I decided a few months back that I was going to trim my overall kit and collection substantially, and that I was going to add one or two more pieces for pure performance based gaming.
I was never much into " looking good" or " having a real looknig loadout". As much as the game is fun and a great social experience, when I'm out in the field I'm playing to win, to try be the best, and improve myself all the time as a player. To do that I need tools, tools that work and give me the edge. A golfer doesn't buy clubs based on looks, he buys them based of performance, and Airsoft for me is no different.
The M4 conundrum
It was easily decided I wanted a M4. Basic model, to be then upgraded externally to have a more Magpul feel about it. I knew I wanted it to be Olive Drab. For once, I went into a purchase knowing exactly what I wanted and what my budget was, but things soon went topsy turvey.
I quickly realised there was more brands out there then I had planned for. I had originally planned out the build around a G&G M4, but different brands started creeping out of the woodwork, the ICS M4 for example was a right tease.
But the more hard hitting turn of events was the stock availability in Ireland, and the pricing. To be honest, Ireland has WAY too many retailers and I think we all know that, what alot of people won't say allowed, is that for most stores, the selection of brand is absolutely dog shit, and the pricing is pretty poor.
We are now at the point where there is no saving from buying Irish or buying abroad, including tax and charges. I was finding it hard to buy Irish when there was so much range online for pretty much the same price. But I'd let my thoughts run away with me, and I at nearly double the original budget.
Of course after consulting Tony, who runs http://www.eirsoft.ie/ things got a little bit clearer. In the end I went with Big T and his G&G Plastica. I spent two years telling everyone how these were the dogs bollox, so I figured I should atleast get one myself :)
I then grabbed a Magpul MOE Handguard, CRT Stock and MIAD grip from EhobbyAsia. Believe it or not the actual external parts cost more then the gun itself. All in all I spent roughly €300 on the kit as a whole. And wow am I not dissapointed. Crisp trigger response on semi auto along with range and accuracy were the main things for me. Weight, looks and rate of fire mean little to me. So I'm thrilled with the purchase and can't wet to run it through a skirmish.
The Webbing
About 18 months ago I got bitten by the buzz every Airsofter gets. " I'm going to build a loadout thats really awesome and expensive to realise that its pointless and a big waste of moeny". That is exactly what happend with my Vietnam kit. I got bitten by the realism bug, I wanted a realistic themed loadout, and in hindsight, it was a load of hoop. I was putting myself at a disadvantage. There are no Vietnam themed games gonig on at all, or atleast in sties I'd even consider visiting, so it was me looknig all 60's against Call of Duty World of Scars.
I dumped the kit and sold it all off. But after a few months I realised that the webbing was sensational. It was so comfy, light and manouvreable. The mag pouches weren't the quickest for a reload, but it was just so comfy. So when I decided to built this new loadout part one was acquiring the webbing, but in a slightly more modern version.
http://www.flecktarn.co.uk/ proved to be priceless. For minimal cost and fast shipping I picked myself up
- OD Webbing Harness
- OD Alice Belt
- 2 Alice clip mag pouches (6 mag capacity)
- Water canteen and pouch
The above came to roughly about €60, so the total for my kit was at €360 with webbing and rifle.
I have a number of sets of Tigerstripe and OD camo so this was not an issue and I'd be reusing these patterns with my new kit.
The last item was a backpack. It needed to be light and durable, but with plenty of space. There was only one thing on mny mind, a Vietnam Era M56 Rucksack. Durable, plenty of pockets, steel chasis, light and easily removed during combat. Unfortunately these were a nightmare to source and I ended up paying about €70 for one, €55 of that being shipping from the US. It was a big save compared to an Irish Army surplus store wanted €130....a lols.
So with the final total of €430 , I have what seems to be a high performance, lightweight kit. The real test will come over the coming weeks when I bet everything in and make last minute adjustments during skirmish games here in Dublin. All this in preperation for Sennybridge in April ( more on that in a latter post).
It is without doubt probably one of the most fun elements of the sport. Building new kits, the research and decisions, the physical building and then the testing and tinkering, all of which I love.
I'll throw up some pictures of the whole thing later on ;)
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