Airsoft Canada - View Single Post - First game - what MUST be purchased vs what can be rented

MaciekA · February 4th, 2012, 14:11

I agree with 5kull above, assess whether this sport is affordable for you and if it isn't, you should probably do try something else. The good news is that airsoft is price-competitive with other sports. The bad news is that "streaming" small amounts of cash at airsoft by going the hand-to-mouther's route and endlessly nickle-diming your way with it (renting guns, buying shitty gear you know you won't stick with, etc) will actually make it cost more than it would have otherwise. Far more.

I play in your area and at some of the bigger games that happen in your area, so I see how things generally go down in your region. People sometimes rent out their guns, but in general, if you show up for a game without having already arranged a rental, you're boned. Nobody will have one for you. This may be different in some of the other provinces represented on this forum where things are run slightly more officially and where retailers have their own fields, like in Alberta, but in the Golden Horseshoe you are not going to just show up at a game and find a rental gun. So don't rent.

There's another reason not to rent. You'll just end up wasting money you could otherwise be saving towards your first rifle. A $20 rental plus whatever else you had to rent that day is going to represent 1/10th of the way towards the cost of your first rifle. Don't nickle and dime this stuff.

The best way to get into this sport is to try a friend's gun for a couple rounds and then decide if you can stomach $300 - 350 on an AEG.

My "Absolute Minimum" List:

0) Friends with guns. Helps you bootstrap until you have the cash for the next step

1) AEG - $350 King Arms M4. Comes with mag. Get it from a retailer in person, and immediately upon buying, arrange to have your spring downgraded by them to a field-legal speed (360fps is a good speed, i.e. M110 spring). If your gun is already firing slower than 400fps, (i.e. you bought a smoked body gun), don't worry about that.

Cost of not doing it this way: You arrive at a game where 400fps is the limit (most if not all games in your area), and get to sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you contemplate the suckage of being AEG-less for a week because you didn't get your spring downgraded. Or, worse, your gun has a failure because of the hot import spring that was in the gun upon purchase.

2) Throw the charger that comes with your AEG in the garbage, it will damage your batteries and make you very sad. Buy a smart charger for your battery. Do not pay more than 50 bucks for it, ideally a lot less. If you don't have a battery, buy one NiMH battery that fits in your gun. The King Arms M4 will take various ones, a 9.6 1200 - 1600 mAh will fit.

Cost of not doing it this way: You sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you wonder what went wrong with your gun, your battery, or your motor.

3) This is your single most important purchase because you need to protect your eyes and also not spend your first 2 months of airsoft blinded by fog. Buy Double pane JT-brand thermal goggles. Get these ones: http://www.badlandspaintball.com/JT-...ive_p_321.html . I promise you will be fogless and happy while everyone else is struggling. People on this forum will fall over each other to try to convince you to get something single pane and just use Fogtech, or go with ESS knockoffs. They'll also try to convince you that mesh goggles are okay and that BB Bastards "don't shatter". This is false, I would be more than happy to meet you at a game (I play in Hamilton all the time) and show you a bag of shattered BBs that will cause permanent loss of vision. Also, while Fogtech works for some people, you are on a budget right now and don't want to pay your way through an expensive goose chase looking for non-fogging goggles. You can do that later. For now, get the JTs -- BONUS is that they work at paintball fields where many Airsoft games happen. You can take off / put back on the mask/shade pieces as needed, it's a modular set. You can keep the mouth area mask on for now and it saves you having to buy a metal mesh mask. You want to protect your teeth, trust me.

Cost of not doing it this way: You can't see anything at games, you end up blinded for life, or you get to pay the dentist thousands of dollars for replacement teeth. Spend the cash on these goggles now, instant certified happiness!

4) Assorted basics: BBs, water, cash for snacks. A safe-keeping pocket to put your cash/wallet/phone into while playing where nothing can fall out.

If you are budgeting, don't worry about buying camo for now, but don't go out there wearing bright white or neon colors either if you can help it. if you are coming into this sport excited about Multicam or A-TACS, definitely *wait* to buy stuff like camo/ACU/vests/pouches etc, because if you are destined to "get into airsoft", then in a few months you'll be more serious and be regretting going the cheap route and having cheesy stuff instead of the stuff you really want by then

. If you are cool with wearing less fashionable/trendy/popular camo, like 5kull said, you can get Flecktarn, woodland camo, etc, for real cheap at a surplus store. I recommend you drive over to Port Credit and visit Army Issue.

If you don't want to buy boots, make sure you take it easy at your first game and watch where you're going.

Take it from a guy who made these mistakes.

EDIT: Once you have your AV make sure to check the Ontario sub-forum for games in your area, the Hamilton area is really quite awesome for games.

February 4th, 2012, 14:11	#13
MaciekA Trader rating Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Portland, Oregon, USA	I agree with 5kull above, assess whether this sport is affordable for you and if it isn't, you should probably do try something else. The good news is that airsoft is price-competitive with other sports. The bad news is that "streaming" small amounts of cash at airsoft by going the hand-to-mouther's route and endlessly nickle-diming your way with it (renting guns, buying shitty gear you know you won't stick with, etc) will actually make it cost more than it would have otherwise. Far more. I play in your area and at some of the bigger games that happen in your area, so I see how things generally go down in your region. People sometimes rent out their guns, but in general, if you show up for a game without having already arranged a rental, you're boned. Nobody will have one for you. This may be different in some of the other provinces represented on this forum where things are run slightly more officially and where retailers have their own fields, like in Alberta, but in the Golden Horseshoe you are not going to just show up at a game and find a rental gun. So don't rent. There's another reason not to rent. You'll just end up wasting money you could otherwise be saving towards your first rifle. A $20 rental plus whatever else you had to rent that day is going to represent 1/10th of the way towards the cost of your first rifle. Don't nickle and dime this stuff. The best way to get into this sport is to try a friend's gun for a couple rounds and then decide if you can stomach $300 - 350 on an AEG. My "Absolute Minimum" List: 0) Friends with guns. Helps you bootstrap until you have the cash for the next step 1) AEG - $350 King Arms M4. Comes with mag. Get it from a retailer in person, and immediately upon buying, arrange to have your spring downgraded by them to a field-legal speed (360fps is a good speed, i.e. M110 spring). If your gun is already firing slower than 400fps, (i.e. you bought a smoked body gun), don't worry about that. Cost of not doing it this way: You arrive at a game where 400fps is the limit (most if not all games in your area), and get to sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you contemplate the suckage of being AEG-less for a week because you didn't get your spring downgraded. Or, worse, your gun has a failure because of the hot import spring that was in the gun upon purchase. 2) Throw the charger that comes with your AEG in the garbage, it will damage your batteries and make you very sad. Buy a smart charger for your battery. Do not pay more than 50 bucks for it, ideally a lot less. If you don't have a battery, buy one NiMH battery that fits in your gun. The King Arms M4 will take various ones, a 9.6 1200 - 1600 mAh will fit. Cost of not doing it this way: You sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you wonder what went wrong with your gun, your battery, or your motor. 3) This is your single most important purchase because you need to protect your eyes and also not spend your first 2 months of airsoft blinded by fog. Buy Double pane JT-brand thermal goggles. Get these ones: http://www.badlandspaintball.com/JT-...ive_p_321.html . I promise you will be fogless and happy while everyone else is struggling. People on this forum will fall over each other to try to convince you to get something single pane and just use Fogtech, or go with ESS knockoffs. They'll also try to convince you that mesh goggles are okay and that BB Bastards "don't shatter". This is false, I would be more than happy to meet you at a game (I play in Hamilton all the time) and show you a bag of shattered BBs that will cause permanent loss of vision. Also, while Fogtech works for some people, you are on a budget right now and don't want to pay your way through an expensive goose chase looking for non-fogging goggles. You can do that later. For now, get the JTs -- BONUS is that they work at paintball fields where many Airsoft games happen. You can take off / put back on the mask/shade pieces as needed, it's a modular set. You can keep the mouth area mask on for now and it saves you having to buy a metal mesh mask. You want to protect your teeth, trust me. Cost of not doing it this way: You can't see anything at games, you end up blinded for life, or you get to pay the dentist thousands of dollars for replacement teeth. Spend the cash on these goggles now, instant certified happiness! 4) Assorted basics: BBs, water, cash for snacks. A safe-keeping pocket to put your cash/wallet/phone into while playing where nothing can fall out. If you are budgeting, don't worry about buying camo for now, but don't go out there wearing bright white or neon colors either if you can help it. if you are coming into this sport excited about Multicam or A-TACS, definitely wait to buy stuff like camo/ACU/vests/pouches etc, because if you are destined to "get into airsoft", then in a few months you'll be more serious and be regretting going the cheap route and having cheesy stuff instead of the stuff you really want by then . If you are cool with wearing less fashionable/trendy/popular camo, like 5kull said, you can get Flecktarn, woodland camo, etc, for real cheap at a surplus store. I recommend you drive over to Port Credit and visit Army Issue. If you don't want to buy boots, make sure you take it easy at your first game and watch where you're going. Take it from a guy who made these mistakes. EDIT: Once you have your AV make sure to check the Ontario sub-forum for games in your area, the Hamilton area is really quite awesome for games. __________________ "Mah check" Now you know Last edited by MaciekA; February 4th, 2012 at 14:18..