New Skirmishers - Please Read

Hi New Skirmisher,

Let me inform you of a few things about airsoft with my personal opinion and a friendly point of view. Airsoft is a team game, much like paintball, only more tactical and over a greater area. There are rules which can be found on the website, however i have been putting together a set of 12 (yes 12) commandments to help you understand what is expected on the field. Most of all you must have fun, and remember this is a non-contact sport. The commandments are as follows, (feel free to right click and save the picture for your pleasure later)



Getting started.

Gear

Essential Essentials

You need a good pair of boots, to keep you ankles from not breaking, whilst running around like a lunatic in the woods.
Also a face mask or good eye protection is required. Lenses or mesh goggles can be used but ensure they are up to the task of protecting you from small 6mm diameter plastic balls flying from any and every angle.

Camo

The choice of camo you wear is completely up to you, have a look around see what you like, see what looks best at CAG, and see whats cheap on ebay if ur on a limited budget, generally most people buy:
Jacket, Trousers, Boonie/Cap/Helmet.

Think about what camo you get and make sure you find a suitable plate carrier / webbing or chest rig to go with your load out before ordering. Plate carriers/webbing and chest rigs are essential to carry extra ammo, mags, food and drink, pistols, smoke grenades, etc. You can go for lighter options and merely get a drop leg rig with a blast belt, or rely on ur pockets or a rucksack, but from experience webbing or plate carriers help make things easier to get to when in a good old shoot out.

Ammunition

0.2g are a good weight and very availble be sure to only get good quality bbs though
Heavier weights such as .25g and .28g are better for dense woodland and open areas to keep ur bbs more stable during flight, although u tend to lose some speed for which the bb takes to reach the target.
Smoke grenades are also available on most sites as well as grenades, and flashbangs

Guns

Over 18? but not registered? you can buy two tone guns, by two tone, this means they are normal airsoft guns which have been spray painted hideous and usually illuminous colours to show that they are immitation guns only.

What i would personally do is wait, play 3 games in two months at one site, and ask the site organiser to apply for UKARA membership. With this you can purchase any airsoft rifle. If you are under 18 you cannot buy in this country or import from any other country real immitation firearms (RIFs).

Anyone under the age of 18 cannot buy, but they can hire, borrow and own an airsoft weapon, waving it around in public though will not go down well with your relationship with the Police.

Weapon of Choice

Choosing your rifle (and side arm if you wish or require) should be a patient task, fair enough it will be a starter weapon, but don't just buy any old rubbish you find to end up wanting a new one next month. Hire a few guns on site, if you have a rifle preference and the site has it available to hire, hire it and try it out.

There are a few online shops with various weapons, www.zerooneairsoft.co.uk, www.fire-support.co.uk
Classic Army do a nice sportline starter rifle package, which in my opinion are a better option to chinese branded guns, by far though i find Tokyo Marui (TM) to be a superior and long lasting brand of weaponry.

Also you will find alot of people who skirmish have their own rifles, and strangely enough love to talk about every shinny bit of them, so feel free to ask anyone to have a look, and maybe even a couple of shots. But please only do this between games or in the safe zone, and not during game play. Distractions = getting shot in a surprised state

Skirmishing

During skirmishes, please refer to the above commandments,take your hits, stick with your team, do not overkill, respect other players and most of all have a good day.
Make sure that when you are hit, shout it clear and loud, and raise your hand where possible. Ensure you get out of the way quickly and do not walk straight into the line of fire if you can help.

Also remember to keep well hydrated and make sure you eat and drink plenty during the course of the day.

And remember DEAD MEN DON'T TALK, they also dont walk around and try to find the person who shot you. If you have been hit, take it with respect go respawn and get back into hunting them out properly.

Remember if you need advice just ask, and airsoft rifles are not real weapons, so sometimes you may think you hit someone, but quite frankly you probably didn't. So take what shots are questionable with a pinch of salt, and get on with enjoying your day.