Rookie airsoft guide

[swatt13]

i dont know if this is a good spot for it, or if its even neccissary, but ive never stumbled across a gear guide for rookies yet and as i come across a fair amount of noobies in my neck of the woods, i though this might be helpful to all. if the mods would like to edit/move this to be more suitable we could sticky this and make a mandatory link to it for all new accounts, this may help stem the ammount of noob questions. i dunno... i just spet i little time typing this out for my club, i hope it can be a little more useful than that.

all other members, feel free to post advice and additions to this. otherwise dont post.

Two different styles of gear are available. Replica and what is warmingly referred to as repli-crap. Repli-crap isn’t a bad investment. I didn’t know the diff when I started so I unknowingly got repli-crap. They’re just fine for a noob even moderately experienced player who still hasn’t found the weapon and load out they want. Buy the affordable stuff until you know what gun your for sure 100% going to use; you may think you like a gun and when you get it that its going to be THE GUN, but after you play a while, you realize said gun lacks in certain areas, or doesn’t quite fit you - your body - your playing style - ect. EVERYONE buys the gun they think LOOKS the best as their first gun, the gun you end up with when you reach the novice or experience WILL be different. Your gun is the foundation that determines 90% of your load out, so before you jump headfirst in and spend copious amounts of moolah on gear, this needs to be sorted out first. There is no advice anyone can give you on getting your first gun!!! You WILL have to sort that out on your own, over time, but when that day comes, rejoice, cuz now you can start buying hi grade stuff (not that you wouldn’t have been dumping large amounts of $$ on gear already). No doubt about it, there is a WORLD of difference between the 350$+ vests at seals action command, Blackhawk, HSGI, Tactical Tailor from those $50 ones in the classifieds and surplus shops, but holy frick is it worth it. A good note is modular is better, it will serve you longer as you can keep adding to it and switching it up as you go through the gauntlet of find the gun that suites you, and every time you get a new mag, you can buy and add a new mag pouch. I would say don’t buy an expensive vest till you reach that point. Everyone here can attest to going through 3-4 vest before they found the one they liked;
at least 3-4 outfits before they found one they like/ suits they’re play,
ATLEAST 3-4 guns before they found the gun they like (most still haven’t!)
But keep in mind you don’t want to buy uber cheap shit, you’ll just ruin it for yourself, there is a happy medium. The more you put into it, the more your going to get out of it.


I have a interceptor vest which I like (spear amour is very similar only with a few more mole straps, either is good) - but I am getting a CIRAS land version (I don’t know the real difference between the land or maritime but I figured im a marine not a seal) I don’t know what’s wrong with the weesatch, but many people don’t like em and trade up to a ciras or eagle. Ive heard many good things about the "London’s bridge" vest. But modular is key, customizable vests are more versatile and efficient.
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Lots of mags (I have 8 locaps getting more). If you only have a few mags you run out of ammo quicker, than what good are you? But factor in how long are your games, four mags might do you just fine, especially if you’re using a speed loader. I run locaps for many reasons, I like to be close to realism, and I love reloading, nothings worse than being in a fire fight with some loser who fires out a steady stream of bb from his hi-hicap. So the biggest id recommend are mid caps they’re a happy medium. Then with that you’ll need equivalent mag pouches. Then for that you’ll need somewhere to store your expended mags. You don’t have enough time to pull a mag out switch em, then fight to get a mag back into a vest pouch. Or even after you do, next time you go to get a mag, you grab an empty one and no... You won’t clip the mags together, they fall off, tabs break ECT ECT.
You NEED a dump pouch. I run the eagle sas medium dump pouch. It has a "mouth" flap on the top that prevents stuff from falling out, other dump pouches are just a bag that hang off you belt... I don’t like them, but some people do.
A good point is you don’t need a secondary! Seriously I can count on one hand how many times I need it, so unless you can afford one, wait till last to get one of these. I also use a drop leg holster, when you get into the more serious play you don’t have enough room on your vest as is, especially for a holster to get in the way. Either on the belt or drop leg is good.
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A speed loader! The little pistol mag looking ones are ok, but slow and break. The strobe one is ok, but can only fill two-three mags, the G&P m16 mag looking one is best, very quick, holds 500rnds.

I use to use jt paintball goggles, but don’t. Paintball goggles are meant for paintball. Get tactical shooting glasses; they’re smaller, less goofy looking and less likely to fog. goggles always fog.

gloves are good; nothing blows more than getting shot on the hand. mouth guard isn’t a bad idea. Getting shot in the teeth doesn’t happen all that often, but if it does there’s a good chance you can loose your tooth.

Helmet is ok, a boonies is just as good, personal preference. hydration bladder is a must if you do any serious play (more than just a few hours or indoor) you absolutely need it at an all day event or overnight event. A FRS radio is a good thing to have its the most common.
sling I like the one point off your shoulder d-ring, or the molle sling off the back and over the shoulder. Lots like the 3point. I don’t because with a vest, the sling catches on shit prevents you from getting in your pockets, but that does factor on which gun you got and how heavy it is. A 3point is nice for when your crawling you can sling it on your back rather than fumble with the gun.
knee pads are a must, not just any; you need the tactical knee pads. They have comfort straps to prevent pinch points and nothings worse than when you kneel on a rock or cactus or in water/mud. Or when your crouched hiding and you need to shift cuz you knee pad straps are digging into your legs!

under armor shirt (the wick kind) keeps you dry and fresh. Nothings worse than wearing a sweaty tunic for six hours. Sometimes it looks/feels like I had a bucket dumped on me... ya it’s gross. An under armor shirt prevents that. You know a head band or doorag is a good idea, it blows when you get sweat in your eyes during a game.

good boots! DO NOT CHEAP OUT HERE I use magnums... many people do. very comfy, breathable (gel soles are better that air) the Canadian issue boots are sweet cuz you can take the sole out and dump baby powder in them (soles are designed for this) with extended play your feet get soggy from sweat, then you loose energy and begin to feel sick, the powder prevents that.

backpack SMALL! A hawg pack is great, carries your hydro bladder and extra gear (always take extra eye wear, battery, bbs) I have a "mad pack" us issue... its good, but a hawg is better. This way all you need to do is go to Wal-Mart and get a bladder, rather than buying the whole thing at 3x the cost.

bdus I recommend multicam... works best in larger majority of environments. Although (real) cadpat is good, marpat is good, woodland is fine.... but ya anything really will do bdus are just cool factors for the most part.

on your gun, aimpoint or acog, I prefer a scope cause with rds, they’re kinda useless in airsoft, you can either aim by adjusting with watching your bbs fly on target or with the iron sights... but you never use em anyways. Rds' are useless imo but do assist in quick target acquisition. A scope at least you can use it to verify targets and spot shadows and bunkers... which is allot. I use the g&p m16 scope for size, but the 4X acog would be better for looks. I don’t like big scopes, but the bigger they are the easier they are to use.

Gun mounted flashlight. You need this allot. the little cheapies work (get the LED style at the very least), but oh man nothing compares to a surefire, a normal flash light you don’t always get enough light to verify what your looking at and you need to leave it on longer to do so. With a surefire one quick flick and you’ve blinded your opponent and you have a very good picture of what lies ahead. ($200 is the limit you should spend though)

Better battery storage a peq battery box or k stock is a good idea as you can get a 9.6 3300 than rather than the 9.6 1200 that fits in the fore grip. OR better yet, get the large battery fore grip, than you retain the original look of the gun and reduce clutter on your rails.

advise
Never fire more than 10 rounds in full auto (unless you’re a lmg). Known as the spray and pray. This is not very respected in the field. Makes you look armature and cheap. controlled burst!

always call your hits. don’t worry, its not that big a deal you got shot out, you’ll be back in, in a couple of minutes. If you don’t, your opponent will make sure you get a couple in the face next time, then there’ll be no question if you’re hit as tears roll down your face. The better players always call their hits.

Smack talk makes you look stupid, not the other guy. It’s a game of trust, honor and respect. Nobody appreciates a slackjaw'd loser talking shit. Were adults not schoolyard kids.

never argue with any one especially game admins... discuss. There’s a big difference!

if you don’t follow the rules, it will be less fulfilling for you, and you ruin it for the other guy, and as much as you don’t want to admit it, the game is more about the other guy. If you make sure he’s having fun, hell make sure you’re having fun.

accept your defeats!! It’s a game. Defeats make the game more fun and last longer. If your always winning, what fun is that, it’s suppose to be a roller coaster ride, not a Sunday cruise. Sometimes your wronged, in that case, go wit the flow and take it back fair and square on the field, that will drive the dagger home, who’s the batter player.

Step 1: Initial purchases
Gun obviously. I would very strongly recommend buying used from the classifieds (this will involve you to get age verified!) You can find some VERY good deals (MP5 for $300, Famas for $400, A-L85 for $250, SIG 552 for $400 ect ect.)
Eye ware – I recommend ballistic glasses, but many fields only allow ballistic goggles so figure that out.
BDUs – Anything to start. Woodland is super cheap, digipat is good and cheap. Get a boonie or some sort of head ware.
Vest - Don’t kid yourself, this is a must. You’re not going to be running around with six mags, dead rag, barrel condom and whatever else in your pockets.
Boots - shoes work, but don’t prevent you from rolling your ankle and oh yes, this happens.

Step 2: Upgrading
Gun accessories – Mags, maybe a spring and bushings, a better battery, this will help sell your gun later on, a stock gun is harder to sell. And if you’ve already figured out you don’t much like your first gun, sell it and try a new one.
Better bdus – now get the style you like and found works best among your opponents. This is a never ending debate so don’t bother asking advise, just use your eyes. Camo is an aid not to be dependant on; a good player can’t hide better in blue jeans and an orange t-shirt than a newbie in the predator camo. Get under armor, you should know why by know.
Gear – knee pads, gloves (aviator gloves work well, just cut the goofy cuffs off em), maybe a backpack and dump pouch.
Accessories - speed loader, battery charger,

Step 3: Moving up in the world
Probably time for a new gun if you haven’t done so already, you’ve spent enough time with either your first gun or second gun that your eyeing up others… get a new one.
Found yourself in moments where you needed a handgun, either cqb or gun hits or even out of ammo? Look into getting one – START CHEAP, you will have just as many problems finding a handgun you like as you do finding a primary you like.
A new vest - If you didn’t start with a modular vest, now’s the time to get one, plan ahead though, you don’t want to buy the same vest twice cuz you got the wrong color or style. If you did start with one, does it fit nice? Got enough room for all your stuff? Unless you’re certain you know this is the vest for you try a new style. You don’t know what’s best for you unless you’ve been around the block a few times.
How’s your eye ware? Maybe try a new style.

Step 4: Over the Hill
If you haven’t done so by now, a new gun is a must! By now you should know what you expect of a gun, so buy accordingly. This time maybe buy new, but only if you’re sure you know what you want.
A uniform- this means matching/ color coded vest and bdus. Buy quality this time, i.e. Replica.

***Note*** this is only a guide to aid you along, you dont need to buy replica gear, many companies make quality imitation, my interceptor vest is imitation and i really like. im sure replica is twice as nice, but im happy withwhat i got. So dont feel pressured to buy expensive stuff to impress anybody, nobody is going to stop playing and say, "Hey man thats a really nice load out" no one will criticise you on the field either. Buy according to your budget and desires. A good way to sort out the weekend warriors and the devoted is their gear. The weekend warriors ALWAYS have the most stylish gear and all the little asseccories, the devoted make alot of their own stuff to work the way they want it to (you will usually see duct tape, electrical tape and ty straps in use... to a certian extent).

things you need
Good boots
Good eye ware
Knee pads
Under armor shirt
Speed loader
molle vest w/ good amount/ assortment of pouches (mag and utility)

[Kid]

Grammar, spelling and a whole lot of time to fix it might make it better.

Personally, rather than telling people what they 'need', maybe a list of things that is the norm and a description of each one to let someone decide themself what they need.

[swatt13]

ya, it is a guidline, but everyone always asks "what should i get"

[Generation vexed]

That was great, thanks for taking your time on it I appreciate it.

[Renegade)]

Good job swat, some more time on wording and grammar will help, and I agree, instead of saying what you have for most of the large stuff like the vest and such, more list what would be affordable to a new player who should concentrate more on buying a quality AEG, ect, over uniform and gear. But if money is not a problem then sure, list some of the better stuff out their like plate carriers. Just a sugestion but maybe do a little more research and say list 3 steps to it, like for vests list basic, tac vests for cheap, larger more pricey vests like LBVs, and then the more expensive Plate Carriers and so on. Stuff like that for new players starting out would give them a better idea on which direction to head in their first year. Also a much simpler layout might help, not as many sentences would get them to read it all instead of post a 2 line question you know?

[Darklen]

I stumbled across an "Airsoft for Rookies" manual about a month ago. Really concise, but dated (talks about commonly available guns from TOP & JAC, with new guns from TM) and written by a Swede, so the gammar & spelling aren't all that great (refers to guns as "weapons, and bb's as "bullets"). I`ve been cleaning up the grammar & spelling errors and am almost finished. If the original author has no objections, I`ll forward it to anyone who`s interested once I hear back from him.

The table of contents:

Equipment:
Basic equipment for a player
Protection
Battle Dress Uniform - BDU
Camouflage
Conversion tables for cloth (ed - size conversions for US, UK & Euro)
Weapons
The weapons choice
Accessories
Different aiming helps
Upgrades
Other equipment
Weapon maintenance
Advices:
Preparations
Checklist before a game
Tactics:
Basic teaming
General movement
Fire & movement
Urban Warfare and Close Quarter Battle - CQB
The two man team
Static & Mobile defences
Ambush
Nightgames
Fire control
Communication
Handsignals
Weapon ID:
Wordlist of shortenings:
Different games:
Milsim & Tacsim
Game variants
Murphy's Laws of Combat:
Airsoft Game Rules:

[Mulitkikr]

Nice guide. Good write up.

[Black_Orchid]

Good stuff swatt, I think it will be helpful for those who read. Just a few little things to add. Though most of your info can apply to a lot of people, there are a few things that I don't think can because everyone has a different playing style. For example, someone who is careful with their shots will need less mags and fewer pouches than someone who empties an entire mag into an enemy.

Not everyone needs a flashlight from a tactical standpoint. It only takes one flash to temporarily blind an enemy so if you're near someone on your team who already has a flashlight, that will do in most cases (assuming everyone sticks together). It's handy to have, but not a must.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking. I think there's a lot of good info in there that will be helpful to people who take the time to search for it. Just suggesting to maybe not say people need a specific gear loadout or item (like kid said).

Again, Kudos!

[Drake]

Somewhat along the lines of what Renegade said, my suggestion would also include encouraging people to figuring out what look or impression they're trying to achieve instead getting a hodge-podge clusterfuck of mismatched gear.

Mix and match is great for a noob on a budget (or any player on a budget that just wants to get out and play), but the fact you are suggesting some fairly pricy stuff, they might wanna a coherent setup. e.g., if you're going to go and spend money on an IBA and assorted MOLLE pouches for it (even with a repro IBA it's still going to cost you close to $300 when all is said and done), you may want to consider getting a US pattern BDU, MICH/ACH, etc and do a proper-ish US Army impression. (versus, say, IBA + fleck BDUs & shemagh + AK47)

Personally, unless people have a really good idea what they want to do, I think they should go out and play a few times, and see what they need/want to carry around. The only basics you need are your gun, your mags, something to carry your mags, and something to carry water. Everything else is personal preferences and luxury.

[swatt13]

alrights, thanks for the constructive critisism. ill rework it tomorrow for everyone and well go from there. i kinda forgot about the lobudget starters lol! and ill make a step program, thats a good idea.

[Captain Tenneal]

Tac-Light:

A thing to note is that if you plan on using it a lot, you may want to use a LED-based flashlight that can use AAA or rechargable batteries instead of the more conventional CR123A Lithium Batteries. This may save you money in the long run as the Lithium batteries are quite expensive (unless bought in bulk) and run down quickly compared to LED/battery fed ones I've found.

I carry around a LED-Lenser V2 Three A in black, worked wonders signalling blue forces at KS 2.5 and it's light enough that I carry it with my pistol indoors. And it's damn bright, not quite 'surefire bright' but it's still enough to give the 'deer in headlights' effect.

Of course: A lot of civilian tac-lights cannot be used mounted as they cannot actually mount onto guns (as they may be differing widths than the average mount or even a Weaver ring) or are impractical as they may be obnoxious colours, or don't have pressure switches (which I find handy). And there is at least one rechargable xenon-bulb lithium-ion tac light...

And as far as gear goes now: [shameless plug]I've found 204Tactical's molle kit more than satisfactory for beginner's gear, for those who really don't want to shell out hundreds of dollars on modular gear. I bought a replica weesatch with some pouches for less than $150[/end shameless plug]

[swatt13]

ok, i revised it with everybodys input in mind. what do you think of it now. feel free to add and comment, lets fine tune this so it does what its suppose to. and i kinda fizzled on step 4, so any advise there would be nice.

[TrueTGN]

Being new to airsoft and about to buy my first set of gear and a gun.. I thought this was pretty helpful.

Thanks for the good read

[Dracheous]

Hmmm, you know there is one thing that REALLY erk's me.


[QOUTE=swatt13]I use to use jt paintball goggles, but don’t. Paintball goggles are meant for paintball. Get tactical shooting glasses; they’re smaller, less goofy looking and less likely to fog. goggles always fog.[/QOUTE]

I wouldn't be advising new players into shooting "glasses" because A. Not all feilds let you use any kind of "glasses" and require goggles. B. New players ussually have all their money devoted to their gun and mags, so paintball goggles are perfect for new players. C. proper size fit of paintball goggles will help with the paintball goggles.


The best advice conserning the eye protection is to advise new players to ask the feild owners that they are most likely to play at. This is the best course of action and will save them money. If they go and buy paintball goggles they will be able to play just about anywhere. But if they go buy ballistic "glasses" there are lots of places that don't accept these because of insurance.

[Farmboy]

There is also the option of buying "real" gear for those who want to. You only list two choices - replica and "repli-crap" however mention HSGI and Eagle etc.

You might want to do two lists, one for gear and one for the guns.

There are also more options out there (you can't list all though ), for ex. there are other makes of dump pouches that have a "top" on them for keeping the mags in.

With the Wa/Weesatch the problem people face is not wearing them with plates, this makes a huge difference.

You could also touch on the custom gear makers as an option also.