Mainland UK sniper fps question?

spicymchaggis

was looking at phoenix rising rules, so tempted to go, and i noticed snipers rifles are allowed to be 400-500 fps, is this just for the event or has the uk different laws?

MacAonghusa

spicymchaggis wrote: »

was looking at phoenix rising rules, so tempted to go, and i noticed snipers rifles are allowed to be 400-500 fps, is this just for the event or has the uk different laws?

Not the UK per se, NI has a 1 joule limit, not sure what it is in GB but I think England has different laws anyway.

spicymchaggis

ah ok, kinda sucks, i mean what makes em stand out from an aeg user, an aeg user can use semi and shoot at the same fps as a sniper, actually my hk416 shoots better than my sniper

MacAonghusa

spicymchaggis wrote: »

ah ok, kinda sucks, i mean what makes em stand out from an aeg user, an aeg user can use semi and shoot at the same fps as a sniper, actually my hk416 shoots better than my sniper

I've been searching the web trying to find a definitive answer but my connection keeps breaking. The best I can find is that the actual limit isn't well defined in England so it's possible that sniper rifles have a higher limit. Don't quote me on that though.

To be of any real advantage i'd say a sniper rifle would need an advantage of around 100fps over an aeg. IMO.

spicymchaggis

exactly, i mean to be able to shoot only 1 bb the same distance as an aeg with the same accuracy makes you think, why. there is the whole element of stealth and patience and skill. but still.....

MacAonghusa

spicymchaggis wrote: »

exactly, i mean to be able to shoot only 1 bb the same distance as an aeg with the same accuracy makes you think, why. there is the whole element of stealth and patience and skill. but still.....

Yeah, that's the challenge in Ireland. It's a pity the limit isn't higher but it is what it is.
Thinking positively, it puts a greater emphasis on stealth, skill and patience, as you said.


Edit: Bit more checking done; the generally accepted limits in the UK (i.e. GB only cos we already know NI) is 1J however as it's a grey area so some sites set their own rules which is why for OpenWarefare & PR2 the rules are:
- 350 for all AEG's, shotguns and pistols
- 500 for all semi-auto sniper rifles. Sniper rifles have a minimum 30m engagement range.

Stercus Accidit

In the UK the energy limit for something to be a firearm is 12 foot pounds, no idea what that is in joules but it is a good bit higher than 1 joule.

I'd say the 1 joule limit is just a site thing in the UK.

Hivemind187

Motosam wrote: »

In the UK the energy limit for something to be a firearm is 12 foot pounds, no idea what that is in joules but it is a good bit higher than 1 joule.

I'd say the 1 joule limit is just a site thing in the UK.

From what I know it's 6joule.

However, no site in the UK will let you play at those levels. Most hover around the same 1joule limit for AEG's etc as we do and at 1.5-2j for bolt action snipers with a minimum engagement range of 20m.

It's a generalisation but it seems to be the accepted standard.

NakedHedgehog

The laws in the UK are a bit iffy regarding airsoft.

Generally it's site specified and it varies a little from site to site.

What most sites are using is between 350 and 370 FPS for an AEG (full auto and burst capable) and 500 FPS for a single shot (e.g. bolt action or AEG with no auto/burst capability).

Just to make it very clear to anyone that is reading this and may get confused: This is for England, Wales and Scotland ONLY.

IF you have an airsoft toy that fires over the 1 joule limit in Ireland, you are committing a criminal offense. That includes you having upgraded your rifle to bring to PR2 and still being in Ireland.

NakedDex

12ftlbs is approx 16.3J.

Puding

that limit is manly in place to allow for the use of air rifles without a license upto that power output, clearly has no bearing as a limit for airsoft, many sites have slightly different rules and limits

OzCam

This issue has been discussed in detail in the operation phoenix rising 2 thread. :rolleyes:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055352373

Just search that thread for "sniper".

o1s1n

I have no problem with people discussing UK power limits, especially with a few of you thinking about heading off to some events there and need info.

As long as it's kept on topic.

Please refrain from the urge to start linking this discussion to Irish power levels. And how you really really wish they were more like the UK. As that starts to cross over into breaking the 'no +1 joule' discussion rule we have in the charter.

If that starts to happen, I'll have to lock the thread. But as I said, if it's kept purely on topic about mainland UK and it's events then it should be fine.

I'll also change the thread title to reflect this.

Arcto

Last i heard bolt actions were allowed to go to 550fps with the old .2.

This was more a general ite rule as oposed to the law.