Happy but confused

[Paul55]

Hi everyone I'm another newbie. I started with air pistols around 9 months ago with an Umarex Smith & Wesson 586 pistol. I'm an active member with the UBC. Then I discovered the joys of 6mm BB pistols, Ruger & Dan Wesson.

 

Then the life changing moment, someone introduced me to airsoft. This is what I've been looking for. I've got a TM 1911 MEU, fantastic pistol. I'm now hoping to join the guys & gals at Urban Assault in Peterborough.

 

My initial thoughts were target based as I was hoping to join the Practical Pistol circuit, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything around here, the nearest venue seems to be Bisley which is a 2 hour drive each way.

 

Any advice you can give me will be very gratefully received. I'm hoping I don't have to run around too much, a 22 stone, 55 year old is not the most athletic!

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Paul

[L4byr1nth]

Here's a useful read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airsoft

 

My first piece of advice - get decent eye protection.

 

As for sites, it'd help if you said where in the UK you were from?

 

Welcome to Airsoft.

 

Ben.

[Paul55]

Thanks Ben, I'm from Peterborough. I'll update my profile

[L4byr1nth]

Ah, ok then. Urban Assault or Close Action Airsoft would be the closest to you, according to Airbana; http://www.airsoftmap.net/UK/Skirmish

 

Airsofters come from all walks of life, and you don't have to be a top athlete to enjoy the games.

 

If you have any specific questions, put them up and we'll do our best!

 

Ben.

[Hedganian]

You'll do fine - turn up to a few games and see what style of play suits you best.

 

Protective gear can't really be emphasised enough - not only eye protection (which is essential) but also knee pads, helmets, gloves, etc can all be very welcome. Personally, I never go to urban style sites without my helmet; although I don't always use it at the more open outdoor sites where contact tends not to be too up close and personal.

 

The best advise is simply to get involved and have a great time. The rest will come with time and experience.

[L4byr1nth]

If you're only wearing goggles or shooting glasses as eye protection instead of full-face, KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED.

 

Ben.

[Stuey]

Or wear a Buff.

[harborne blue]

Welcome aboard! Go to Close Action for your first game. UA isn't the best place for a first game - go for woodland!

[Stealthbomber]

Welcome to the money pit.

 

I guess it really depends how seriously you plan on getting into it.

 

Some people leap in with both feet and decide that they want to create an authentic military load-out so they'll deliberately buy an L85 and a bunch of Brit kit or an M4/M16 and a load of american kit.

If you decide to do that you really need to go and haunt the gear forums for a while in order to figure out what stuff to buy as well as, obviously, what gun to purchase.

 

If, OTOH, you just like the idea of heading out to shoot at people with toy guns then I'd suggest you check out www.flecktarn.co.uk in order to get yourself some decent used boots and cheap kit.

On that note, You'll need to spend over £100 to get boots as good as a pair of good-quality used Brit boots so they're well worth a look, even though they ARE used.

 

Personally, I reckon mesh eye-pro is the best idea cos it doesn't fog up.

In an urban site you might choose to go for a full-face mask in order to protect your face and teeth although it's not quite as important in woodland games.

For woodland a deent pair of goggles worn with a scarf or shemagh is fine.

 

Personally, I'd suggest that, whatever eye-pro you go for you should make sure you buy something with a full seal and which holds onto your head with an elasticated strap.

With safety glasses you risk having BBs get in around the sides and you risk having them slip off your face if they're not secured properly.

 

 

As for the gun, the first thing to understand is that almost all electric guns work in roughly the same way under the skin.

As a rule, more modern guns tend to be better designed than older ones.

As a result, popular guns such as the M4 and MP5, which have been around for a long time) are okay but more modern guns such as the G36 and P90 are a better design which yields slightly better performance.

 

What I would STRONGLY recommend is that you consider what sort of gun you like the look of and THEN ask for opinions of what airsoft replica to buy.

 

For example, if you just want a generic gun for skirmishing you might decide to go for an MP5.

Then we look at the different MP5s.

The original MP5 was made by Tokyo Marui and is made of plastic.

A variety of companies make copies of it. Some are plastic and some are metal. Some are high quality and some are not quite so good.

Then there's the ICS MP5. That's a modified version of the TM design which makes it easier to work on.

Finally, there's the Systema PTW MP5 which costs the same as a decent car but is pretty fancy.

 

Thing is, regardless of whatever MP5 you choose, they are ALL based on a pretty old design so something like a G36 or P90 will yield better performance from the same specification.

 

Same thing applies to M4s really.

 

 

Do you plan on buying more than one gun?

If you like the idea of building a collection of guns then consider that before purchasing your first one.

As I said, most airsoft guns perform pretty similarly in use so it can be fruitless to buy (for example) an M4, a G36, an AK47 and an L85 because, in use, they'll all be interchangeable.

 

If you DO plan on buying more than one gun it might be smarter to deliberately purchase different kinds of gun.

For example, an MP5k for CQB, A P90 for longer ranges and a G36 for woodland games.

Note that it's not the performance of the guns that's at issue here. it's simply that smaller guns are more manouevrable in confined spaces.

Course, there's no reason why you can't use summat like a P90 in woodland if you want to.

 

 

So, basically, give us an idea of the sort of guns you like the look of and people will give you some pointers on which replica might be the most suitable one for you.

 

Take a look at a website such as www.wgcshop.com

have a browse through their AEG section and see what you like the look of.

 

Even if you don't have any specific guns you're interested in, give us an idea what size/type of gun you want.

I mean, if you're a big guy you might not get on with a P90 even though it is a really nice gun so there's no point in us telling you to buy one.