Newbie advice

[Connieboy]

Hi my names Conrad, and I've just signed up to this forum in the hope of getting involved in a hobby that looks just the sort of thing I'd enjoy at the weekend..

The reason I got to hear about airsoft, is my 14yr old son recently got invited to an event by a friend, who had arranged for 4 mates to join him as a birthday present .... my son was well excited.... He's not stopped talking about it since the day, and he said "dad you've gotta go"... So I'm looking forward to getting something sorted in the next couple of weeks... I too can't wait....

So the question is, do I buy him a gun for his new hobby... He's seen a package to get him started

1x CM16 M4 Raider-L (Bright Green) AEG G&G

1x Mesh Mask Black ASG

1x 8.4V 1600mAh NiMh Crane Stock Battery (mini Tamiya) VP

1x Battery Charger for 8.4V & 9.6V NiMh Batteries VP

1x Blaster 0.20g BBs Bottle of 3000 ASG

£160...

Also I've read you need a special licence to own certain guns? Is this right? Should I be reading certain websites to find out the details

Any other info/tips of your first purchases and must buys would be really helpful.

Thanks

Conrad

 

[proffrink]

Hey Conrad. Welcome to the forums.

First things first: I mean this in the most polite way possible - all the questions you're asking have been asked before and the answers can be found by searching on the forums. I don't say this because we're lazy, but that you may get an answer much quicker and more completely if you check other people's threads first.

That looks like a good setup for a first game. The only thing I might add is a couple more bottles of BBs and maybe an extra magazine, though the BBs can usually be bought on site.

As far as ownership and purchase of an airsoft gun goes, there's no 'licence', but what you do need is something called a 'valid defence if questioned' (basically you need to be able to prove you play airsoft occasionally) if you want to own something that's an RIF (i.e. isn't 51% brightly coloured and looks very, very similar to the real thing). The most common form of defence is something called UKARA membership/registration - it's a database of airsoft players and, to cut a long story short, you can get one by printing off a form and attending a UKARA registered site (basically all of them) and getting this form stamped 3 times (once every time you go) in no less than 2 months between the first and last game.

This gives you the ability to register with a UKARA registered retailer (again, basically all of them) and obtain a number tied to your name and address so that you can prove your defence easily when buying a gun. It is not the only form of defence, but it's the easiest to check and has a bit of paperwork. That's why people mistakenly think it's a licence - which it certainly is not as the liability for the purchase of a gun is on the seller, not the buyer.

Again, this does not apply to you right now as a brightly coloured gun is an IF (Imitation Firearm) not an RIF (Realistic Imitation Firearm) - easy to get confused. As far as IFs go (i.e. brightly coloured guns), all you need to be is over 18 years of age to purchase one. Your son is completely fine borrowing it and using it and sites won't mind at all.

More on this in the UK Law forum stickies: http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/forum/12-uk-law/ and this thread: http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/12854-new-player-guides-info/ - also a tip I wish I'd been told when I started: 'VCRA' is not a horrible misspelling of 'UKARA' - they are two totally separate things. VCRA (Violent Crimes Reduction Act) is the law around owning RIFs and IFs and UKARA (United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association) is an organisation set up to provide easily provable defences for players (and the ability to check those defences by retailers).

For your first purchase you seem to have everything covered - the G&G CM16 series are solid guns and ones we recommend to a lot of first time players. Full face protection (i.e. both eyes and mouth) is required by I think all sites for players under the age of 16-18 for insurance liability reasons so you're covered on that front too - see Tad's post. Over this age you're only required to wear eye protection, though face protection is recommended as teeth have been known to go missing. Also, boots or at least hiking shoes are a good idea as well as we go into Autumn.

However, I should note that buying a gun is not totally necessary if you don't want to. Many sites offer rental at around ~£15-25 ontop of your entry fee, so that's always an option too and indeed recommended in some cases if you want to get that UKARA form stamped up for the first 3 games whilst renting before buying something that's an RIF (i.e. black or not brightly coloured) instead of an IF.

Edit

Added some links

 

[Tad]

Hi my names Conrad, and I've just signed up to this forum in the hope of getting involved in a hobby that looks just the sort of thing I'd enjoy at the weekend..

The reason I got to hear about airsoft, is my 14yr old son recently got invited to an event by a friend, who had arranged for 4 mates to join him as a birthday present .... my son was well excited.... He's not stopped talking about it since the day, and he said "dad you've gotta go"... So I'm looking forward to getting something sorted in the next couple of weeks... I too can't wait....

So the question is, do I buy him a gun for his new hobby... He's seen a package to get him started

1x CM16 M4 Raider-L (Bright Green) AEG G&G

1x Mesh Mask Black ASG

1x 8.4V 1600mAh NiMh Crane Stock Battery (mini Tamiya) VP

1x Battery Charger for 8.4V & 9.6V NiMh Batteries VP

1x Blaster 0.20g BBs Bottle of 3000 ASG

£160...

Also I've read you need a special licence to own certain guns? Is this right? Should I be reading certain websites to find out the details

Any other info/tips of your first purchases and must buys would be really helpful.

Thanks

Conrad

Welcome! I hope you stick around to tell us how it goes for your first day!

That setup looks to be pretty decent for his first gun, the CM raider should last him a long while so long as care is taken for it! Only thing missing from it is eyepro (Safety glasses / goggles) which is the only major must have item.

As for the License, Firstly it's not a license. It's a registration database which is used to show that you are a member of a certain site and that under the VCRA you hold a 'Defence' or reason for the purchase of a Real imitation firearm.

I'm sure someone will point you to the VCRA thread detailing what you should know.

However to purchase that setup, you are free to do so as I assume the Bright green is 2-tone over 51% of the imitation firearm, which you do not need a Defence to purchase.

 

[Samurai]

Welcome.

If the battery doesn't come with the gun, forget NiMh, go for LiPo. That means the battery charger also should be swapped for a lipo charger. Those are much better batteries and shouldn't cost more.

Don't get 0.20g BBs. Use 0.25g.

 

[proffrink]

Only thing missing from it is eyepro (Safety glasses / goggles) which is the only major must have item.

As for the License, Firstly it's not a license. It's a registration database which is used to show that you are a member of a certain site and that under the VCRA you hold a 'Defence' or reason for the purchase of a Real imitation firearm.

Assumed the mesh mask was a full one, but you're completely right - put it into Google and it's only a lower mesh.

 

[Connieboy]

Hi Firstly apologies for the lazy approach and not reading more posts, I totally understand where your coming from Proffrink...a lesson learnt.... Thanks for the advice and info...i think hiring is for me but my son is a bit impatient.. Lol, so I'll keep you posted as to how its going.

Thanks again

 

[Connieboy]

Ah Okay so I'd have to look for a mask a well... Well spotted Tad... Also what are the different sizes of bbs and do the guns take all different sizes?

 

[proffrink]

All the BBs are the same size in most guns - 6mm. Weights are different though, and 0.25g gives you a range boost over the 0.20g, so is recommended. The G&G CM16 will deal with 0.25g fine, but you may need to turn the hop up a little (refer to manual)

 

[Connieboy]

Okay thanks again