The Friendliness of Airsoft

Leftyflip

There's a lot of shíte going on around the forum which portrays us in a bad light, so to counter this lets discuss some of the nice things found in the airsoft scene. Doesn't matter if it was at a site, a shop, over a Facebook page or here on Boards - as long as it relates to airsoft it's relevant!

First time I ever went to a skirmish, I was running low on BB's near the end of the day and one of the lads, Defenderdude, came up to me and my two friends and asked us "You ok for BB's lads?" as he held out a bottle to us. We were grand between the three of us, but it was that niceness that got me hooked. The same day, my battery ran out and another regular saw me heading up to the safe-zone and asked if I was ok, I told him that my battery died, without hesitation, he asked if I had a spare and if not, he had one I could borrow. Those two events on the first day are what made me keep playing and coming back.

Went up to Eirsoft one day last year looking for a gearbox shell as mine had cracked, after a quick chat with Shiva and a few jokes, he asked me if he could help me find anything, I told him what I needed and he invited me out to the back and said "See if you can find what you need!", after a quick rummage we found it and I asked how much I owed him "Ah g'way, you're alright" he said.
A small thing, but it also an important thing - as without that generosity, I would have had to pay €30 to order one in.

A few days before a game, I lost my Bollés and asked around to see if anyone had any within my budget (broke student), unfortunately nowhere had, but Inari, said that he had a pair he didn't use that I was more than welcome to. I found mine about an hour before I was about to collect them from him, so whilst I didn't need them - the offer was great and hugely appreciated.

I have loads of other stories, but I want to hear some of yours first. Lets show people who just found our hobby, what we're really like!

Bobby Baccala

On my first day of airsofting back when i hadnt got a gun to my name i was using a rental and it was one hundred percent s##t the lad nearest me told me to stay with him for the team deathmatch we were playing so i could actually have a bit of fun in my first match.
I did stick with him and ended up being left on my own and wiping out the remaining three players on the enemy team

This experience alone got me into airsofting and i still go to that very site to this day.

ronan keane

Was In RedBarn A Few Months Ago,My Gun Wasn't Working Properly (Motor Screw Tightened Too Much)Anyways Half Way Through My Battery Couldn't turn the Gears,4 Lads Offered Me A Spare AEG They Had In The End Damo Let Me Use His Lipo :-)

McGilla

I've never met the guy. We have only come across each other on Boards.

I posted a Thread asking for mosfet info, next thing I know Johnny has sent me a PM offering me his old Mosfet free of charge.

It's actions like this, that make the airsoft community so unique.

I have seen generosity like this on sites, but to see this online, is extremely rare in all communities.

Much appreciated!

andy_g

There's friendlyness in airsoft? I thought it was all a bunch of cod players running around with aeg's shooting each other wearing multicam because they seen it in various video games

Ok in all seriousness i have experianced it recently with gun techs working on some of my kit and any of the nice things going in my gun rejects lol but the tech has stayed at it and added some free nice things that i have offered to pay for.

But says dont worry

Alan b.

Way back when I started playing airsoft in this country in 2006, the only reason I got further then owning one to plink in the garden was When I went to buy an m4 off a somebody, who invited me to come to a game with him up north, and try it out before I shell out big money. Gave be a loan of a gun and introduced me to the lads up there and had savage time. Subsequently shelled out a disgusting amount of cash on a collection of my own.

Zomg Okay

Last game I played, we had a new kid who was about 14/15.

Our whole team kept checking he was doing okay, was set for BBs, wondering if there was any questions he had, made sure he got his say in planning our advances, etc. Was a great thing to witness.

Leftyflip

andy_g wrote: »

There's friendlyness in airsoft? I thought it was all a bunch of cod players running around with aeg's shooting each other wearing multicam because they seen it in various video games

Ok in all seriousness i have experianced it recently with gun techs working on some of my kit and any of the nice things going in my gun rejects lol but the tech has stayed at it and added some free nice things that i have offered to pay for.

But says dont worry

*puts angle grinder down*

Firekitten

Friendlyness in airsoft?

The sport is built on it. From the ground up. People from all walks of life, all lines of work, ages, and races come together, for a common interest, and play as equals on the skirmish field.

There, no one person is superior, or inferior.


6mm. The great leveler.

Arkslippy

Group hug everyone !!!!!

The first time I went, my brother brought me with some of his mates to the block and we had an epic day. I'd gone and bought brit dpm and borrowed an m4.

I couldn't get over how cool everyone was and fair. A lot to be done with the attitude of the site owners too.

NakedDex

Everyone I've met is an arse. I'm amazing though, so I tolerate your respective existences. Some more than others.





Edit: Oh, and Doc. He's amazing too. Boom de-ya-da.

Firekitten

There's always one...

Though dex counts for two...

Steve

I was hangin' out in the mod forum one day when I spotted a thread saying 'help needed in airsoft adverts'. In a less than sober state I thought 'feck it' and said I'd do it on a temporary basis.

Here I am a year and a half later and I still haven't had a day out with yez - some friendly bunch you are :D

Leftyflip

Steve wrote: »

I was hangin' out in the mod forum one day when I spotted a thread saying 'help needed in airsoft adverts'. In a less than sober state I thought 'feck it' and said I'd do it on a temporary basis.

Here I am a year and a half later and I still haven't had a day out with yez - some friendly bunch you are :D

Ah here lad, I invited you out!

NakedDex

Steve, it's not for the want of trying. To be fair though, you're taking your health into your own hands. An airsoft mod on a skirmish field as a viable target? It'd be like Normandy...

Firekitten wrote: »

There's always one...

Though dex counts for two...

I'm that amazing.

Steve

Yeah, I'd probably need a tank or something

Firekitten

NakedDex wrote: »

Steve, it's not for the want of trying. To be fair though, you're taking your health into your own hands. An airsoft mod on a skirmish field as a viable target? It'd be like Normandy...



I'm that amazing.

Less like Normandy.... The Germans actually resisted...

More like the German invasion of France.

As for Amazing... No comment.

Leftyflip

Steve wrote: »

Yeah, I'd probably need a tank or something

In all seriousness though Steve, if you ever wanna give it a go, you're more than welcome to borrow some of my gear. Just give me a PM!

NakedDex

Firekitten wrote: »

As for Amazing... No comment.

So amazing, comments aren't needed.

Steve

Leftyflip wrote: »

In all seriousness though Steve, if you ever wanna give it a go, you're more than welcome to borrow some of my gear. Just give me a PM!

You have a tank? :D

I went paintballing (ugh) a few years ago with work and no matter what team we were on we only had one target: the boss..

We haven't gone since.

Soon mate, bring it - I'll go out there and kick all yore asses* :cool:



*may contain traces of fiction and / or nuts.

thermo

Steve, I can get you a loan of a tank, but you will have to pay for the loloader to get it to the site. Next excuse not to play ill sort that one too lol

Alan b.

thermo wrote: »

Steve, I can get you a loan me a tank, but you will have to pay for the loloader to get it to the site. Next excuse not to play

that can be driven to the site. it's got it's pads on.

Steve

thermo wrote: »

Steve, I can get you a loan me a tank, but you will have to pay for the loloader to get it to the site. Next excuse not to play

Will a 60ft do?

I'm there :cool:

thermo

@ alan at 5 gallons to the mile, its cheaper to loload it. @ steve that will do.

Alan b.

thermo wrote: »

@ alan at 5 gallons to the mile, its cheaper to loload it. @ steve that will do.

but wheres the fun in that lol

Inari

Friendliness is regrettably not attributed to activities, but rather to people...and it is often based on your compatibility with said people. It is not inherent, and is very subjective.

As a result of people not being compatible with one another, there is an awful lot of hostility and animosity, especially on Boards.ie. Threads like this are nice for a couple of reasons:
A) Helps combat the spread of negativity
Shows people a different side to many users
C) Makes people a little more comfortable asking the proverbial 'stupid' questions (any question people have should be asked; no sense in things going unanswered)

I'll start with some small ones:
While playing at a site, a new player renting had run out of BB's, so I threw (read; carefully slid across the floor) him a pistol as I continued laying down suppresive fire - he didn't expect it, thanked me and used it for the rest of the game. Afterward he gave the pistol back, and offered to replace the used BB's and Co2

Another thing that happens me every week in work; people get new toys in and bring 'em in to show off. I had a lad come into the store, fantastic guy, bring in his tasty new PX-4 (HK3P...or something to that effect) 'cause he read on Boards.ie that I was thinking about picking one up. How can you argue with people like that?

My last one, because I feel she's been getting a bit of a bad rep at the moment, is Firekitten. When I started getting interested in sniping, I sent her a PM asking about different rifles, and explained what I was looking for (good rifle; accuracy international stock) - she answered every question clearly, without once making me feel like an utter imbecile, and offered to help at every stage.

I end my post on a preachy message; not everyone gets on, and that's fine. You don't have to pretend to like one another...but you could still be civil, and reduce that sheer amount of passive-aggressive animosity. It doesn't take much, at least I don't think so.

King John The Last

I asked in a retailers forum about getting a new barrel. When I came back I had a PM. A guy offered to sell me what I wanted cheaply. The real act of kindness was that he sent it to me before I paid him "to make sure I liked it". Little things like that restore your faith in airsofters/boardsies.

Disco Volante

My thread is only a few ones down the page about the kindness that I was shown on my first day but there was one or two other things on that day I didn't mention...

When Thermo's saw stopped working (I broke it :rolleyes:) John, one of the usuals at HRTA offered me one of his AEG's with out batting an eye lid. We all know how much money an AEG costs and the sentimental value to people as well so that was really cool as it turns out Thermo gave me another gun to see if I could break it.

When we were finishing up in Tallaght CQB one of the lads noticed I was wearing a German uniform and offered to give me the webbing to match.

On my first day to have experienced everything from warm welcomes and sharing jokes to those two examples above I don't think anyone could ever question the integrity, kindness or generosity of airsofters as a collective

Faolchu

first day out in Redbarn I was made welcome but the regulars. ended up on a team with them in the afternoon. skip forward about 2 months and my next visit i turn up for the second half of the day, the Marshals remembered me immediatly and welcomed me back then i saw two of the lads i'd been teamed with and just started chatting. The Marshals decided to do a game they used the whole site and everyone was in teams of two, the two lads immediatly went to the marshals and said yer man is on his own can he team with us, so the game was immediatly changed to teams of three.

Was out in Vacant then and was having chatting to a mate about a pistol i had. i thought i may have had an issue with a mag, he calls someone over, yer mad taked the pistol strips it sprays silicon spray all over the inside and just puts the mags in his pocket for a bit. half an hour later the pistol is firing just fine.

saw someone who had dropped a screw last weekend, without hesitation i took my gloves off and helped him look for it.

T4RGET

first day out was in HRTA, rented and the help I got of Paul and the regulars amazed me. It's such a unique sport and even now three years later, when I help new players you can really see the appreciation they have when you help them, the one big thing is BB's I ran out of BB's on my first day and my mate gave me some, ran out of them and some one else gave me some. at the time I was like no you payed for them, but in the end he insisted so I took them. And now when ever someone else runs out of BB's I get the same response out of them in that they won't take them as I've paid for them, but 14 quid for 4000 BB's is nothing when they take afew hundred.
Boards.ie experience

there have definitely been a few but I'd say richy and kev from hobbyairsoft helping me out with getting the F2000 and a bunch of other stuff that I really could't fit in the thread. then there's the multiple time Steve from SE has helped me taking his time out even if it doesn't end in me making a purchase and then there's the oldest memory of Ger fixing my SCAR after the Gearbox had cracked (sold it by the way mate :P)

TerrenceAnth

My first time airsofting i went out and got my own gun and mags and a few other bits and went on up to Fingal airsoft. I had maybe 4 midcaps to my name and we where holding delta and i cant remember who they where it was some team from around the Dublin area. I ran out of bbs early as i was laying down the suppressing fire and i head a voice from behind me saying "are you ok for ammo" I replied "no I'm empty" next thing i see 4 mags thrown to me from each member of the team and they where all high caps! Needless to say i was good for ammo for the rest of the assault and this really inspired me to keep the sport up and i never hesitate to throw someone a mag or a pistol now because i know people would do the same.

Another time that really showed me the quality of the people airsofting was propably at the 27 hour game in dundalk. Me and a 5 man squad where up the mountain (yes its a damn mountain if you say its a hill you have obviously never had to run up it) holding it for the engineers and we run into the mercenaries who where not officially hostile to us but could be we had our guns trainned on eachother then the squad leader came walking over to us with his hands held high and we worked out where the hell we where :rolleyes: It was just one of the momments in airsoft that has always stuck with me two potentially enemy teams working out where we both had to go.

I have far too many good memorys from airsoft but the lads who play it are some of the nicest lads you will find even if we do flame eachother on the forums

MerryDespot

To be honest I've more stories about people being friendly at airsoft sites than I do of people being unfriendly. I've yet to go to an airsoft site where people aren't generally decent to each other - most of the gun lust I've built up has come from some guy at an airsoft field at one time or another patiently explaining about their aeg or pistol - I now try to do the same when people want to have a look at any kit I have with me.

Other than Dex though ... hate Dex.

NakedDex

Jealousy matches well with those OD's.

MerryDespot

NakedDex wrote: »

Jealousy matches well with those OD's.

It's all about the coordination...

NakedDex

It's about time you got something co-ordinated.

TheDoc

First game out, Gatling throws a "sonic grenade" around a corner. A bright yellow ball that makes a car alarm noise.

I stood there looking at wondering what the **** was that, he came belting around the corner and I blasted him solid.

He dropped his gun and started having a freaker that he killed me with a grenade, I told him to eat a dick that he threw a car alarm and nothing hit me, he went mad again, until some other bloke there told him to get the boat and he went off sulking.

That was pretty much the introduction of " what the **** sorta people do this"

Then thank **** I met some normal people , and DefenderDude showed me what a hop up was, on my gun, about half way through the evening.

It was at the that point, knowing that I'd been playing at a disadvantage, I knew I was literally gods gift to this game and would never have to try.

I've been playing at about 40% ever since......


On another note ( Not a serious one, I'm not kidding when I say I'm better then all of you) my second game out my rifle started acting the mickey during an amazing firefight and I shouted a loud profanity. Old Masada gave a roar and threw me a custom m4 he had literally built and brought out for the first time, caught it and continued the fight.

got me thinking that if a bloke is putting that much work into a piece and then was just gonna give it to me without a thought to use as a backup, that there is some good **** going on in this game.

I'd like to emphasis I caught it mid air after a summersault and killed 6 lads.


Dex.....we never played enough as we should have. We had dreams, The Dex and Doc show, coulda been something, coulda been tremendous.

For those not familiar, on the four occasions me and Dex were together for a game, everyone else had to leave the field because there was just too much awesome happening in the one site to handle.

NakedDex

The universe conspired against us Doc. Keeping both of us in one place being our awesome selves is just too much for it to handle.

I still say we should build ridiculous pistols and go Tetragrammaton on people's asses.

TheDoc

NakedDex wrote: »

The universe conspired against us Doc. Keeping both of us in one place being our awesome selves is just too much for it to handle.

I still say we should build ridiculous pistols and go Tetragrammaton on people's asses.

Did you ever draw schematics for reloading through your sleeve?

NakedDex

Wasn't viable. Designed a better alternative that carries more magazines. I did make self-righting bases for my Kimber mags. Throw them anywhere and they stand up, waiting for an empty gun.