I say it is this:  The Western Arms Hardballer (full review)

(that’s the long silver one. The other is a TM1911 which is also very good)

Why?

1. Range and accuracy thanks to its 7 inch barrel.
2. Power due to being able to take Green Gas.
3. Classic 1911 form factor enables quick learning.
4. Long nose means point and shoot.
5. Many many many upgrades and not to hard to maintain.
6. 20 BB in the mags.
7. Easy to holster and not too heavy.
8. Reliability is around 80% of a TM1911.

For example:

I was playing this Sunday and after the Capture The Flag game was a draw it was decided to hold a 1 on 1 showdown to decide the game. I was nominated to go against a guy wielding what looked like a TM Biohazard M9. We stood 40 paces apart with many a barrel between us and our guns at our feet on the floor.

We both reached down and grabbed our fire-irons. We then both went for a kneeling snapshot. His two shots missed me by 4 feet. My two shots slotted him directly in the forehead.

WA’s are excellent skirmish pistols!

Other good ones I have owned are:
1. TM DE Hardkick - had one of these for ages.  (big black one in image)
2. WA Colt Delta Elite - light weight Hardballer type 1911.  (silver one in image)
3. TM 1911 - a pure classic and rock solid.  (twin set in right image)

Basho

We should hire a publicity officer!

Warrior Double 5.56mm Pouch (TAN)

Description:  Fabulous Warrior M4 pouches can be loaded to your specifications: flap in single or double stacked, or flap over secure.  Excellent build quality you expect from Warrior. Molle clips on rear so very easy to attach to anything!

No of items: 2

Price: £8 each

———–

Warrior MCP77 PSD RIG (TAN)

Description:  This light and easy rig is made for fast loads and holds 8 mag in comfort and style.  Easy to pack and wear and with the molle loops on the front you can add even more kit for a truly personal loadout.  NOTE: item shown on left is a suggested loadout only and the base unit is as on right.

Price:  £20

———–

Warrior SLIM LINE MOLLE HOLSTER (TAN) & Warrior Molle Holster (TAN)

Descriptions:  These two are the holsters Warrior offer.  The one on the left is missing the elastic retention loop and holds all midframe pistols with ease.  I use it with a TM 1911 and a WA Hardballer 7-inch with no issues.  Comes with molle on the front for attaching a mag holder and the standard warrior clips for attaching onto, well anything.  A very nice holster indeed.    The second is the super secure warrior adjustable holster, which will take a gun and a laser/torch no problems.  This features a vecro wrap around adjuster (like the Guarder Tornado - see tomorrows post!) that means you can customise the fit.  It also has the warrior attaching clips.  A gun in this holster will not fall out ever.

No of items: 2 of the Slim Line and 1 of the Molle

Price: £8 and £7

———–

Warrior PLB Belt (TAN)

Description:  This is simply the best belt you can get.  The Warrior PLB Belt is a fully adjustable padded belt designed to allow maximium load carrying capability with a high level of sustained comfort. Made from 1000D cordura the PLB is a durable piece of kit with great features and ergonomic design allows it to hang just right.

Price: £12

———–

Warrior Double Pistol Pouches.

Description: Simple and very effective, these will outlast us all.

No of items: 3

Price:  All 3 £12 or £5 each

———–

Magpul - 5.56mm  (TAN)

No of items: 5

Price £8 all 5

Finally the big one:

5.11 Aggressor Parka and internal fleece (TAN - of course)

Description:  Now a firm staple of the DA’s who have a line on these bad boys.

The Aggressor Parka is a great piece of functional outerwear for all conditions and a wide range of terrain. Featuring 5.11’s Back-up Belt System and protected by 5.11’s High Performance waterproof/breathable system, the Aggressor acts as a great weather barrier. An internal fleece liner is colour-matched to the shell and is definitely attractive enough to be worn by itself.

These are amazing to wear while playing, as featured on almost every DA photo or movie.

SIZE:  X-Large

Note: This item has been worn but is in excellent condition with no marks or cuts of any kind.

Price: £90

Note: Postage costs to be arranged and split.  Small items posted free no-problem.  Collection available form Electrowerkz or Buckhurst Hill.

Happy shopping!

Basho

Guarder Gun Bag

Description:  Three main gun storage compartments for AEG/Rifle, SMG and pistol.  Complete with retaining straps.  Two other large pockets on front.  Converts to backpack for easy carrying.  Large compartment has an extender to allow for large rifle carrying.  Excellent condition.  Carries two AEG’s easily in main bag.  Fantastic Guarder Quality.

Price: £25

Oakley SI Assault Boots.

Description:  Worn twice, excellent condition.  SIZE 12.

“The Oakley SI Assault Boot is one of the lightest, most comfortable, hard wearing boots you will ever own. Standard issue to U.S. Special Forces and SWAT, made from abrasion resistant soft top grain leather and advanced polymer EVA and premium urethane for comprehensive shock absorption. The unique NBS vulcanised rubber sole provides unbeatable traction in the hardest of environments.”

Price: £35

Police Issue Overt Body Armour.

Description:  Stab proof body armour, ex police (flashes removed).  Two large pockets for mags, belt clips and shoulder hooks for mics.  If you want to see what one looks like, just check out a policeman. Good condition, very tough.  Included is the real stab proof inserts and custom made foam ones.

Note: Postage will be slightly higher due to weight.

Price: £40

Dual Pistol Holster.

Description:  This hard to find item is a dual shoulder holster for those “The Killer” loadouts.  Fits all small/medium frame guns.  I had Tm 1911’s in there.  Fully adjustable and includes a dual mag holder that clips into the bottom of the holster.

Price:  £20

ACU Light Assault Rig.

Description:  Light and well designed vest for assault missions.  Built in M4 Mag holders, command panel and full molle. Also includes built in water bladder holder.

Price: £35

Guarder LVL III Tactical Vest.

Description: The top protection available for airsoft.  This fantastic vest is featured in the movie “Speed” and reviewed by Arnie himself here: CLICK

Very simple to fit for your loadout and perfect for CQB.  Typically excellent Guarder build quality.  Includes all pouches (M4’s, MP5, Medic, Radio, Pistol).  Also comes with the vitally brilliant “boloock protector”.

Price: £50

Bolle Shellmet Helmet.

Description:  Size Large.  Bolle make all sort of safety equipment and this is their top helmet.  A hard plastic outer cover with a very high quality washable insert (far superior to standard Airsoft helmets).  Includes snap in ear protectors and padded chin strap. One nice feature is the fact that the air holes are covered with mesh, no more shots in the head!

Condition: Well cared for but some slight scratches.

Price £30

Leatherman Juice XE6.

Description:  Colour Grey - Perfect condition.  The best multitool you can get!

“The Leatherman XE6 is the Juice that’s the most jam-packed model in the new line. With a slightly thicker chassis than the CS4 or KF4, and protected by purple anodised aluminium handles, the XE6 has it all. Along with pliers, wire cutters and four screwdrivers, the Leatherman Juice XE6 contains a saw, awl and diamond-coated file. It provides a choice of straight or serrated knife blades. The XE6 also houses easily accessible serrated scissors, plus a corkscrew, can and bottle opener, as well as a lanyard attachment. Powerful but still compact, the XE6 comes in the colour “Thunder.” The Leatherman Juice XE6 is made in the U.S.A. and covered by Leatherman’s 25-year warranty.”

Price: £50

Airsoft Approved Lumberjack Goggles.

Description:  These imported real lumberjack goggles feature a strong BB proof mesh (tested up to 1J) and a well fitted hard plastic shell.  Full eye protection with none of the steam of glass or the aiming issues of a full face.  Comes with carrying case and a great strap.

Price:   £15

For offers PM me, else post below.  Happy shopping!

Basho

Features:

• Official Classic Army expanded stock and 10v battery - Official CA Part: Massive rate of fire!
• Tan high cap
• Smokeys Front Grip
• King Arms Tan Rail Mounted Torch - Very bright!
• Noveske Flashhider!
• Lovely folding stock design
• Basic 9v battery also included as is the original flashhider and original stock
• Solid as a rock upper receiver

This is my main gun that I have owned since new.  I bought this on launch day from UN Company and have loved it well ever since.  This is the gun in my SCAR review and in all the BASHOCAM! movies (check them out for the awesome rate of fire).  I have installed the CA 10v battery in this gun.  This is an official part from Classic Army and shows how strong the gears are!

Quote from review:

I like the SCAR. It is by far the best built stock gun I have ever used. Envious looks follow it around the battlefield (if that is your bag) and hit newbs will surround you in battle (if that is your bag). Its battery life is fine, its range is good, its power is heavy, its stock folds, it takes every type of extra…. I love mine!

FPS: The FPS is 300 to 310, so this gun is safe for use at Electrowerkz.

Base Product Info:

• Gear Box - Version 2, 7mm bearings
• Motor - Classic Army High Torque Motor
• Magazine - 300 rounds (with AEG)
• Length - 845mm
• Weight - 3500g
• Barrel Length - 384mm
• Muzzle Velocity - 290-310fps
• Battery - Small Type (Included!)
• Package includes (AEG, Manual, Magazine)
• Metal Flip up Front & Rear Sight
• CNC made Metal Upper Receiver

Condition:

The condition of the gun is excellent mechanically.  There is a small amount of paint that has flaked off of the metal upper receiver.  This is common to the CA SCAR and entirely cosmetic.  Nothing a little spay paint wont fix.

Images:

VIDEOS are here

Price:

Asking price is £300 + add postage.  If you pay the asking price I will also throw in a AIMPOINT red dot replica worth £30 itself.

PAYPAL, CASH in hand or REGISTERED post,  Cheque or Bank Transfer are the accepted methods of payment.

Note:  If I don’t know you I will ask you to email me a photo/scan of your membership card to an airsoft site or come and talk to me in person down at Electrowerkz (where I am a senior marshal)

Postage:  I guess that this item will be about £15 to post, any more than that I will pay the difference.  If you want to pick the gun up and save the postage then either Buckhurst Hill Tube station or at Electrowerkz Airsoft site in Angel.

FAQ:

1. Why are you selling all this stuff?   Because I am leaving the UK for a year in JUNE and going travelling around the world.  All my airsoft items are for sale.

2. How can I trust you?  Well, apart from the fact I am very well known both on this board and at Electrowerkz, I have sold many many items (20+) before and have always been on hand to make sure the end user is happy.

3. How can I contact you after sales?  My contact form is here: http://www.outsidecontext.com/contact/  This emails me directly.

4. SWAPS?  No thanks.  I am going to be out of the country for too long to use them!

5. SPLITS?  Contact me via PM or using the contact form in 3.

6. Availability.  I am away in DEVON the week of the 21st of April, apart from that I am at Electrowerkz every Tuesday.

7.  Your’re going away?  To where?   USA, OZ, NZ, Singapore, ‘Nam, Cambodia, Laos, HONG KONG, China, JAPAN, India.

8.  Can you pick up something from HongKong/China/Japan for me?   Perhaps.

9.  All your items are for sale?  Yes, look for other posts.  Everything must go (apart from my Hardballer; sorry).

10.  These items are also available through my website: www.outsidecontext.com

Regards,

Basho

Scene: Electrowerkz, London.

One table is occupied by The Darkangels with full face masks and helmets on. A newb’ and his mate enter.

Newb: You sit here, mate.
Mate: All right.
Newb (to Janno): Morning!
Janno: Morning!
Newb: Well, what combat gear have you got?
Janno: Well, there’s DPM and Multicam; DPM ACU and Multicam; DPM and tan; DPM Multicam and tan; DPM Multicam ACU and tan; tan Multicam ACU and tan; tan DPM tan tan Multicam and tan; tan ACU tan tan Multicam tan black and tan;
Darkangels (starting to chant): tan tan tan tan…

Janno: …tan tan tan DPM and tan; tan tan tan tan tan tan Tiger Stripe tan tan tan…
Darkangels (singing): tan! Lovely tan! Lovely tan!
Janno: …or Flecktarn with a lovely CADPAT and MARPAT jacket with Multicam pouches garnished with 5.11 holsters, Tad Gear Hoodies …and tan.
Mate: Have you got anything without tan?
Janno: Well, there’s tan DPM ACU and tan, that’s not got much tan in it.
Mate: I don’t want ANY tan!
Newb: Why can’t he have DPM Multicam tan and ACU?
Mate: THAT’S got tan in it!
Newb: Hasn’t got as much tan in it as tan DPM ACU and tan, has it?
Darkangels: tan tan tan tan (crescendo through next few lines)

Mate: Could you do the DPM Multicam tan and ACU without the tan then?
Janno: Eewwww!
Mate: What do you mean ‘Eewwww’? I don’t like tan!
Darkangels: Lovely tan! Wonderful tan!
Janno: Shut up!
Darkangels: Lovely tan! Wonderful tan!

Janno: Shut up! (Darkangels stop) Bloody Darkangels! You can’t have DPM Multicam tan and ACU without the tan.
Mate (shrieks): I don’t like tan!
Newb: Sshh, don’t cause a fuss. I’ll have your tan. I love it. I’m having tan tan tan tan tan tan tan Tiger Stripe tan tan tan and tan!
Darkangels (singing): tan tan tan tan. Lovely tan! Wonderful tan!

Janno: Shut up!! Tiger Stripe is off.
Newb: Well could I have his tan instead of the Tiger Stripe then?
Janno: You mean tan tan tan tan tan tan… (but it is too late and the Darkangels drown his words)
Darkangels (singing elaborately): tan tan tan tan. Lovely tan! Wonderful tan! tan t-a-a-a-a-an tan ta-a-a-a-a-an tan. Lovely tan! Lovely tan! Lovely tan! Lovely tan! Lovely tan! tan tan tan tan!

Lovely tan! Our team sure does like tan!*

Here is the man himself last night …in tan

Regards,

Basho

*Oh and Multicam too!

After the game briefs by Andy, it strikes me that we don’t organise our teams and or tactics. We just traipse to our start point and mill around waiting for the ‘go go go’. We get a good 10 people just not knowing WTF is going on, or what to do.

My reply to the thread:

Imho,

Point Blank organise well, but as yet have not built up their knowledge of each other to the level where they act in concert with no communication. Wild7 are, well, wild. Unpredictable. This is both a blessing and a curse. They are also quite light in power terms.

In the end, I don’t think any team at Electro’ will go ‘balls deep’ like the DA’s and thus they are essentially not aggressive enough.

The correct mixture for CQB-Team cake:

1Kg of freshly pickled Paintballer’s Aggression
A large cup of forged Tactical Finesse
Two scoops of very high quality Personal Admin
Add one or two level teaspoons of ground Darkangel-power
Combine with a bowl of mixed nuts and bake in an Electrowerkz oven for 10 games on gas mark “Hell yeah!”

Hey presto! CQB-Team cake for all!

Basho

Here we have footage taken on my gun mounted video camera of the day’s play on the second day of this fantastic event. The first day had been 8 hours of paramilitary training, including patrols with roadside IED’s (I know I was 10 ft away from an enormous explosion of one car), jungle trails (where we sucesfully flanked and killed an enemy sniper hidden in the bushes) and dynamic room entry SAS style (Where the DA’s shined most brightly and won the coverted “Snatch cup” and about 2 grands worth of gear!).

The next day’s play went very well and as you can see from the footage the DA’s gave a very good account of themselves against a very highly motivated oposistion. The explosions at the end of the event were of a massive size. Look at them against the size of the 2 story buildings behind! We were all showered with mud!

All in all an amazing event and well worth attending. The cup winning DA’s were interview by Airsoft International Magazine and I understand the event will be well covered by the mag, it being sponsored by both 5.11 and BlackHawk. I will update this entry if we are in any of the photos from the mag.

Until then enjoy my lacing of the oposistion to the tune of Mr Coxon.

The quotes are from various people in the arnies airsoft discussion on this issue I have recently become embroiled in a very heated community debate regarding headshots in airsoft.

I am going here present the full force of my argument and sound a call for what I believe is the most important change needed to the sport; the mandatory wearing of full face protection. Airsoft is a lot more than simply a target sport. Airsoft is the recreation of a conflict played out as a skirmishing encounter with a set of rules and structure. These encounters are essentially split into two distinct game types, which has lead to two different feelings regarding the issue under discussion. Firstly we have Urban/CQB environments. CQB is close, very close and shots to the head are very common indeed. Given the limited space available in CQB environments even un-aimed shots have a very good chance of striking the head. Urban is similar. The main difference between Urban and CQB is that in Urban range is more mixed. For whilst it can be as close as CQB in parts, such as in houses, it can also be almost woodland ranges in places. However, this does not in anyway reduce the amount of hits to the head as people are often shooting at shapes in windows or doorways and the natural defensive position is to hold the body behind cover and only show the smallest part of the head and gun.

“Aim should always be centre-mass anyway. But if a head is all I can see, I will aim for it.”

The second type of environment is woodland. In woodland distance is rarely less than 20ft. Fixed position assaults do bring the players within that distance, but generally woodland players are less likely to be face to face with their opponents. This however, again, does not reduce the number of headshots because of the increased use of sniper rifles in open play and the targeting of the head by such players.

“I dont worry about headshots. Got one on me, take it. I expect the same in return. If its a problem, we won’t play together. To not take a shot on someone when its applicable is retarded. Otherwise dont call it “milsim”.”

The rule makers in CQB have long known about the problems of close contact and there are plenty of methods to reduce the risk of injury to the players. In some sites a helmet is mandatory (longmoor), in others all CQB environments are single shot (Spectre) and at some the choice is left up to the player who receives all the possible encouragement to wear full face protection (Electrowerkz). In these environments players know that headshots will not only happen, but are actually played for. The head is often the first thing seen of the opponent apart from his firearm and ‘selective’ targeting is impossible.

“I personally think head shots should only be viewed as a last resort option, only to be taken very rarely for one simple reasson. Airsoft is supposed to be, above and before anything else, fun. I you end up accidentally injuring someone by taking a head shot, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be having too much fun afterwards. Likewise, in my case at least, it’s highly unlikely I’d be having too much fun afterwards.”

The rule-makers in woodland rarely come into contact with such conditions, but still efforts are made to reduce injuries. Many sites require snipers to have a minimum engage distance and the direct targeting of the head is frowned upon as unsporting. Some require that guns are switched to semi in certain games or scenarios, or that people should ‘bang dead’ an opponent who is very close without firing. It is against this background that the arguments arise. The following are my thoughts on the subject of headshots.

Why aim for the head?

“Ah, I’m not going to vote. I shoot at whatever I can see. If the head is the only part that I can see than I’ll shoot at it because that means one less person on the other team. If the torso and head is all I can see then I’ll aim in the general direction and hit something. I don’t really care which…”

Headshots are an important part of the game of airsoft. Airsoft is an attempt to make a ‘safe’ version of a real battle, where people can come and play out combat scenarios without being killed or injured. All aspects of combat are played out with weapons of all types and pyro’s taking the place of explosives and grenades. As such, in a real battle the fighters would of course aim for whatever comes into range first. Unsurprisingly this would include the head as a primary target as a shot to the head is usually fatal. I have yet to come across an airsoft site that has banned headshots all together. In fact I have only seen such a rule set in a paintball match and frankly I felt it made a mockery of the game. All rules in a true sport are pushed and considered for advantage. In the paintball game I mentioned; players showed only their heads and their guns in the open, safe in the knowledge that they were immortal this way. It made for quite a strange sight I can tell you!

“Since I play CQB and full face mask is required. I’m kind of appreciative if they go for the headshot as it doesn’t hurt a bit. But I understand where if people are not using full face mask then that would be dangerous. But since they have the option to wear full face mask. It’s their own fault for choosing not to. Maybe they like getting hit in the face.”

It is this aspect of ‘sportsmanship’ that also leads to targeting of the head in airsoft. Often in our sport people do not ‘take their hits’. This is considered the worst possible offence and rightly so. Some sites run a total ‘no second chances’ rule on this. We can all agree that there are many reasons why someone might not take a hit to the body, from the testosterone ruled rage reducing the pain of the hit, to the BB striking soft webbing and not making any noise nor being able to be felt, to plain outright cheating. The general opinion of such play is split into two camps. The first advocates ‘lacing the bastard’, which as I will claim later increases injuries and creates a bigger problem. The other opinion advocates shooting them in the head. Why? Because: almost everyone ‘takes the hit’ from a headshot. Even if the person cannot feel it, they will certainly hear it. Only the very worst of offenders will not walk after such treatment and at my club these people are found and banned (Marcus, I am looking at you).

Isn’t shooting to the head unsporting?

“If it’s an issue for you to get shot in the face, wear a mask. End, full stop.”

As I mentioned, in CQB you have little choice regarding where on the opponent you place your shot. A vast amount of the game is played at a very fast pace and in an environment of large amounts of full contact fire. In such pressurised playing fields it is impossible to not aim at whatever target the opponent places in view. A player tends to find a style of play that works for them and sticks to it. The greater problem is this: airsoft hurts a lot. In CQB lacings are common and great pain can be both given and received by the players. This has led to the increased use of armour. I myself have a full level 3 armour set that totally protects my body from the rigors of ‘hardcore’ CQB. As my airsoft playing got better I slowly removed parts and now wear only a light jacket, gloves, cup, mask and helmet. However, the general trend is in the other direction.

People are now wearing such amounts of armour and combat vests that hits to the body are not felt at all. In fact, such players need a full lacing before they will even walk. Is this a problem with cheating? No, it is a natural reaction to the essential pain of airsoft and the fact that we all have work to go to/women to sleep with and both bosses and babes hate huge welts over your body.

I played once, one time only, before I got a helmet. I played with full face from the start. Pain is not my friend and my wife hates the injuries I was returning home with.

“Too right it’s unsporting! As XXXX says, most of us don’t play for the pain and don’t play to cause others pain - to deliberately hurt someone is sick and anyone with that attitude should be be banned from sites.”

What this trend has led to in CQB is a direct targeting of the head of the opponent. Especially when using pistols or single shot. If one does not shoot them in the head there is a fair possibility that they wont take the hit at all and nothing is more aggravating that winning a battle but being laced by the opponent after they are dead “because they didn’t feel it mate” etc. This has become a vicious circle and one which the marshalling team at my site do everything in their power to prevent. With a firm limit on FPS, players will use whatever advantage they can gain. This is not unsporting. This is the key to a sport. Take fencing. A hundred years ago one was not supposed to block fencing attacks and certainly not counter attack. This was considered un-gentlemanly. Compared to the sport today, such antiquated notions are comical. Moreover, and even more relevant fencers never wore masks. It took many many deaths before fencing became a proper sport and took the safety of its players seriously. The last death in fencing was in the 80’s and unsurprisingly masks are essential. This is because as the art evolved into the sport people became competitive. Once this happens, safety can no longer be a matter of choice; it must be mandated.

My argument is essentially this: If airsoft is going to survive as a sport and even become fully recognised, we must be safe and this must be in the rules.

Why not just ban headshots?

“I always headshot when assaulting. End of.”

BB’s rain down in all directions during play. On both woodland and CQB, support weapons and very fast firing guns are commonplace. Woodland players often fire burst way in excess of CQB players and some CQB players have guns that fire over 42 BB’s a second! In such play, can we really not expect some BB’s to hit the opponents head? No. Some anecdotal evidence: In one game I was playing I saw a very nasty accident. A guy wearing only shooting glasses (professional ones held on with an elastic band mind) took a burst from 20ft away. Now the burst was aimed in his general direction as he had stepped out into fire and not specifically aimed at his head and indeed most of it missed him. But from my vantage point of next to him in cover I saw the BB’s that missed pass behind him and bounce off the wall. One in particular then passed back over his shoulder, very close to his ear, and entered the lens of the glasses at the rear. It then bounced back off the lens into his eye. The effect was devastating.

So why not make goggles the mandatory standard?

“If a head is all you can see then you are aiming to eliminate the opposition from the game before they eliminate you. You are either doing this because that is your objective or they are preventing you from completeing your objective. I do not play this game to cause pain but if a head is all I can see then that is what I am going to fire at. Don’t like it? Get a full face mask. I did.”

Far more common than the serious danger of eye injury is teeth damage. Both in woodland from sniper fire or lacings and in CQB. One chap, who I had warned about this simply smiled at me and pulled up his scarf to cover his mouth. “I won’t open my mouth,” he said. In the very first game he came around a corner to come face to face with me. We both instinctively targeted each other, but I was faster and shot him in the chin with a single BB from my pistol. The red welt was clear and I again said that he should borrow a full face mask. Again he simply smiled, thanked me for shooting him only the once and went to regen’. At the end of the night he was still smiling, but with one less tooth. He had run screaming into a full auto barrage of fire and had had the bottom of his front tooth shot clean out. A very clear circle of white was missing from his mouth. I shook my head at him and told him where the nearest cashpoint was. He smiled again and left the venue.

Full face would have saved him that injury. Nothing else, not ‘avoiding shooting the face’ or ‘banning headshots’ or even ‘penalising the player who shot him’ would have had any effect on the damage. And consider this, I had directly (albeit instinctively) targeted his head whereas the lacing that took his tooth had not. I contend that it is not the targeting of the head, but the lacing that causes the most injuries.

The arguments against full face, are they not convincing?

The arguments I have read and heard in my time against full face protection range from the pitiful to the stupid:

1. “I can’t see down my sights”. This is very easy to fix, by the simple purchase of a riser.
2. “It doesn’t fit my load out.” Wannabies and geardos are the scourge of this sport. I have even seen people with goggles on their helmets, but only shooting glasses on their face! This is just asking for injury.
3. “I wear a scarf.” Scarf’s don’t stop anything.
4. “I will close my mouth.” This is perhaps the stupidest argument. When shot most people let out a mandatory noise, it is the word “hit!” In 99% of sites you have to say this sound. Try shouting hit with your mouth closed. You can’t, this so called argument is stupid.
5. “I am over 18 and can do what I like.” Well, I am over 30 and I can’t. I can’t leave my fencing mask at home, I can’t spar at Karate without a floor mat and I shouldn’t be able to sign away my safety at airsoft.
6. “I play woodland, we don’t need full face.” I play all types of airsoft and I have taken head shots in woodland that have scared the crap out of me. Only two weeks ago I must have been hit with an 8mm gas rifle (we suspect the M1 Garand) because I clonked me in the face from what seemed like MILES away. Woodland play is often not crono’ed, and as far as I am concerned an injury from a ‘woodland’ AEG can be much worse than a CQB one.

So what are you suggesting?

I say that all airsoft players should be forced to wear either full face protection in the form of a paintball or mesh mask, or in the form of a goggles/neoprene combination. It is only when we take safety seriously and mandate protection for our players that this fledgling sport has a chance of mainstream success and national recognition. Images of people without teeth, bleeding gums and shot out ears hurts our sport and we must do something about it.

Regards,

Basho

Technorati Tags: airsoft, sport, safety, basho

]]> http://www.outsidecontext.com/2007/10/22/headshots-in-airsoft-argument-for-full-face-protection/feed/ http://www.outsidecontext.com/2007/09/09/ground-zero-national-airsoft-game-2007/ http://www.outsidecontext.com/2007/09/09/ground-zero-national-airsoft-game-2007/#comments Sun, 09 Sep 2007 19:10:33 +0000 basho http://www.outsidecontext.com/2007/09/09/ground-zero-national-airsoft-game-2007/ The state of the badd’ass art! On the September bank holiday weekend, the DA’s went to the National Airsoft Event hosted at Ground Zero. I made a movie of the event that shows how much great fun we all had!

The BASHOCAM! movie: