Another new curious starter

[DonJohn74]

Hi everyone, my names John and I’m not far from Doncaster uk. I’ve been having a lot of the air soft videos on my Facebook feed and it’s got me very interested.

I’m going to have a look through the threads and posts so I don’t ask any daft and repetitive questions but I’m sure I will come up with some new ones of my own .

Thanks for letting me join

 

[Rickwales]

Welcome John.
Nice intro mate.
It's a great community and a brilliant hobby. Can be expensive if you get the bug. But try before you buy and go along to a local site.
Newbies are always welcome, and people love to show off their replicas and answer silly questions.
Rick

 

[Cannonfodder]

Welcome. If you're looking for a site try here

playairsoft.uk

I always recommend new players rent for their first 3 games to get site membership. Apart from not being stuck buying a two tone this means you can get a better idea of what suits you, rather than buying something because it looks good but finding it's not what you prefer.

When it comes to gameplay videos on social media I suggest taking them with a big pinch of salt. They're usually heavily edited to make the channel owner look good

 

[DonJohn74]

Welcome John.
Nice intro mate.
It's a great community and a brilliant hobby. Can be expensive if you get the bug. But try before you buy and go along to a local site.
Newbies are always welcome, and people love to show off their replicas and answer silly questions.
Rick

Click to shrink...

Hi Rick,
Thank you mate, much appreciated welcome .

I have been looking at the hiring before buying route and I’m thinking of just having a visit to a local place I have found in Barnsley which is only 15 mins from me just to get a feel for it.

I’m quite excited for this but I can see there is a lot to learn and thought what better than a uk forum with experienced guys

 

[DonJohn74]

Welcome. If you're looking for a site try here

playairsoft.uk

I always recommend new players rent for their first 3 games to get site membership. Apart from not being stuck buying a two tone this means you can get a better idea of what suits you, rather than buying something because it looks good but finding it's not what you prefer.

When it comes to gameplay videos on social media I suggest taking them with a big pinch of salt. They're usually heavily edited to make the channel owner look good

Click to shrink...

Thank you for that heads up.
As wealth most things, people have different opinions on what’s best but as you say I need to find what works for me and I honestly haven’t a clue yet.
I plan to visit a local airsoft place near me and have a look around and get a feel but I appreciate all help and advice

 

[ButcherBill]

Welcome to the money pit, good advice in the above comments, rentals seem to mainly be G36, AR15/M4 varients or maybe some AK's try them all if you get a chance before you buy. Many of us have bought two tones before getting our UKARA, some regret it and some don't (I still have some two tones), but it's better to wait IMO, as for kit to wear & use... there is an endless array of Chest rigs, Body armour, belt kits etc and we all have our favourites so try different 'loadouts' before you settle on a regular loadout, at the end of the day you could be wearing the most gucci kit money can buy & get hammered by someone in the other team carrying mags in their pockets, even using Hicap mags (carry loads of bb's & wind a spring to keep it loading) or low caps with only 30ish bb's (for the realism) is a personal preference so don't spend your money until it's something you will use more than once.
Investing in a good pair of boots & eye protection should be your first proper purchase (many places rent out face/eye pro at the site).

The one constant I find is everything is based on players preferences so don't follow any trends... some players are full on UKSF clones, some are Russian or Wehrmacht clones & some are tactical pink bunnies, just be yourself & have fun.

Oh, and some are just collectors who 'think' they know what they're talking about <===

 

[DonJohn74]

Welcome to the money pit, good advice in the above comments, rentals seem to mainly be G36, AR15/M4 varients or maybe some AK's try them all if you get a chance before you buy. Many of us have bought two tones before getting our UKARA, some regret it and some don't (I still have some two tones), but it's better to wait IMO, as for kit to wear & use... there is an endless array of Chest rigs, Body armour, belt kits etc and we all have our favourites so try different 'loadouts' before you settle on a regular loadout, at the end of the day you could be wearing the most gucci kit money can buy & get hammered by someone in the other team carrying mags in their pockets, even using Hicap mags (carry loads of bb's & wind a spring to keep it loading) or low caps with only 30ish bb's (for the realism) is a personal preference so don't spend your money until it's something you will use more than once.
Investing in a good pair of boots & eye protection should be your first proper purchase (many places rent out face/eye pro at the site).

The one constant I find is everything is based on players preferences so don't follow any trends... some players are full on UKSF clones, some are Russian or Wehrmacht clones & some are tactical pink bunnies, just be yourself & have fun.

Oh, and some are just collectors who 'think' they know what they're talking about <===

Click to shrink...

Hi ButcherBill,

Thank you for your in depth reply, much appreciated mate. I will rent and get a feel for it but I want to purchase a full face mask as some of the clips I have seen have some nasty head shot injuries and with not being a pretty boy I cannot afford any more setbacks .

I don’t fancy a two tone if I’m honest but until I have made sure this is something I want to pursue, I will just hire.

I have gotten in touch with my local airport in Barnsley and plan to have a look around and get a feel. Seems a nice bunch with helpful people here and I’ve been made to feel welcome so I’m excited and looking forward to seeing how it goes and always handy making new acquaintances with helpful advice

 

[Austeyr]

at the end of the day you could be wearing the most gucci kit money can buy & get hammered by someone in the other team carrying mags in their pockets

Click to shrink...

Welcome!
I found when I started off it was very easy to get sucked into one niche that I later came to regret both replica and kit wise. I would highly recommend picking up a cheap and cheerful set of webbing from ebay (Can be had for maybe £30) or a plate carrier with a few mag pouches (There's good quality, cheap brands available!) so that later on once you've found the type of kit and playstyle that works best for you, you've not already spent £200 on kit that won't be used any more.

Also, for later down the line when it comes to getting your own replica please, for the love of god, please research the replica BEFORE you buy it and not afterwards - This happens so much that if I had a £1 for every time I've seen a post "I just bought this, is it good?" I could afford to buy all of @ButcherBill's collection three times!

The most important thing though is good quality eye pro and good quality face pro. Do NOT skimp out on this. Secondly is good quality footwear, especially if you plan to play outdoor fields.

This forum has a whole host of information available, however as ButcherBill said everybody has their own preferences and biases which can make it hard to form an opinion for yourself from it all - If you have a local shop nearby, I would definitely recommend heading in and getting a feel for the different platforms that are on offer. There's a wide, wide, wide range of replicas so I am sure you'll find something perfect for you

 

[Rickwales]

Hi Rick,
Thank you mate, much appreciated welcome .

I have been looking at the hiring before buying route and I’m thinking of just having a visit to a local place I have found in Barnsley which is only 15 mins from me just to get a feel for it.

I’m quite excited for this but I can see there is a lot to learn and thought what better than a uk forum with experienced guys

Click to shrink...

15 mins is ideal. I'm in North Wales and our nearest is about 45 mins. Almost 200 acres of trees and scrubland. Me and the son go at least once a month.
Enjoy this site. It's ace. It taught me loads. We been playing since last August, and have built up a great collection. At least half from the classified section on here, and I've never had an issue.
Almost any "gun" you've seen in the movies has it's Airsoft replica, which I love. My favourites are things like AKs or Thompsons. There's also sniping to consider, but it's not for everyone.
You'll need your UKARA as suggested above if you want to buy new without two tone paint jobs.
Any other questions please ask mate. There's some really knowledgeable people on here, I'm not really one of them yet...

 

[Rickwales]

Thank you for that heads up.
As wealth most things, people have different opinions on what’s best but as you say I need to find what works for me and I honestly haven’t a clue yet.
I plan to visit a local airsoft place near me and have a look around and get a feel but I appreciate all help and advice

Click to shrink...

I found it helpful to watch videos on the sites I've visited. As it gave an idea of the layout and what to expect. Your place in Barnsley probably has vids on YouTube, or someone will.

 

[BigAl]

You don't need to be UKARA Registered but it does make things easier. Once you have your site membership / UKARA registration and want to buy your own gun, Initially I would stick with Ar15’s/Ak’s/G36’s or MP5’s. They're the most common and plenty of custom / replacement parts available when / if needed.

But first as suggested buy good eye protection / face protection, gloves such as mechanic and quality boots. Do not skimp on any of these. As for webbing / plate carriers I wouldn’t bother, go for a simple Chest rig such as the Viper VX, its cheap and cheerful but will do the job, it can be set up for the mags for which ever gun you buy. You can upgrade to something better later.

Most of all enjoy yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions, but please try a basic search first as most questions have been asked before.

 

[DonJohn74]

Thank you

View attachment 23137


Welcome!
I found when I started off it was very easy to get sucked into one niche that I later came to regret both replica and kit wise. I would highly recommend picking up a cheap and cheerful set of webbing from ebay (Can be had for maybe £30) or a plate carrier with a few mag pouches (There's good quality, cheap brands available!) so that later on once you've found the type of kit and playstyle that works best for you, you've not already spent £200 on kit that won't be used any more.

Also, for later down the line when it comes to getting your own replica please, for the love of god, please research the replica BEFORE you buy it and not afterwards - This happens so much that if I had a £1 for every time I've seen a post "I just bought this, is it good?" I could afford to buy all of @ButcherBill's collection three times!

The most important thing though is good quality eye pro and good quality face pro. Do NOT skimp out on this. Secondly is good quality footwear, especially if you plan to play outdoor fields.

This forum has a whole host of information available, however as ButcherBill said everybody has their own preferences and biases which can make it hard to form an opinion for yourself from it all - If you have a local shop nearby, I would definitely recommend heading in and getting a feel for the different platforms that are on offer. There's a wide, wide, wide range of replicas so I am sure you'll find something perfect for you

Click to shrink...

Thank You mate. That’s really helpful and I think I will make a priority list on what will be required for this

I am one for doing my research before buying and from what I have googled so far, it’s a minefield on what to buy this why I joined here and get the knowledge of people already into this.

Some nice looking equipment I have my eye on but I’m not rushing into anything

 

[DonJohn74]

That

I found it helpful to watch videos on the sites I've visited. As it gave an idea of the layout and what to expect. Your place in Barnsley probably has vids on YouTube, or someone will that’s a

Click to shrink...

I found it helpful to watch videos on the sites I've visited. As it gave an idea of the layout and what to expect. Your place in Barnsley probably has vids on YouTube, or someone will.

Click to shrink...

That’s a really good idea mate, will have a look. It’s just nice there is something close to me for a change

 

[ButcherBill]

Go check out the Loadout thread & Gun thread for some inspiration.