Some General Questions

[Cornf1ake]

Hey guys, new here, have been doing some reading and still have some general questions I would like to ask that I am sure that have already been asked...

1) ok, I have a nice shinny new gun coming, should be here Tuesday, how soon should I be looking at breaking down the gun and greasing it? And how often do you maintain them?

and

2) how much do some of you have into this sport?

I am no where near my first game, I have almost no protective gear besides the gloves. I hope to be ready around August or September to play... But so far, I have about 2000 invested... I own 4 guns,
A Lucid LG3 - I can't really say anything bad about this gun. Well the high cap mag sucks, always winding...
WE Tan P226 - Other than BB's coming out of the barrel on their own, good gun.
KWA MP7 - Great gun, expensive mags and accessories
and in the mail a G&P M4 Navy Seal...

Like I said, right now I can't game, I have to put the breaks on the spending for now as these guns have all been purchased in the last 5 months... so what I have done is created a target/BB catcher for in the house... I live in the city, the AEG's arent loud, but the GBB's are pretty loud, what do you think the chance of someone calling the police is on them being fired? I don't shoot them (the GBB's) often but when I do, I have been told by family you can hear them outside and for a distance. They said it sounds like a nail gun going off. I don't shoot full auto too much as I under stand this is harder on the internals...

[ThunderCactus]

My ptw alone is over $2000 lol =D

[Forever_kaos]

1) IMO - Depends on the brand, but generally if it runs good I would run it till it breaks or you need to swap the spring out.

2)Too much, as others will probably say.
I do WW2 re-enacting, for the most part with airsoft weapons. All the kit and do-dads add up quick, especially if you want to do it highly authentic.
But by all means, I do play airsoft for fun with friends once and awhile, which you will learn can get "pricey".

Some gents will drop ~2-3K on a Systema PTW/FCC, add on mags and all that jazz, weapon gets expensive on it's own. Some throw on some nice night vision bits too, 2-3+K again. Top notch real deal gear, the dollars add up quick as heart beats! Hah.

Don't feel like you have to spend anything more then what you want. I've seen folks just love run around skirmishes. They buy decent boots, some midcaps, pouches to carry said midcaps and they're done. Not a care in the world for tac gear or anything of that sort.

I say get out with what you got, maybe a decent battery if need be or find out if the place has electricity you can borrow with your charger.
The more you go out, the more you will learn what is effective for you vs useless weight.

[R.I.T.Z]

1) Unless its broken, or you're doing a serious custom build you should be fine stock.

2)into my current loadout? um...
currently about... 1600$ and I'm not done yet.
in total? over 5000$
I spend about 1200$ on gear and guns each year...

[K3vX]

I started "investing" in november, aannd...

Around 1780$, not counting what I bought that could be used elsewhere, tools (chrono, etc.) and stuff that I didn't received yet.

That can easily jump at 2100$ if you count the batteries and charger, chronograph, propane and it's adapter, BBs, etc.

Everyone tried to warn me it was a money pit, and I thought I could be good at 1000$ ...

[Zack The Ripper]

All in I have about $1700+/- in two AEGs and a pistol. One AEG has minimal internal upgrades, extensive external upgrades. The other... Well, lets just say the only thing stock from my M4 is the actual gear box casing itself, upper and lower receiver, and the outer barrel. Everything else has been swapped out for Lonex parts (gears, inner barrel, motor, etc) and many external Magpul goodness has been added on. Pistol has a minimal upgrades as well.

In total I have probably dropped about $6k+ into everything from gear, accessories, upgrades, and guns. This has all been done over the past year or so. It was a gradual process. One impulse buy, but that ended up getting sold.

Bottom line is over the year I have spent a majority of the money on upgrading my AEGs and changing through gear. I do milsims on a regular basis and as such, each big event I seem to find a kink in something with regards to my gear that I want to fine tune for ergonomics and performance. Same goes for my AEGs. I'm at a point now where everything I currently own is fine tuned perfectly, so my next step will be a project GBBR. I still have another set of rigs to buy in a different color now that I have fine tuned exactly how I want my rigs set up for my tan loadout, and know my preferred play style, but this just means buying all of the same carriers, belts, etc in a different color.

This means that over the next year I will probably dump about $3k into a second loadout and my rifle project, and this will be over an extended period of time. I have learned that the best thing is to do it in steps. Take the most important steps first, and then slowly add on after as to not burn a hole in your wallet.

Now that you have four guns, it's time to get the gear to support your toys, and by the time you finally have all the gear to support them and have gamed them a bunch of times, you will start noticing things you want to fine tune in the gear already purchased, as well as your weapon platforms. It's a black hole for money; the biggest thing is to remember not to go on a spending frenzy with your credit card because you've "just gotta have it now". That my friend is a dark path, and prevents you from adding on to your loadout down the road, unless of course you don't mind being a couple grand in the hole.

Take your time, do the research before buying ANYTHING, as very little in this lovely sport/hobby comes cheap. When it comes to actual gear, invest in quality stuff, especially when it comes to PPE. Your eyes, teeth, face, and anywhere else on your body you deem pretty and/or valuable are not worth damaging to save yourself $50 here or there. You also want gear that makes sense and works for the role you intend to play as. If you don't know what I mean, there are plenty of threads on this site and videos on YouTube displaying various load-outs and gear set-ups specific to certain play styles and weapon platforms. Check them out, do some personal research (beating the dead horse), and then proceed from there.

[Cornf1ake]

Question about face protection...

I am looking at probably a helmet and a face mask next to get, Helmets are around 80 dollars, I have seen these really cool face masks for about 150... I dont want to break the rules and link a site but if I was to describe them they look like a motorcycly helmet and are made by a company called Sly... I see lots of vents in the front but are those going to be comfortable to wear? Or am I going to be kicking them off gasping for air? Should I go with something different? I know it would be better if I could try them but I have to have all my stuff shipped.

[R.I.T.Z]

Originally Posted by Cornf1ake

Question about face protection...

I am looking at probably a helmet and a face mask next to get, Helmets are around 80 dollars, I have seen these really cool face masks for about 150... I dont want to break the rules and link a site but if I was to describe them they look like a motorcycly helmet and are made by a company called Sly... I see lots of vents in the front but are those going to be comfortable to wear? Or am I going to be kicking them off gasping for air? Should I go with something different? I know it would be better if I could try them but I have to have all my stuff shipped.

these?

its a paintball mask, you should be fine.
as for helmet, it depends on the person, I don't run one because it gets bloody hot.

[Madrigal]

Honestly, I run a helmet+goggles and lower mesh both for the protection, and the freakin bugs in the woods. I like to avoid breathing in insects, and getting bites while playing field games. Plus, taking shots to the head hurt.

[Zack The Ripper]

For outdoors I would say run whatever you see fit, but a must-have is a set of great quality full seal goggles, preferably with a built in turbofan. ESS and Smith Optics make the best around. Face and head protection is up to you when it comes to outdoor play. I normally don't wear my helmet or face mesh outdoors aside from MILSIM, and even then only face mesh when I know there is a good chance of close engagement.

Which leads to CQB. ALWAYS wear face mesh and a bucket for CQB as engagements are always close and in the head of the moment it is easy to smash your head off of something or trip and fall. Some guys live dangerously (I have been guilty before of this), however it is not worth the risk. If you find a helmet uncomfortable, a hat of choice can do the trick, but it still hurts at close range.

[Cornf1ake]

Originally Posted by R.I.T.Z

these?

its a paintball mask, you should be fine.
as for helmet, it depends on the person, I don't run one because it gets bloody hot.

Yeah that is the one... looks intimidating as well...

ZackTheRipperC I watched your video on hill437... Gives a good perspective of what to look for in camo.

[foxtrot-one7]

A con to those would be trying to eat or drink in the field.

[ShelledPants]

Originally Posted by foxtrot-one7

A con to those would be trying to eat or drink in the field.

Another is that you cannot properly aim down your sights. Poor cheek weld.

[Zack The Ripper]

Originally Posted by Cornf1ake

ZackTheRipperC I watched your video on hill437... Gives a good perspective of what to look for in camo.

Yeah, that one was about a year ago. I have a woodland BDU and a Multicam ACU. I have switched to a full CB/tan JPC and belt rig. I will be getting the same setup in OD to go with the woodies. Ultimately woodland and multicam are the best camo to go with as they work in most settings. Believe it or not there are many areas in woods and dense brush where its harder to see the multicam. It really depends on the type of forest/brush you are in and the lighting conditions. This is all stuff you learn through trying different camo out though; it takes practice seeing what works and what doesn't. Either camo works well at the Hill.

With regards to the PB mask, as stated above, it is very difficult to ADS, and is a no go for long games as you can't hydrate, eat, or smoke if you are an airsoft smoker like myself. Better off going with full seal goggles and some face mesh if you want full facial protection. I know a lot of guys that remove the straps from their mesh and ziptie/MacGyver their mesh to the bottom of their goggles.

Realistically speaking though, you aren't going to know your preference of equipment until you have played a few games and see what everyone else does, see what works, what doesn't, what you may be lacking, or in some cases, overdoing in the way of gear (believe me, it happens often).

[Cornf1ake]

I just received the M4 right now. The instructions that came with it are not very good. In fact I'm not even sure that their for the same gun. I can't even figure out where the battery goes...