FAQs

Where did Airsoft come from?

Airsoft originated in Japan in the early 1980′s as the Japanese answer to the American craze of Paintball. Airsoft has advanced over the years in both technology and as a sport, granting higher performance and more realistic cycling guns. This allowed for greater realism in play and in turn the game was able to develop into the true immersive combat sport we know today.

Across Japan, South East Asia, North America and Europe there are hundreds of thousands of players who put on their combat gear, heave on their webbing and grab their rifles each weekend.

Who can play Airsoft?

Airsoft skirmishing is great fun! No matter what age (over 12), gender or level of physical fitness you have, everyone can enjoy it. Like Paintball, Airsoft is primarily a team sport and players quickly learn that in order to win the game they must work together.

Is it like Paintball or other Combat Sports?

Some scenarios may seem familiar to those who have played Paintball or Laser tag games. However, the addition of real military tactics, full automatic/longer range weapons and amazing locations add a new dimension to what you may have experienced before. Airsoft has many advantages over other combat sports;

Realism: Sites run realistic scenarios that will appeal to anyone who enjoys action movies or play combat based computer and console games. The range of weapons available in Airsoft is staggering! You can get everything from assault rifles, silenced pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and even heavy machine guns if you want to lay down heavy covering fire. In short, you can play any character you want!

Cost: Airsoft average cost is usually a lot cheaper than paint ball. This is mainly because the ammunition is a lot cheaper at roughly £9.00 for 3,000 airsoft BB’s. When you hire equipment you get lots of ammunition as part of your package. It is down to each individual how much they use, but 3,000 is usually more than enough for one day!

Is it safe?

Your health & safety are EXTREMELY important to us. Our fully trained professional staff provide a full safety brief at the start of the day and 'in game' Marshals ensure safe operations throughout your day. Airsoft equipment, like most things in life, is perfectly safe provided you adhere to the rules and respect other players. All players are fully insured and are required to READ and SIGN an insurance waiver.

How old do I need to be to play?

To attend one of our missions you need to be over 18 years of age, unless you are accompanied by an adult. In this case you will need to be over the age of 12.

Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult for the whole day. The adult does not need to participate in the mission but must be on the game site at all times.

All under 16's must wear a full face mask.

How do you know when you are ‘HIT’?

Unlike Paintball where players are marked when hit, Airsoft uses an honour system whereby when hit, you call yourself out. Often, hit players indicate they have been hit by shouting “Hit” and raising an arm or a hand.

Games normally have medic and re-gen rules which means you are never out of the game for more than a few minutes right up until the game ends, so no one sits out for the rest of the game when hit. Airsoft players are therefore very honest and friendly, with a strong worldwide community. We have marshals who monitor the games and will promptly address any concerns players may have. Sportsmanship is the key!

How do Airsoft guns work?

Most Airsoft guns fire 6mm plastic pellets (or BBs) at relatively low speeds. These pellets are fast enough to feel, but slow enough not to cause serious injury. Airsoft weapons can fire the BB’s up to ranges of 150ft, but are a lot less painful than a paintball when they hit you.

Many weapons have both semi and full auto capability and often replicate their real world counterparts in look, feel, cycling action and sometimes weight. Airsoft guns look so much like the real thing they are legally classed as a Realistic Imitation Firearm (RIF) by the government.

What are the benefits of membership?

The benefits are simple, other than being an aide in proving you have a valid form of defence for UKARA registration, our Gold members receive a number of discounts.

Gold members receive £10 off every game day they book. £5.00 off 3hour events

Additionally Gold members can all attend our members days events held throughout the year for free.

Additional Members-only discounts are available over at our onsite shops.

FAO Memberships

How do I pay?

Currently we use PayPal as the payment method for bookings, this does allow for the use of credit and debit cards. You do not NEED a PayPal account to make a booking with us.

We will shortly be adding a credit/debit card payment facility directly to the site.

How do I book?

Simply select the mission of your choice and click book now.

When making your booking there are a number of options that can be expanded such as guests, rental options, pyro, additional ammunition and you can even save on your booking by signing up for one of our Silver or Gold Memberships.

To find out more about our memberships click here.

How do I know If an event is cancelled and what do I do next?

You will get an e-mail asking you if you want a refund or move your booking to another time. The news will also be published on our Facebook to the page associated with the site you are attending. You do not have to contact us unless the date has past and you have not received any e-mails or contacts from us, in which case you e-mail tracy@firstandonlyevents.co.uk with the booking name, date of the event cancelled and Venue of the event cancelled and what you would like to happen.

What do I do if I cannot attend due to COVID 19?

You e-mail tracy@firstandonlyevents.co.uk with the booking name, date of the event cancelled and Venue of the event cancelled and what you would like to happen. You can choose from Refund which 10% may be deducted from the refund, or Transfer your date / Credit to the account.

I have changed address or e-mail, how do I correct it on UKARA?

You need to e-mail Memberships@firstandonlyevents.co.uk with what you want to do in the subject line. In the content, you will need your full name, Membership number, the old information you are changing, and the new information you are changing it to. If it is the address you are changing, please attach a copy of proof of address with the e-mail. By doing so you permit us to print your e-mail and proof and attach it to your UKARA registration form, so please ensure you remove any unnecessary information on the proof of new address.

I.E.
Subject, change of address
attach a photo proof of your new address
content, Full name, Membership number, Full old address, Full new address

I have completed my UKARA form, can I get it registered online/phone/e-mail?

No, this breaks the UKARA procedure. The form, as stated on UKARA.org.uk, requires to be completed by a site manager. It also states physical proof of ID and separate proof of address. Due to this, registrations must be done onsite during a game day. Proving a game is made easier with our player's passport which you can stamp on the day. We can backdate these stamps as long as you have acceptable proof of attendance of the event you want to use to backdate the stamps too.

Does the membership include the UKARA as soon as you purchase the memberships?

The membership does not include the UKARA immediately. You will still need to complete the registration form. The membership number is, however, valid to be used for UKARA membership, so you do not need to change the number once you have completed your registration.

Can I use the membership as a Valid defence to purchase guns?

The short answer is no as you do not require to play a single game with us to purchase our membership. This breaks the VCRA 2007 rules for being a Valid defence.

Can I book other players and claim a discount using my Membership?

When booking tickets for other players you can not claim the discount and if this does happen please email and the difference can be paid.  When booking at the same time as yourself, use express checkout, don’t press the discount button, and get them to open an account and book themselves. Otherwise, we have the right to cancel your membership, balances to be paid, and no refund.

Please note: Abuse of your membership booking discount will result in your FAO and UKARA membership being revoked.

Power Levels – For FPS Scientists Only

Just as a caveat before you continue, the following information is very in-depth, this information is here to provide comprehensive information for those really chasing the upper limits of physics within airsoft.

For everyone else our FPS rules are here:

Actual is the power level we ask for as the limit we want to see on site. Max variance is to allow for variances on the day but we request that this is not seen as a target. Players who run into the variance range run a much higher risk of failing our chrono tests and their game day ending. Any reading over the max varience even if a tiny fraction is an instant game day over situation. HPA systems have their own specific limits.

AEGs

For 0.20g BB. Actual 1J/328 fps   Max variance  1.13J/350 fps

For 0.25g BB. Actual  0.97J/289 fps  Max variance  1.09J/307 fps

For 0.28g BB. Actual  0.97J/273 fps  Max variance  1.09J/290 fps

For 0.30g BB. Actual  0.97J/264 fps  Max variance  1.09J/280 fps

For 0.32g BB. Actual  0.97J/255 fps  Max variance  1.09J/270 fps

For 0.36g BB. Actual   0.97J/241 fps   Max variance  1.09J/255fps

For 0.40g BB. Actual  0.97J/228 fps  Max variance  1.09/242 fps

For 0.43g BB. Actual  0.97J/220 fps  Max variance  1.09/233 fps

For HPA the absolute max is as follows.

For 0.20g BB. Actual 1J/328 fps

For 0.25g BB. Actual  0.97J/289 fps  

For 0.28g BB. Actual  0.97J/273 fps 

For 0.30g BB. Actual  0.97J/264 fps 

For 0.32g BB. Actual  0.97J/255 fps 

For 0.36g BB. Actual   0.97J/241 fps  

For 0.40g BB. Actual  0.97J/228 fps 

For 0.43g BB. Actual  0.97J/220 fps

DMR 

For 0.20g BB. Actual 1.35J/380 fps   Max variance  1.49J/400 fps

For 0.25g BB. Actual  1.35J/ 341 fps Max variance  1.46J/355 fps

For 0.28g BB. Actual  1.35j/322 fps  Max variance  1.46J/335 fps

For 0.30g BB. Actual  1.35J/311 fps  Max variance  1.46J/323 fps

For 0.32g BB. Actual   1.35J/300 fps   Max variance  1.46J/313

For 0.36g BB. Actual   1.35J/284 fps   Max variance  1.46J/295

For 0.40g BB. Actual  1.35J/269 fps  Max variance  1.46/280 fps

For 0.43g BB. Actual  1.35J/260 fps  Max variance  1.46J/270 fps

For 0.46g BB. Actual  1.35J/251 fps  Max variance  1.46J/261 fps

Bolt Action Sniper Rifles

For 0.20g BB. Actual 2.1J/475 fps   Max variance  2.31J/500 fps

For 0.25g BB. Actual  2.1J/425 fps Max variance  2.31J/446 fps

For 0.28g BB. Actual  2.1J/402 fps  Max variance  2.31J/421 fps

For 0.30g BB. Actual  2.1J/388 fps  Max variance  2.31J/407 fps

For 0.32g BB. Actual  2.1J/375 fps  Max variance  2.31J/394 fps

For 0.36g BB. Actual   2.1J/354 fps   Max variance  2.31J/371 fps

For 0.40g BB. Actual  2.1J/336 fps  Max variance  2.31J/352 fps

For 0.43g BB. Actual  2.1J/324 fps  Max variance  2.31J/340 fps

For 0.46g BB. Actual  2.1J/313 fps  Max variance  2.31J/329 fps

For 0.48g BB. Actual  2.1J/307 fps  Max variance  2.31J/321 fps