Looking at getting into Airsoft...

[McArthur]

Hey all,

I actually hail from the 68. cal paintball community, and while I was looking at a paintball grenade launcher which fired BB's/6mm paintballs I started looking at some airsoft websites.

It looks pretty cool, and I have seen the Youtube video which Close Up made, and I'm interested :p

What kind of stuff do I need to start airsoft? I'm one of those mil-sim paintballers, so I got vests and camo and some bits and bobs (Hoping to get full set of multicam cammies and a MOLLE vest sooner or later)

I've been looking at AEG's on the internet, and I like the look of the rifle like ones, but one thing that puts me off is the simple spring powered ones, so I am willing to fork out chunks of cash to get me some decent gear. I tried to understand some of it, but when a gun advertises that it has so and so gearbox and so and so battery, I really have no idea what it's telling me.

Also, I am not sure if age will be an issue. I'm 15 at the moment, 16 later this year (at which point I hope to get my firearms license). Is it possible to do airsoft the same as paintball and get over the age restriction by the fact that I am using my gear in a proper airsoft game with adults?

Information and help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Tom McArthur

[mr_westie]

Welcome to the site.
You are asking the right questions :)
Where in nz are you?

Unfortunately the letter of the law does not allow this.
Unless someone was to supervise you, you would not be able to play freely.

[McArthur]

Hey man, I'm in Tauranga, so I'm keen to play any games around BOP or this general area of the country.

I'm not sure I understand your response to my age... Is airsoft not like paintball in that way that I am "supervised"? I mean, aren't there other adults on your team, and playing against you? Paintball is similar, I "own" my own gun and equipment, but I don't actually have any control over it, it's not mine to go out and freely use because the law prevents it. I can only play when I am actually playing in a proper game where there I am in a controlled enviroment with adults around. Luckily, this is only going to be an issue for the next few months :cool:

[Dorian]

Worst case scenario mate, is that you wait till your 16, get your firearms license, join whatever club takes your fancy, and then place an order with your club armourer.

The way we do it here, if you want one of the flasher guns, like the electrics, you order it through your clubs armourer. That way, we can make sure that these very realistic looking guns dont fall into the hands of idiots who you read about in the news each day.

We arent as fortunate as paintball in that our guns dont look like plumbing so we have to be careful with who gets their hands on these.

Your nearest club would be LOD I think, so your best to get in touch with one of them :)

[McArthur]

As it's your guy's forum, are you guys cool with me starting to organise myself for airsoft, and generally hang around this forum to learn a bit more?

I understand that realistic looking guns are dangerous, hence why I rarely let my friends get near my gear.

I've just checked on the requirements for my license, and $125 isn't much to pay for 10 years. I guess I'll see you on the field in a few months time!

[Dorian]

Free country mate, we cant stop you loitering, and would much rather you hang around here and get a good impression then going off on your own and trying to do your thing. theres plenty of guys that just hang around the forums :)

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, or just ask anyone. We're all a helpful bunch :)

[McArthur]

Okay then,

I'm keen to get myself a large-ish rifle kind of gun, what brand should I be looking at?

How do I know which batteries and internals are good?

What muzzle velocity do NZ players tend to play at?

I have seen people mention an "Armourer" on these forums before, who are they and what do they do?

[Dorian]

Armourers are the chaps in the clubs who have a good standing with the local arms officer, who over sea the new guns in the club, ensuring that they are semi and legal, as well as being technically minded enough to maintain peoples guns who need others to fix them etc

Any particular model of gun your interested in? Or nation whos military your interested in?

[McArthur]

Okay, cool.

I'm not a fan of submachine guns or the bullpops, but I really do like the G3's with solid stocks. Otherwise, M4's and Vietnam era M16's are pretty awesome :D

[Yoichi]

ah a colt lover a man after my own heart :)
(yeah yeah stefan )

[McArthur]

Hey Yoichi,

I checked into the website in your sig, you mentioned some Tauranga players on that website.

Where do you guys play?

[asku]

McArthur, Yoichi would belong to the closest club to you I would think, and he would give you much guidance in the sport. Welcome to you, hope to see you around sometime in the future.

[Yoichi]

Hey Yoichi,

I checked into the website in your sig, you mentioned some Tauranga players on that website.

Where do you guys play?

sent you my msn, flick me a message tomorrow night and ill fill you :)

[Sandman]

a brother from another mother you colt luver you...

sorry Acey..

[snipershot]

hi. im looking o get into airsoft and am looking to buy a Tokyo marui P90-TR butdont want to pay $900 for it. i could buy it from a guy in america but i need to get it converted to a semi auto. do you Know anywhere in new york that does this? or in new zealand?

[Stretch]

$900 is a bit steep:eek:.Hong kong/Asia is the best place to go for airsoft guns,much closer to home;)

Edit:looking at your profile,you are 15 so cannot legally play airsoft until you are 16-17 with a firearms license or 18 upwards without.

I'm not getting pissed off,but how many times does it need to be said?
Perhaps a beginners guide sticky thread is appropriate?

[Yoichi]

where in nz are you ? theres clubs up and down the country in most of the major centers.

as for New york... um
found the following...
http://www.wnyal.net/
http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&q=new+york+airsoft&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

google'd

[EasyGoer]

hi. im looking o get into airsoft and am looking to buy a Tokyo marui P90-TR butdont want to pay $900 for it. i could buy it from a guy in america but i need to get it converted to a semi auto. do you Know anywhere in new york that does this? or in new zealand? Your best bet is to get hold of one of the clubs (http://www.airsoft.net.nz/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=61) and go out to a game. This will give you a chance to look over and handle the various weapons being used and talk to a few people about their preferences. Once you belong to a local club you will have access to their Armourer and many Overseas dealers with price's considerably lower than those found on Trademe.

[Wally Simmonds]

Hi, I'm also looking at getting into Airsoft. I had a game couple of weekends ago in Silverstream which was pretty cool, just wondering if anyone can recommend a decent gun? I'd quite like a SG552, but it's pure aesthetics only, as I have no idea how any of these guns fire.

I had a go with an AK47 the last time I played, although apparently it wasn't tuned that great. If possible I wouldn't mind getting something a bit smaller than that, so I've also been considering a MP5 variant as well.

One of my former colleagues has also sent me a list of websites I can take a look at, to give me a rough indication on price. Although I do realise that I'll need to get these things semid as well, so if anyone can give me a heads up on where I can get this done, that'd be awesome!

It seems that the Chinese sites are quite a lot less expensive than the Japanese. I guess this is representative of quality?

[Amoki]

Hi, I'm also looking at getting into Airsoft. I had a game couple of weekends ago in Silverstream which was pretty cool, just wondering if anyone can recommend a decent gun? I'd quite like a SG552, but it's pure aesthetics only, as I have no idea how any of these guns fire.

I had a go with an AK47 the last time I played, although apparently it wasn't tuned that great. If possible I wouldn't mind getting something a bit smaller than that, so I've also been considering a MP5 variant as well.

One of my former colleagues has also sent me a list of websites I can take a look at, to give me a rough indication on price. Although I do realise that I'll need to get these things semid as well, so if anyone can give me a heads up on where I can get this done, that'd be awesome!

It seems that the Chinese sites are quite a lot less expensive than the Japanese. I guess this is representative of quality?


You wouldn't happen to be the same Wally Simmonds from GP... are you? :)

A "decent" gun largely depends on the mechbox of the gun itself. The rest comes down to taste (obviously different people have different take on a gun's ergonomics).

On getting a gun... conventional wisdom is that you only look into getting one when you have joined a club and played 2-3 games. Largely because you will have a better idea what to look for, and (if you are lucky) already have a feel for the gun that you will be getting. Your club armourer also has resources to get stuff in much cheaper than you doing by yourself.

[THE JACKEL]

ah a colt lover a man after my own heart :)
(yeah yeah stefan )

GO THE MIGHTY COLT LOL

[Wally Simmonds]

You wouldn't happen to be the same Wally Simmonds from GP... are you? :)

A "decent" gun largely depends on the mechbox of the gun itself. The rest comes down to taste (obviously different people have different take on a gun's ergonomics).

On getting a gun... conventional wisdom is that you only look into getting one when you have joined a club and played 2-3 games. Largely because you will have a better idea what to look for, and (if you are lucky) already have a feel for the gun that you will be getting. Your club armourer also has resources to get stuff in much cheaper than you doing by yourself.

Yup, same one :P

I'll go have a chat with the guys who I played with last - they hopefully will be able to help me out. Thanks for the advice.

[SierraSix]

Wally is good peoples.

[Painless]

in terms of perfomance most AEG perform the same. Yes some do tend to need repairs a little more than others, problem is people buy shyt and expect it to last forever.
Regardless the best thing to do is buy the best made gun that looks the coolest to you.
e.g. a ststema m4 performs much better than a boyi M4 but cost 10x more.
Sig 552s are cool, you can go either Jing Gong or Marui both are pretty much the same in terms of build quality but the JG is a little cheaper.