Airsoft Canada - View Single Post - New players - Navigating ASC - Surviving Your First Game and other essentials

m102404 · August 12th, 2009, 10:47

Great...they made this thread a sticky...now no-one will ever read it...

Weapon Specific Notes:

One of the best pieces written up on this forum. The first post has been an awesome help and captures so much info in one place. Read it...reread it...reread it again and then reap the benefits. Skruface's Why Do I Need to Upgrade (or Not)

Accuracy:- consistency of the shot to shot velocity (typically measured around here in Feet Per Second FPS) is the basis for accuracy. If you're getting 5-10+ fps difference between shots...it will not matter how good your BBs are nor how long nor how tight bored your inner barrel is.
- longer barrels will tend to result in tighter groups of shots at distance than shorter barrels...all things being equal. * there's some debate over this...but as with all things airsoft it's probably, partially true...sometimes...LOL
- a good BB weight (0.25g+), a nice inner barrel and a good hopup rubber do A LOT for accuracy and they're a good bang for your buck.

FPS:
- games are typically set with a MAXimum FPS limit. It is a hard limit...you do not need to be shooting at that specific velocity. In fact, it's very hard to get your rifle shooting right on the maximum and you stand a good chance of being over. It would suck to show up at a game and not be allowed to play because you have a hot gun. It would suck even more to get called out by someone you shot for a chrony test...only then to find out that you're running a hot gun. Prepare to pack your bags and go...and not be welcomed back.
- if your rifle is shooting well and you're shooting 20-35fps below the field limit and you're wondering if it's worth upgrading for that little bit more speed...it's NOT. 20-35fps is pretty much meaningless at most games for most people. 50fps is probably not even worth sweating.
- when you start to get out to games and start making friends...you'll realize that you're not out there to hurt them. Competition is still fierce, aggression is high...but you all want to kick back and enjoy a cold one afterwards, not nurse a facefull of bleeding welts.
- you'll drop FPS by going to heavier BBs. But you'll pick up effective range over lighter/faster BBs. That's the ultimate range that you can confidently hit something that you're aiming at. Switch from 0.20g BBs to 0.25g/0.28g BBs and it's like magic...your groups shrink, your shots don't fly sideways with the slightest breeze, it's soooo sweet. For indoors...0.20's are just fine. The range and conditions rarely warrant anything heavier (and heavier BBs hurt more close up!).

Rate of Fire (ROF):
- Batteries do nothing that affect your FPS. But they greatly affect your ROF, how many shots your rifle can shoot per minute/second. Pair a big battery with a strong motor and your rifle will fire like it's been hit by a bolt of lighting. This may sound great, but in reality it greatly reduces the lifespan of the parts in the mechbox and puts a lot of wear and tear on everything else. Having a rifle that shoots 1400RPM (rounds per minute) might be a blast...right up until it shoots 0RPM because it's broken. In actual play a really high rate of fire is less than desireable since it empties your mag in a heartbeat and puts an awful lot of rounds onto whatever you do hit (1-3 bbs hitting a guy can hurt plenty....20 BBs hitting almost all at once hurts A LOT and is just plain dangerous). In short, unless your rifle is so sluggish that you could have run up and tagged the person by hand before it shoots....don't sweat the ROF, concentrate on tactics instead.

Game Play Notes:

Taking/Giving a Shot:
- Airsoft is all about the honour system. You need to be sensitive to taking a hit. At range, the impact from a shot isn't very hard, nor is it very loud. A weak shot feels like someone has just flicked your jacket...and weak shots still count. A shot to your hat still counts. Depending on the game, a shot to your rifle may count as "gun down"...and you have to go to a different weapon. In the hustle and bustle and heat of the moment...you need to keep track of all that. Everyone else on the field is expecting you to...actually, they expect you to get it perfect. But no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes...be conscious of making them, call yourself out and try better. If you're in an exposed position and shots are raining down all around you where there's no possible way that you'd survive...call yourself out (you might not be feeling the shots or your opponents may be shooting nicely and not hammering your head just because that's what's open to shoot...be thankful, take the hit and go respawn).

I've probably made every mistake in the book...but I always try to be better next time and not repeat mistakes. That's all anyone can ask for. Don't sweat taking a hit. Usually respawn is just minutes away and you're back in the action...it's part of the game.

When you're shooting at someone and they're not calling out...always give them the benefit of the doubt, and move up and shoot them more! Your shots might be impacting really softly (I've had some shots feel like someone dropped a bb on my sleeve from a foot above). Your shots might be falling short. Airsoft gun ranges are such that quite often you can just move 10' (that's only 3 paces) back and suddenly be out of the shooters range. Plenty of times I've been hunkered down with guys and we're watching a rain of shots falling 10-15ft right in front of us. A bit sureal...but it happens.

Move up and shoot them again...that works. Wait 'till they get in closer before opening up. Know what your effective range is (it's shorter than the absolute range). Aim for non-geared areas (arms, legs, bum...NOT the crotch or head).

Now this happens too...and it's unfortunate. You and your buddies get a guy lined up and open fire. He dances, twitches, you can see the bbs bouncing off of him...everyone is 100% certain that he's been hit. Yet, he doesn't react like he's been hit (shuts up, lie down, raise your arms, put your kill rag on, etc...). He turns to shoot, looks around for who shot him, starts to go on his merry way, runs off giggling into the bush. What to do? You and your buddies are pissed.
1. Stop shooting, call Parlay or Cease Fire. Approach the person and tell them that everyone's just seen him shrug off the hits and that it's not acceptable. If the person reacts positively...let it go. If not, go to step two.
2. Get the game host there and relay what's happened. It's up to the host to make a judgement call and resolve the issue. Whatever the host says...goes. That's it...after that let it go. The person in the wrong may be ejected from the game, banned from future events, etc....

Note: If it appears that you're the one freaking out about every potential shot not being a hit....the problem might not be the other person and be prepared to face the consequences if you're interrupting the game continuously.

August 12th, 2009, 10:47	#3
m102404 Tys Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Toronto	Great...they made this thread a sticky...now no-one will ever read it... Weapon Specific Notes: One of the best pieces written up on this forum. The first post has been an awesome help and captures so much info in one place. Read it...reread it...reread it again and then reap the benefits. Skruface's Why Do I Need to Upgrade (or Not) Accuracy:- consistency of the shot to shot velocity (typically measured around here in Feet Per Second FPS) is the basis for accuracy. If you're getting 5-10+ fps difference between shots...it will not matter how good your BBs are nor how long nor how tight bored your inner barrel is. - longer barrels will tend to result in tighter groups of shots at distance than shorter barrels...all things being equal. * there's some debate over this...but as with all things airsoft it's probably, partially true...sometimes...LOL - a good BB weight (0.25g+), a nice inner barrel and a good hopup rubber do A LOT for accuracy and they're a good bang for your buck. FPS: - games are typically set with a MAXimum FPS limit. It is a hard limit...you do not need to be shooting at that specific velocity. In fact, it's very hard to get your rifle shooting right on the maximum and you stand a good chance of being over. It would suck to show up at a game and not be allowed to play because you have a hot gun. It would suck even more to get called out by someone you shot for a chrony test...only then to find out that you're running a hot gun. Prepare to pack your bags and go...and not be welcomed back. - if your rifle is shooting well and you're shooting 20-35fps below the field limit and you're wondering if it's worth upgrading for that little bit more speed...it's NOT. 20-35fps is pretty much meaningless at most games for most people. 50fps is probably not even worth sweating. - when you start to get out to games and start making friends...you'll realize that you're not out there to hurt them. Competition is still fierce, aggression is high...but you all want to kick back and enjoy a cold one afterwards, not nurse a facefull of bleeding welts. - you'll drop FPS by going to heavier BBs. But you'll pick up effective range over lighter/faster BBs. That's the ultimate range that you can confidently hit something that you're aiming at. Switch from 0.20g BBs to 0.25g/0.28g BBs and it's like magic...your groups shrink, your shots don't fly sideways with the slightest breeze, it's soooo sweet. For indoors...0.20's are just fine. The range and conditions rarely warrant anything heavier (and heavier BBs hurt more close up!). Rate of Fire (ROF): - Batteries do nothing that affect your FPS. But they greatly affect your ROF, how many shots your rifle can shoot per minute/second. Pair a big battery with a strong motor and your rifle will fire like it's been hit by a bolt of lighting. This may sound great, but in reality it greatly reduces the lifespan of the parts in the mechbox and puts a lot of wear and tear on everything else. Having a rifle that shoots 1400RPM (rounds per minute) might be a blast...right up until it shoots 0RPM because it's broken. In actual play a really high rate of fire is less than desireable since it empties your mag in a heartbeat and puts an awful lot of rounds onto whatever you do hit (1-3 bbs hitting a guy can hurt plenty....20 BBs hitting almost all at once hurts A LOT and is just plain dangerous). In short, unless your rifle is so sluggish that you could have run up and tagged the person by hand before it shoots....don't sweat the ROF, concentrate on tactics instead. Game Play Notes: Taking/Giving a Shot: - Airsoft is all about the honour system. You need to be sensitive to taking a hit. At range, the impact from a shot isn't very hard, nor is it very loud. A weak shot feels like someone has just flicked your jacket...and weak shots still count. A shot to your hat still counts. Depending on the game, a shot to your rifle may count as "gun down"...and you have to go to a different weapon. In the hustle and bustle and heat of the moment...you need to keep track of all that. Everyone else on the field is expecting you to...actually, they expect you to get it perfect. But no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes...be conscious of making them, call yourself out and try better. If you're in an exposed position and shots are raining down all around you where there's no possible way that you'd survive...call yourself out (you might not be feeling the shots or your opponents may be shooting nicely and not hammering your head just because that's what's open to shoot...be thankful, take the hit and go respawn). I've probably made every mistake in the book...but I always try to be better next time and not repeat mistakes. That's all anyone can ask for. Don't sweat taking a hit. Usually respawn is just minutes away and you're back in the action...it's part of the game. When you're shooting at someone and they're not calling out...always give them the benefit of the doubt, and move up and shoot them more! Your shots might be impacting really softly (I've had some shots feel like someone dropped a bb on my sleeve from a foot above). Your shots might be falling short. Airsoft gun ranges are such that quite often you can just move 10' (that's only 3 paces) back and suddenly be out of the shooters range. Plenty of times I've been hunkered down with guys and we're watching a rain of shots falling 10-15ft right in front of us. A bit sureal...but it happens. Move up and shoot them again...that works. Wait 'till they get in closer before opening up. Know what your effective range is (it's shorter than the absolute range). Aim for non-geared areas (arms, legs, bum...NOT the crotch or head). Now this happens too...and it's unfortunate. You and your buddies get a guy lined up and open fire. He dances, twitches, you can see the bbs bouncing off of him...everyone is 100% certain that he's been hit. Yet, he doesn't react like he's been hit (shuts up, lie down, raise your arms, put your kill rag on, etc...). He turns to shoot, looks around for who shot him, starts to go on his merry way, runs off giggling into the bush. What to do? You and your buddies are pissed. 1. Stop shooting, call Parlay or Cease Fire. Approach the person and tell them that everyone's just seen him shrug off the hits and that it's not acceptable. If the person reacts positively...let it go. If not, go to step two. 2. Get the game host there and relay what's happened. It's up to the host to make a judgement call and resolve the issue. Whatever the host says...goes. That's it...after that let it go. The person in the wrong may be ejected from the game, banned from future events, etc.... Note: If it appears that you're the one freaking out about every potential shot not being a hit....the problem might not be the other person and be prepared to face the consequences if you're interrupting the game continuously. Last edited by m102404; April 25th, 2011 at 13:16..