Gun Parts Replacements

[DeanoAS]

Hi everyone,

I am new to airsoft and played my first game on Sunday and I am loving it!

i have a two tone Golden Eagle HK416 and I’m looking for a black quad rail and stock to replace my blue parts when I get a UKARA licence.

I would like to get a black quad rail of the blue one I have now (the same), the stock I am not fussed.

much appreciated in advance

Deano!

 

[BigStew]

Hello and welcome. If you have proof you have attended games already you do not need your UKARA membership to convert your gun from a two tone. Anyway to be honest to replace the rail and stock will be not cost that much less than a new gun. Suggestion is stripe the gun down and rattle can spray them black untill you decide which gun you want next. 

 

[DeanoAS]

Hello and welcome. If you have proof you have attended games already you do not need your UKARA membership to convert your gun from a two tone. Anyway to be honest to replace the rail and stock will be not cost that much less than a new gun. Suggestion is stripe the gun down and rattle can spray them black untill you decide which gun you want next. 

Thanks for the reply! I was under the impression you can’t spray it back to black as its under the law of modifying a firearm? (At least a sticker on the box says so). I am not clued up on the logistics behind it. This is why I was going to replace the parts.

 

[DrAlexanderTobacco]

Thanks for the reply! I was under the impression you can’t spray it back to black as its under the law of modifying a firearm? (At least a sticker on the box says so). I am not clued up on the logistics behind it. This is why I was going to replace the parts.

The law covering Airsoft is confusing. Quick primer:

Two types of Airsoft gun - IF (Imitation Firearm) and RIF (Realistic Imitiation Firearm)

Your gun is currently an IF, as under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 an IF must be 50% brightly coloured, from a list of specific colours. Replacing the blue handguard and stock would thus change your IF to a RIF.

Anyone selling a RIF in the UK is technically committing an offense every time. The same goes for modifying an IF into a RIF.

View attachment 60593

However, there are defenses that the Airsoft industry managed to successfully lobby for:

View attachment 60594

No worries if this reads too much like "legalese" but the paraphrased summary is: If you are hypothetically charged with an offense, you have a defense if you can prove you own the IF/RIF for Airsofting. And of course, it's then up to you to prove that. The predominant method in Airsoft is to go through the UKARA player registration scheme, but it's not a requirement. IMO, being able to prove that you regularly go to airsoft skirmishes is fine for what you want to do.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[DeanoAS]

The law covering Airsoft is confusing. Quick primer:

Two types of Airsoft gun - IF (Imitation Firearm) and RIF (Realistic Imitiation Firearm)

Your gun is currently an IF, as under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 an IF must be 50% brightly coloured, from a list of specific colours. Replacing the blue handguard and stock would thus change your IF to a RIF.

Anyone selling a RIF in the UK is technically committing an offense every time. The same goes for modifying an IF into a RIF.

View attachment 60593

However, there are defenses that the Airsoft industry managed to successfully lobby for:

View attachment 60594

No worries if this reads too much like "legalese" but the paraphrased summary is: If you are hypothetically charged with an offense, you have a defense if you can prove you own the IF/RIF for Airsofting. And of course, it's then up to you to prove that. The predominant method in Airsoft is to go through the UKARA player registration scheme, but it's not a requirement. IMO, being able to prove that you regularly go to airsoft skirmishes is fine for what you want to do.

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks for the thorough reply! Correct me If I am wrong, so if I replace the coloured parts or spray them then it is doing so illegally?

Which means I would have to purchase a all black gun with a UKARA licence number?

 

[DrAlexanderTobacco]

so if I replace the coloured parts or spray them then it is doing so illegally?

Here's how I imagine it would go in court, or in front of a police officer quizzing you over the gun in your boot:

"Yes, I have technically committed an offense under the VCRA 2006. However I believe I possess a valid defense to this offense, as I regularly attend Airsoft skirmishes and here's my booking confirmation emails to help prove this".

Ultimately you need to weigh up the risks against the benefits. IMO you are completely fine to do what you want here!

 

[Rogerborg]

Thanks for the thorough reply! Correct me If I am wrong, so if I replace the coloured parts or spray them then it is doing so illegally?

Yes, it is an offence.

However, doing so for airsoft use is a defence.

UKARA is one way of showing that you probably have that defence, probably the best way, but it's not the only way, and the actual defence is to show future intent, not past behaviour.  Booking further games would be a way to show that intent.

I should be clear that I'm not advocating doing that. Waiting until you have UKARA is the safest option, nobody will care in the meantime if you're two toned or not, and the BBs won't even know.

What I will note is that for it to even become an issue, first you have to come to the attention of the State, which is only likely to happen in public, at which point you have the Firearms Act Section 19 issue of being in possession of an imitation firearm to worry about.  That applies to both realistic and non-realistic imitations, and there has been a conviction for a fully bright orange springer airsoft pistol, so it's not theoretical.  We also just saw a 12 year old lad get a visit from a Firearms unit because a passer by saw his two-tone Glock through a window.

So the critical thing is to be sensible, keep it out of view, only have it with you when you're at, or travelling to or from a skirmish at an insured site, and be ready to provide details of that on the spot.

If you do that, then the issue of whether it's realistic or otherwise is not likely to come up, and the question of how or when or why it became realistic even less so.

 

[Lozart]

Thanks for the thorough reply! Correct me If I am wrong, so if I replace the coloured parts or spray them then it is doing so illegally?

Yes, it's illegal BUT being an airsofter is a defence against getting prosecuted so you won't be done for it. It's kind  of arse backwards but there you go. As @Rogerborg said though, don't be a dick and it won't be a problem.

 

[Daveoc33]

So where are the best places to buy parts? Or does it really just depend on what you're looking for? 

 

[Guest]

So where are the best places to buy parts? Or does it really just depend on what you're looking for? 

massively depends what you want