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What
is airsoft?
Who
can play?
What
enviroment is it played in?
What
do i need?
How
much does it cost?
What
Is Airsoft?
In
layman’s terms Airsoft skirmishing is an action game
based on military simulation. It can be many different things
to many different people, but the one thing that binds most
Airsofters together is skirmishing, the minimum requirements
being eye protection and a gun. It is so much more than a
simple game of ‘tag’, it’s an all-encompassing
experience, which constantly evolves and changes. Players
will often use the same rigs, equipment and uniforms as their
professional counter parts in real military forces around
the world.
Airsofters use 'Soft Air' replicas to fire non lethal projectiles
(BB's). The replicas look and function as realistic as they
can be, this means during the simulation magazine changes
will be necessary, adding to the experience. Different types
of Soft air replicas are available for different purposes,
just as in real life. There are too many varieties to list,
but they include pistols, sub machine guns, rifles, assault
rifles, sniper rifles, support guns and more recently anti
vehicle launchers. All have appropriate magazine capacities
and although they fire the same ammunition, they function
and handle in very different ways.
Endless scenarios are acted out by opposing teams and players,
from simple base swaps or patrolling, to complicated hostage
rescues. It's not uncommon to see a VIP being escorted through
a specific game zone, it's as varied as your imagination allows.
The whole system is based around honor, there is no paint
or mark left by the BB that hit's an opponent, so we all rely
on the honesty of the other players to indicate when they
have been hit. The system works surprisingly well once players
get the hang of 'feeling' or sometimes 'hearing' when they
have taken a hit. Cheating in airsoft is highly frowned upon
and anyone caught cheating will be sent home from the site
they are playing at without a refund!
The velocities 'Soft Air Weapons' operate at means they are
non lethal, that has two advantages. The replicas can fire
in fully automatic mode (this is a function that is banned
for lethal air weapons) and the minimum safety equipment Airsofters
need is eye protection, this all adds to the realism and experience
so players can get the most from their gaming days.
Who
can play?
Anybody
can enjoy skirmishing.
Airsoft is played by a massive cross section of society, lawyers
and city bankers rub shoulders on the Airsoft field, along
with police men, trades people, single mums and everybody
in between. Age isn't an issue, we take players in secondary
school education to those well into retirement. (Under 14’s
normally require guardian to be with them or sign an agreement
form)
There are no fitness requirements to play, unlike other action
games it's not essential to be fit to play Airsoft, there
are roles for most shapes and sizes. Some actually use Airsoft
as a means of getting fit or relieving stress, burning off
that excess energy after sitting at a desk all day, much more
exciting and enjoyable than going to a gym.
What
type of enviroment is it played in?
Airsoft
is played in a variety of different environments. Typically
skirmishes are organised in woodlands or bush ground, as these
offer natural cover. In addition to this urban surrounding
are also used, but this tends to be derelict environments
or ex forces land.
It is important to always play at organised and insured sites,
not the public woodland behind your or a mates house. As you
can imagine, if someone see’s people running around
with guns, the police are likely to be called, which make
the rest of us look bad!
What
will i need?
Airsoft
can be as complicated or as simple as you want.
Some players are totally equipment, or 'gear' orientated and
'must have' the latest and greatest that comes onto the market,
this is fortunately not 100% necessary for you to play Airsoft.
Below is a list of items of categories that contain information
about what you will need for Airsoft.
Footwear
Strong
pair of boots or shoes are essential for Airsoft. The site
conditions can often be muddy underfoot, so your best white
trainers (apart from giving your position away) are not very
suitable. Ankle protection is advised as players get so engrossed
in playing Airsoft, slippery ground or trip hazards are often
ignored or missed. You are statistically far more likely to
injure yourself from falling over or twisting an ankle than
anything associated with the little white balls flying around.
Clothing
We
supply camouflaged coveralls for our Full Hirer's. We have
enough variation to fit all sizes. If players prefer they
can just as easily wear their own camouflage kit, there is
no set type you must wear. If you prefer you don't have to
wear long sleeves, especially in hot weather many players
wear short sleeves or T shirts, but please bear in mind clothing
provides protection from stinging nettles and bracken as well
as BB's.
Protective
Wear
All
Airsoft equipment is non lethal and cannot (unless used as
a blunt instrument) kill you. You could however receive a
non lethal, but otherwise eye damaging injury. For that reason
the only piece of mandatory safety equipment is eye protection.
At E.A.G we use full face masks for our hire customers. These
have the added advantage of protecting the soft parts of the
face which if hit by a BB, although being non lethal may sting
and leave a small bruise or mark. The face masks are equipped
with a mesh mask, this is ample to prevent penetration by
a BB, but will never steam up and are especially suitable
for spectacle wearers. These have a tenancy to steam up independently
of any mask you are wearing. We also allow the use of 'shooting
glasses' for eye protection, this is with the understanding
that players receiving 'face shots' do so at their own risk
and understand any consequences. There is a supply of shooting
glasses for use, but they are on a first come basis and the
previous comments about shots to the face are relevant. Mandatory
wearing of face masks is required for those under 16.
Other recommended protective clothing for a worried first
timer (that is not supplied by E.A.G) would be: Gloves, Hats,
Knee/Elbow Pads, A Good Pair of Boots and a Scarf.
Equipment
All
players use replicas that fire the same projectile, A plastic
round biodegradable 6mm BB's. The replicas we supply for hire
are exactly the same as those you would purchase from a shop
for personal use. There is no difference in quality or power,
so you are not disadvantaged against players with their own
equipment. The only edge they may have over you is superior
skill, but everybody learns fast in Airsoft and we always
try to balance out the teams with equal numbers of new and
experienced players.
The ability to hire exactly the same equipment you would buy
is a massive advantage for those players that are looking
to purchase their own equipment, it's very much a 'try before
you buy'. Many new players make expensive mistakes when purchasing
a replica first time out, what looks suitable on the wall
in a shop is sometimes not the most practical for the individual
or environment.
Other useful equipment: Torch, Water Canteen, Water Proof’s,
a Change of Clothes and Sun Cream.
Weapons
So
let’s face, this is probably the main thing that attracted
you to airsoft in the first place right? Of course!
In Airsoft the type of weaponry can be broken in to three
sections:
Spring
These
are the most basic airsoft weapons on the market and are often
referred to as springers. These types or weapons can come
as pistols, shotguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles. But
they all only shoot in single shot, meaning you need to cock
it each time manually.
Although these sound useless when up against a full auto gun,
the sniper rifles can be highly effective in the right hands.
These can cost anywhere from £5 for a cheap market springer
to £300 for a really good sniper rifle. (Cheap market
springer are not recommended for skirmishing as they often
fall to bits within 2 minutes)
Gas
These
types of weaponry are normally used as back up in the form
of a pistol or SMG but are also available as shotguns and
sniper rifles. There are assault rifles on the market that
use gas, but they can be cumbersome compared to the electric
version.
Gas guns use gas to launch the projectile out of the gun and
in most cases (except sniper rifles) the automatically load
the next bb to be fired, meaning you only have to cock it
once to get it going.
As mention before, more resent developments in airsoft have
brought along the new LAW anti vehicle launcher. This is a
gas operated piece of equipment and launches a foam ball over
a short/medium distance. Great fun!
Gas guns can cost anywhere from £50 for a pistol up
to £500 for a rifle.
Electric
(AEG)
The
mainstay of an Airsofters armory and the replicas we supply
to our customers are AEG's (Automatic Electric Gun), they
run off a battery and function with magazines just like their
real steel counter parts. It is impossible to convert an AEG
to fire real bullets and the power levels they run at mean
they are non lethal.
All the Airsoft replicas fire the same ammo, it's available
in different brands, packaging and sizes, walk on players
can use whichever brand they like in their own guns, but Hire
guns are limited to the ammo supplied by the site. Quality
does vary enormously and from past experience (and costly
repairs) this is the only way of providing consistency for
our customers.
All AEG’s run on batteries that are charged before the
event or onsite. For those with their own replicas we do have
onsite charging facilities and can top up or completely charge
batteries for those that run down. The capacity of the site
gun batteries normally last a whole day with no problems,
but we do have supplies of fresh batteries 'just in case'.
AEG start at about £120 for cheap Chinese clones of
recognised manufactures and go up to and over £800 for
top of the range ones.
How
much does it cost?
Not
as much as you might think actually.
Although all different sites charge different amounts they
all have what's know as a green fee or a walk on fee. This
is basically how much it will cost a player to play on that
site if they have all their own equipment. For those that
are renting equipment, there will be a charge on top of that.
Most
sites have games going on all day (9:30 - 17:00) with lunch
normally around 12:00 - 13:00. Some sites may charge you extra
for lunch. At Elite Action Games Epsom lunch is included.
Please let us know prior to game date if you are vegan/vegetarian
or have any medical restrictions on your playing style, such
as asthma.
Elite
Action Games Price List:
Epsom day rental prices are £80 which includes weapon,
magazine, 2500 rds of ammunition, facemask, combats, BBQ lunch,
a soft drink and includes a £40 refundable sliding scale
deposit.
Epsom evening rental packages are £65 which includes
weapon, magazine, 2500 rds of ammunition, facemask, combats,
chocolate bar, a soft drink and includes a £40 refundable
sliding scale deposit.
If you are renting at any of our sites a £40 deposit
is included in all the rental prices and covers you against
breakage and condition of the hire equipment and guns.
When the weapon is returned working and in clean condition,
your deposit will be refunded in full.
£35 of deposit money returned when the rented equipment
is returned covered in mud
£20 of the deposit is returned if there is any small
cosmetic damage (non vital to the gun working).
£10 of deposit money returned when the rented equipment
is returned with parts missing (like a mag).
And £0 returned for a completely broken or smashed up
gun.
Walkons
Epsom days £25
Epsom evenings £15
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