First Airsoft game!

[ThatGnomeGuy]

Apologies to the experienced folks on the forum. I will probably sound like a seven-year old on a sugar high. I will also work to limit my use of exclamation points ...
I played my very first Airsoft game(s) yesterday at the Swamp out in Lebanon and it far exceeded my expectations for enjoyability. Staff and other players helped immensely with the experience. Even that little kid who FF'd me with a BB to the head from ten or so feet while I was returning to respawn helped shape the day's adventure and after-game tall tales in a positive way, believe it or not.

I went into this not knowing what to expect, having played paintball a couple of times, and having used and competed with real steel guns most of my life. Honestly, I found it a great deal more fun than paintball (possibly because of my load-out/gear) and vastly different from any real steel stuff I've done. I brought three guns with me, a G&G L85A2 (which went down pretty early in the game), a KWA AKG74-U and four mags, and a Umarex G19 replica. The rest of my kit was an inexpensive 4-mag chest rig and my real-world go-belt. It was handy that all of this, including the holster for the G19, was a one-for-one with my existing kit. AK-74 and AR mags actually run quite well in the same HSGI tacos, same for Glock mags, replicas or not.

The KWA was a total blast. Part of my fun is making sure I don't run out of ammo in the middle of anything. Each of the KWA mags holds just 40 rounds. Oddly, I enjoy magazine administration, and I had plenty of time for that while pinned down behind various buildings, shelters, shrubbery, etc. The KWA operates in a fairly similar manner to the real steel AKs I own, so it was an easy transition. I didn't do much F/A shooting, to conserve gas and BBs, and am noodling over how to best get a fast reload in the field for each mag, because the gas reservoir seems capable of handling it. Even so, the guys at Extreme Velocity in Eugene set me up with a nifty way to carry green gas on my go-belt. (Hard to top off the green gas in the mag when the port's full of mud. Full. Of. Mud. I'll need to remember this.)

After I got back home from the game, I learned that the Post Office had delivered an additional two AKG mags to the house. With a six-mag load-out, I think I may be able to get a little bit less thrifty with the BBs and risk some full-auto fire, which seems to be key to moving on the opposing team. I dropped the original mag for the AKG74-U and broke the feed lips, so once I get that fixed I'll have seven mags in rotation and will feel much better about not being stranded on the field, ammo-less.

I died A LOT. The bright red gnome hat I wore was a BB magnet. Like, wow, really. Apparently, it sticks up above most cover. I did my best to call my hits, and err on the side of caution if I thought I might have been hit. There was a time or two when it seemed like a BB would be mostly falling vertical when it hit, but respawning is good exercise, I guess, and no one wants a 0.38g sniper BB vibe check for not calling a hit. I also got a couple of satisfying hits on opposite team members. The AKG74-U is not the most accurate Airsoft gun, maybe, but it works well enough when someone blunders into you inside of 20 yards.

The only downside is that I didn't start doing this when I was younger/thinner/in better shape, LOL.

[Dennis - Crossbow]

Love it - "I died A LOT". meaning you played with honor and called those hits

Glad you had a Awesome time, welcome to the club

Don't worry about the full auto part, some field don't allow it and at AP events only support weapons' can use full auto. Don't get me wrong, full auto is FUN and sometime needed to send some players to spawn.

Thanks for supporting our sponsor "Extreme Velocity" at their new location in Eugene. Its great to buy local when you can.

Hope to see you on the Field!!!

[Kendodude]

That's the spirit of the game right there, no problem with gushing. First time playing with a Gas Blowback Rifle is pretty intense as most beginners start off with an AEG and a hicap, previous experience in other combat sports regardless. Don't worry about your gear, it builds up over time. You might find, as the seasons change, the performance become different in the summer with warmer weather allowing better gas expansion. Again, intense stuff for using a GBBR in winter time even! Due to these weather restrictions some people find, GBBR usage is exciting during the summer but then are either put away or sold as soon as winter starts creeping up unless you live in warmer climates. Just remember to lube those O-rings! (something I forget all the time with my Pistols)
I highly suggest checking out P.O. GBB on youtube to reference and see an exclusive GBBR user in similar weather to Oregon (being based in Tokyo, Japan) and get real hype about your Airsoft gun choice. Have fun with that AK!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAsh8Y ... 4v629R-AeQ

[ThatGnomeGuy]

First time playing with a Gas Blowback Rifle is pretty intense as most beginners start off with an AEG and a hicap, previous experience in other combat sports regardless. Again, intense stuff for using a GBBR in winter time even!

It was indescribably fun doing admin mag changes on the move, ducking and covering.

I like the stress of it, as nutty as it might seem. I don't know if this'll translate from inside my head, but I get as much thrill out of keeping the gun going under "stress" as I do shooting, sort of. In the real steel world, there's clock pressure if you're competing, but not much else unless you're enlisted or in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sure it's play; at the same time, it adds a neat element to the gun game that I wouldn't otherwise get.

Having to maintain control of the GBB mags with their fragile feed lips is its own sort of fun, too. No sarcasm intended. The whole GBB thing just kind of tickles me. And light, flex-y plastic guns feel "wrong" in my hands. That's just me ...

At the end of the day of play, my G19 mag valve froze while firing, and it was sort of like a mini-Kaboom with a real Glock, minus the metal fragments and potential injury -- just ended up with a big nimbus of lubed propane gas around my hand. Weather-wise, the KWA I have is running around 340 as of Saturday, and I can watch my BBs and see the (sometimes, heh) slight inconsistencies in pressure and flight path (again, nothing new to an AK guy, LOL).

I dragged my brother, a locally-known paintballer, and another new-to-Airsoft friend of mine with me on Saturday, and I think both were converted. My friend and I are talking bump helmets, call-signs, and throat mics; I'm looking for an AEG LMG; he's looking for an M4 for the sake of standardization within the game and we're both as excited as teen girls before prom. My brother enjoyed it a bit, remarking that he was staggered by how much less Airsoft BBs cost than paintballs ...

I'll check that vid!

[Crazytrain]

Ah, the thrill of the game. Every time I come away with a great high form a particular engagement. It's the success against the opposition. Sometimes they are new players, but the real satisfaction is taking out the experienced folks.

As I like to say, "If you're not dying, you're not trying." I run sniper a lot. It's amazing how many times nobody is trying to capture the objective, just sitting and exchanging fire with the OPFOR. So I run out from cover and try. Sometimes great success. Other times spectacular fail. Either way, it's a great experience and I usually learn what I did wrong.

Hope to see you sometime up north at R&R

[ThatGnomeGuy]

Every time I come away with a great high form a particular engagement... "If you're not dying, you're not trying." ... Sometimes great success. Other times spectacular fail. Either way, it's a great experience and I usually learn what I did wrong.
Hope to see you sometime up north at R&R

Totally! It's a hoot, the learning, the doing, the experimenting. I'll be getting farther north as the weather warms a little, and will look forward to running into you.