what they offer.

 

Can't really advise on more expensive options so more reading and review watching needed.

I prefer to have a couple of (cheaper) play style options on a game day like an MP5 for sneaking attacks or a longer M4 for longer range work.

(Having multiple weapons on a game day has also come in handy when a friends or my other main stopped working)

 

Decide on the look you want, find what companies sell it and then check reviews of each option.  Video reviews are good if you watch plenty to get different opinions and then ask on the forum for specifics.  The thing to remember is you can spend a LOT of money to get a few extra feet of range when you could just sneak a bit closer and pick people off with better tactics and movement.

 

Best advise is not to take it too seriously.  Winning a game is less important than having a good firefight 😁

...and call your hits.  Its just a short walk to respawn and offers you a different approach to the target.

 

 

Hi, Thanks for the advice. I can definitely see the benefit of having multiple weapons. Never mind two jobs, I think a third job is going to be needed! I’ve noticed there’s more video reviews than non-video reviews, but I guess that makes sense and is helpful. I agree, I’m looking to have fun rather than win - bad news for some as I know it can get competitive with people yelling stuff I’ve never heard of before - sorry you want me to what, move where, why didn’t you just say that 😂

14 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

Is Sabotage still going near MK?  I had a damn good day out there a couple of years back.

 

You won't go far wrong with a G&G M4 Ranger.  It's just that other brands have got a lot better than they used to be.  G&G have not got worse quality wise. 

 

I wouldn't pay too much for a first rif.  When you get a few games under your belt and have a play with other people's toys, you may decide that you want something else or loadout specific.  

Some of the G&G’s look nice and do get good reviews. I’ll definitely consider. That’s a good point about looking at other players guns. 

[Ranger78]

Thanks for all your input, it is helpful. I’m going to read old posts to try and learn as much as I can.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Ranger78

[RostokMcSpoons]

Cool so you have already enjoyed Carlos's hospitality.  Yup looking forward to the cqb to at least try, I'm not sure it's really my thing. 

 

I think short guns will have an advantage just for being easier to manouvre around corners and point more quickly.  Luckily my Double Eagle m906c is already quite compact and I've got the TM AUG HC which is even smaller.  Plus a pistol too.  Should be fine! 

 

Obligatory recommendation for Double Eagle M9nn guns as excellent value and decent quality

[Dan Robinson]

On 08/05/2022 at 21:34, RostokMcSpoons said:

Spec Ops down at Olney, just outside MK is worth a visit... Its small, friendly and well run, but the woodland site is currently shut due to the council blocking its use at the moment. 

However a new indoor CQB site will be open shortly.  I'll let you know when there's more info

I wondered what was going on.  Me and the lad went away on holiday only to come back to find my newly upgraded gun and nowhere to play with it.  Was supposed to be there tomorrow but only saw the cancellation email last night. 

 

Was planning to go to Reforger tomorrow as an alternative, but their website says the age limit is 14, and my lad is still only 13.  They haven't responded to my question about them letting him in anyway. 

 

 

Really hope they get Spec Ops open again as I really like the crowd there, and Carlos was really helpful getting us up and running, as well as the marshals.  They have a good balance between having a crack, but keeping things safe. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Dan Robinson

[RostokMcSpoons]

It seems a reopening of the main site was touch and go for today, but it turned out to be all touch and no go 😑

 

Anyway, apparently the cqb site is progressing, so hopefully there'll be some pewing in the locale shortly 

It'll probably open just at the point I sod off for my summer hols