Gear

[Eskimonian]

Hey guys i do ww2 reenacting but not for airsoft and i was wondering if all the gear i use for my 82nd airborne persona would work in this.

[Darius137]

it would.

The only thing different would be the weapon, since people here won't call their hits unless something physically hits them.

[Eskimonian]

ha. well i kind of thought i would pick up a different weapon.

[LettuceHead]

Yes it would.

Currently there are a few replicas available for US Airborne.
The most popular is the M1A1 Thompson AEG which is reliable and affordable. That makes it the replica of choice for most US impressions, to the point that an unrealistic amount are fielded.

There is a gas M1 Garand rifle out there though gas isn't the best for general skirmishing. There is a guy here in the northwest who does M14 to Garand conversions, send me a PM and I'll point you towards him.

Pistol wise the WE 1911 Singlestack is spot on.

Keep google seaching, you'll find some cool conversions!

Where ya from?

[Darius137]

ha. well i kind of thought i would pick up a different weapon.

But the gear will work just fine. The clothing will too.

[Eskimonian]

Alright cool im in forest grove OR and do you know of any good m1 carbines or would it be easier to go with the garand

[league 4]

There is also an AEG sten if you'd rather have that instead of the thompson. They aren't too expensive.

[shakespeare]

The company that makes the Garand also makes a carbine. It has a 15 rd. banana magazine and full auto, so I don't know if it is accurate. They both shoot heavy hitting 8mm bb's.
http://www.airsoftextreme.com/store/ind ... ath=74_510

The Thompson by Tokyo Marui is also good. There are clones of it that don't have as high of quality, but are cheaper and still nice.

[spencerman]

That is a link to an M2 carbine, not an M1; it is horrible, I have one.

[shakespeare]

Darn my inferior knowledge of WW2 weapons! Sorry, I thought it was an M1. Whats the difference anyways?

[spencerman]

The M1 only shoots in semi auto; the real M1 mags are shorter and hold 15 rounds, M2 's can also use 30 round mags.

[Nocte]

It has a 15 rd. banana magazine...

Did someone say 'banana?' You need more MOLLE and rails.

[Darius137]

It has a 15 rd. banana magazine...

Did someone say 'banana?' You need more MOLLE and rails.

!

[Nocte]

[VogonFord]

Also, if you can a. find one somewhere for sale that's not TokyoHobby and b. have the money and c. are willing to part with the money, KTW made a M1903A3 Springfield. Problem: It costs over a 1,000 dollars. VFC also made an AEG M1918A2 BAR, which also costs over a 1,000 and also I believe is out of production.

In short, the only one available on any sort of budget is the Cybergun Thompson, followed by the Tokyo Marui Thompson. TM guns are fantastic internally but plastic externally, while the Cybergun has a metal receiver but is not built to quite the same standards. It still works, though.

Next up the line in price are the Marushin replicas, the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine and M2 Carbine. The M1 Carbine isn't sold anymore and and is essentially a very expensive straight pull since the short magazine apparently can't hold enough gas to blow back the mechanism. The other two have their supporters and detractors; they are lovely but finicky little bastards that require constant care and attention from what I've heard about them. They also use Marushin's odd caliber of 8mm BBs instead of 6mm. In general on the Marushin front I've heard better things about the Garand.

Then there's the 1,000 dollar-plus range. KTW's, which is rare as hell and just as expensive; VFC's BAR, which I know little about besides its price tag; and the various classic guns, which require external gas tanks and should be avoided if you plan on gaming. These include Shoei's BAR, among others.