Any air-soft enthusiasts?

[zegh8578]

I realize lots of you are gun-heads, but you're also American, which means you're more likely to actually have actual guns, that fire actual bullets, but that's not a luxury I can partake in.
As a teen I masterfully smuggled upto 5 models from Spain to Norway, but years later, after moving out in my early 20s, I left them behind in my mom's basement, along with lots of other belongings. I have ever since just hopped from apartment to apartment with my clothes and my PC, and never really bothered with collecting material goodies.

Anyway, long story short, I ask my mother about them, cus I can't find them, and she gets a weird face "they should be there", but her face says "I thought those were toys for children, so I threw them in the trash ages ago"

By now they are legal in Norway, but there's only one shop here, and I suspect it's going to have a rather mediocre selection. In fact, so mediocre they told me they only sell them during summer....

SO...

Does anybody here have any experience with reputable air-soft gun vendors online?
I tried to Google a bit, but frankly I am dissapointed. Most sites seem to have abysmal selection, to be honest, 5-6 guns at the time (I'm mostly interested in pistols, and classic models)
Since I am European, I don't have to deal with that annoying orange tip of American airsoft guns (ironic ain't it), so I'm going to prefer non-American stores

Also, feel free to share some air-soft related ramble if you want

 

[MutantScalper]

I was actually looking at some airsoft guns in a local store here. Some were with CO2 (the one I had long ago started to leak from the vent, pretty useless after that), then there were models with electric 'motor' and ones that are spring operated. Not sure how hard the ones with electric motor 'hit', do they have as much punch as the spring loaded ones, possibly.

 

[zegh8578]

I was actually looking at some airsoft guns in a local store here. Some were with CO2 (the one I had long ago started to leak from the vent, pretty useless after that), then there were models with electric 'motor' and ones that are spring operated. Not sure how hard the ones with electric motor 'hit', do they have as much punch as the spring loaded ones, possibly.

I'm an eternal cave-dweller, I'm never going to shoot them in "ranges" or join competitions etc, so it makes very little difference to me how accurate they fire When I'm looking around, I am naturally leaning towards good old fashioned spring loading, because they tend to be cheaper - but the trend seems to be that the gas or electric ones are much more popular, and therefore much more available. But, again, makes little difference to me, so if they're my option, then so be it

 

[MutantScalper]

I'm an eternal cave-dweller, I'm never going to shoot them in "ranges" or join competitions etc, so it makes very little difference to me how accurate they fire When I'm looking around, I am naturally leaning towards good old fashioned spring loading, because they tend to be cheaper - but the trend seems to be that the gas or electric ones are much more popular, and therefore much more available. But, again, makes little difference to me, so if they're my option, then so be it

I think the ones with electric ones are actually quite powerful and with them it's possible to shoot 'bursts' and therefore if you're in a airsoft fight you'll be able to 'butcher' your spring operated - using opponents, most likely.

 

[zegh8578]

I think the ones with electric ones are actually quite powerful and with them it's possible to shoot 'bursts' and therefore if you're in a airsoft fight you'll be able to 'butcher' your spring operated - using opponents, most likely.

Yeah, sure, in competition I bet the more advanced models trump the less advanced ones. For my purpose, though, I'd even settle for completely non-functional replicas.
I'm interested in the design, eh, the collectible value of them.
In my previous (now lost) collection, I had several classics, Glock 17, Beretta 92, USP 45, all gone o_-

Primarily, I'm just looking to rebuild that collection, then throw in a few more classics.

Some years ago, a friend of mine bought one of the gas operated ones, pulled it out of his jacket in a park full of parents and children, and popped off several pellets in the air, with surprisingly loud pops. Nothing like a real gun of course, but what do Norwegians know anyway? I snarled at him to put it the fuck away - and it's dumbasses like him who's gonna get them banned again in a hurry I'm allready seeing articles where cops want them banned again, cus dumb kids (and morons like my friend) are waving them around in public...

 

[MutantScalper]

Yeah, sure, in competition I bet the more advanced models trump the less advanced ones. For my purpose, though, I'd even settle for completely non-functional replicas.
I'm interested in the design, eh, the collectible value of them.
In my previous (now lost) collection, I had several classics, Glock 17, Beretta 92, USP 45, all gone o_-

Primarily, I'm just looking to rebuild that collection, then throw in a few more classics.

Some years ago, a friend of mine bought one of the gas operated ones, pulled it out of his jacket in a park full of parents and children, and popped off several pellets in the air, with surprisingly loud pops. Nothing like a real gun of course, but what do Norwegians know anyway? I snarled at him to put it the fuck away - and it's dumbasses like him who's gonna get them banned again in a hurry I'm allready seeing articles where cops want them banned again, cus dumb kids (and morons like my friend) are waving them around in public...

I still have my (vent broken) .44 Magnum in store. It's I guess the actual size, and possibly close in weight to the real thing. It's a nice looking thing and I don't really even want to shoot it anymore, just keep it as an ornament.

Pretty close to this one.

 

[zegh8578]

I still have my (vent broken) .44 Magnum in store. It's I guess the actual size, and possibly close in weight to the real thing. It's a nice looking thing and I don't really even want to shoot it anymore, just keep it as an ornament.

Pretty close to this one.

Yeah, that's what I'm looking for, decor I like these things, and it's always a bit of a surprise to those who (think they) know me, like, I got 3 model tanks, I also want to repair my (tiny) collection of 1/16 model cars - I always liked copies and/or miniatures of technology/weaponry - but I was always just so poor. I never had money. When I did, I tended to prioritize dinosaur or science stuff. Now that I have some surplus, people are always baffled, shocked, like when I bought a Playstation "whaaaa - we never thought you liked to have fun!" gee, thanks.

My USP model was also a lead-loaded model, so it weighed a lot in your hand

OH, I always forget, I had an amazing experience once - I was visiting a friend in Oslo and brought my Glock model
Well, visit went well, I took the bus back home - 11 hours, across the Dovre mountain plateaus.
I sat in the backmost of the bus, like the lil grump youth I was, with my bag by my feet. Right to the opposite side of me were two by-the-book Oslo-Pakistani gangsters... loud, obnoxious, street-slanging, whatever, I figured they were posers and mid-way the long trip I fell asleep.

I woke up, all groggy, those first moments when you aren't truly concious. By my feet, kneeling between me and the seat in front of me - kneeling OVER MY OPENED BAG... was one of them. He was looking up at me, with a blank face. I was looking down at him, still half-concious. My bag wide open, and the Glock in plain view :'D
He was fucking robbing me - but also stopped in his tracks, by what looked like a genuine Glock pistol, right in front of him, on the top of my clothes, in my bag...
I still didn't fully wake up, and confusedly watched him slooowly back away, and hurry off to his friend, now in the front of the bus.
They both got off at the next stop, in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains...
Only then did it dawn on me what had just occured...

 

[MutantScalper]

Yeah, that's what I'm looking for, decor I like these things, and it's always a bit of a surprise to those who (think they) know me, like, I got 3 model tanks, I also want to repair my (tiny) collection of 1/16 model cars - I always liked copies and/or miniatures of technology/weaponry - but I was always just so poor. I never had money. When I did, I tended to prioritize dinosaur or science stuff. Now that I have some surplus, people are always baffled, shocked, like when I bought a Playstation "whaaaa - we never thought you liked to have fun!" gee, thanks.

My USP model was also a lead-loaded model, so it weighed a lot in your hand

OH, I always forget, I had an amazing experience once - I was visiting a friend in Oslo and brought my Glock model
Well, visit went well, I took the bus back home - 11 hours, across the Dovre mountain plateaus.
I sat in the backmost of the bus, like the lil grump youth I was, with my bag by my feet. Right to the opposite side of me were two by-the-book Oslo-Pakistani gangsters... loud, obnoxious, street-slanging, whatever, I figured they were posers and mid-way the long trip I fell asleep.

I woke up, all groggy, those first moments when you aren't truly concious. By my feet, kneeling between me and the seat in front of me - kneeling OVER MY OPENED BAG... was one of them. He was looking up at me, with a blank face. I was looking down at him, still half-concious. My bag wide open, and the Glock in plain view :'D
He was fucking robbing me - but also stopped in his tracks, by what looked like a genuine Glock pistol, right in front of him, on the top of my clothes, in my bag...
I still didn't fully wake up, and confusedly watched him slooowly back away, and hurry off to his friend, now in the front of the bus.
They both got off at the next stop, in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains...
Only then did it dawn on me what had just occured...

Well that was unfortunate about the robbing attempt, good thing you didn't lose anything or were beaten up or anthing.

It actually might make sense to have a realistic fake gun to scare off robbers. It might work most of the time if you just took it out and waved it around, or it might buy you a couple of seconds to confuse them and then run away etc.

 

[zegh8578]

Well that was unfortunate about the robbing attempt, good thing you didn't lose anything or were beaten up or anthing.

It actually might make sense to have a realistic fake gun to scare off robbers. It might work most of the time if you just took it out and waved it around, or it might buy you a couple of seconds to confuse them and then run away etc.

Oh yes, I would never conciously do it as a strategy, it was just very weird luck! It amuses me that those two guys had NO idea what kind of psycho I "had to" have been, chilling on the bus with guns in my bag. I hope it taught them a lesson, even if the lesson was based in complete deception: Always expect the unexpected! For all they knew, I was some bat shit gun toting mountain bus cowboy

 

[Prone Squanderer]

Oh yes, I would never conciously do it as a strategy, it was just very weird luck! It amuses me that those two guys had NO idea what kind of psycho I "had to" have been, chilling on the bus with guns in my bag. I hope it taught them a lesson, even if the lesson was based in complete deception: Always expect the unexpected! For all they knew, I was some bat shit gun toting mountain bus cowboy

Are you Paul Kersey?

 

[MutantScalper]

Man, you've inspired me. I'm looking at some airsoft stuff, and would really like to get a maybe spring operated Dragunov. One of the sexiest-looking weapons there is.

 

[TorontoReign]

Airsoft is for pussies. Paintball is king. We did that at Ft. Hood one time. Military tactics and everything. Shot the shit out of one of the soldiers girlfriends when she was attempting to flank.

 

[zegh8578]

Put in an order for a CZ75 model, now all I have to do is hope that it actually arrives
I'll keep ya'll posted :Y

@TorontRayne again, that's probably preferable for competitive team social fun, but it's not my thing, I'm in it for the replicas, mostly cus I can't collect real guns being a Norwegian In fact, that is how air-soft even got invented, originally in Japan (where most of them are still produced), because they have a pretty gun-nutty population but very restrictive gun laws.
Norway does allow for actual gun collections (pistols, revolvers, hunting weapons), but... I have a record, so, poof, I'm out So, air-soft is the only option for me.

 

[SuAside]

Well, what kind of record are you talking about? Not all offenses proclude you from owning firearms as a sportshooter.

Anyhow, I shot a lot of airsoft as a kid, but as an adult real firearms only. If I were unable to shoot firearms, I guess I'd go for pellet guns instead of airsoft because at least pellet guns can be very accurate.

Since I am European, I don't have to deal with that annoying orange tip of American airsoft guns (ironic ain't it), so I'm going to prefer non-American stores

That's a dangerous generalization. Many euro countries do require orange tips or outright ban airsoft.

Airsoft is for pussies. Paintball is king. We did that at Ft. Hood one time. Military tactics and everything. Shot the shit out of one of the soldiers girlfriends when she was attempting to flank.

Simunition was here, paintball is for suckers.
(too bad it's still quite regulated & expensive here)

 

[zegh8578]

Well, what kind of record are you talking about? Not all offenses proclude you from owning firearms as a sportshooter.

You might be right, but I am reluctant to push my luck about it. I don't really want to go into detail, but I am pretty sure I would be going through a lot of scrutiny, should I try to go the legal process of collecting fire arms here. A scrutiny with a high chance of me coming out the losing end. I just don't see myself going through all that. Maybe later, at another point in life, but not now.

That's a dangerous generalization. Many euro countries do require orange tips or outright ban airsoft.

You might be right again, but so far I've seen a pattern of European and Asian air-soft stores without orange tip, and American and Brazilian with. I am guessing that countries with more experience with real fire-arms require the orange tip, to separate plastic from real.
Norwegian stores do not feature orange-tipped guns.