[Oborous]

Hey Tommygun,

Forethought will definitely save you some money and grief here. Searches in the forum to see if a piece of kit is good will also help you out. Do realize that everyone has biases, what works for me, might not work for you; and for gear, I'm running all 'real' for the simple fact that I'm hard on my gear, I get some pretty extreme discounts or T&E the stuff, and I lurk the market places (and know what companies really do have a life-time guarentee/warranty).

Most of this is going to depend on where you're playing, what the rules are, and how the fields are setup. Do you have a minimum engagement distance and that's why you have to go secondary (Pistol), or when entering a building you can only use semi-auto and since your AEG is full-auto you can't use it there?

Also, although I'm discussing kit here, I'm trying to show my logic process behind this and how your gear supports your tactics

Originally Posted by Tommygun_ted

I'm in the prossess of choosing my kit, but im having some difficulty figuring out what i really need. i run an M249, so i dont have a need for mag pouches. ive got one mag that holds 2500 BB's.

Again, what are the rules in your area? Are you allowed to reload 'on the field' or only when respawning? Your M249 should accept STANAG 4179 magazine (i.e. M16 family of weapons mags), so if your box mag craps out on you, then you can still have some firepower. Yes, a 2nd box mag is expensive, but how expensive in comparison to your long-arm (long arm is your primary which is your M249), if you don't want to do a 2nd box mag, maybe a bunch of STANAG mags in a M249 box mag pouch (M249 box mag pouches generally hold 6 STANAG mags, so then you have some interchangeability). This is to keep you in the game and allow you to deal with errors.

Originally Posted by Tommygun_ted

for first line, basic first aid (just in case, could get a boo boo), my pistol and a few mags, i was thinking three, just in case i need to do some CQB, not too sure what an E&E kit is though?

Unless I play a pistols only game, I only carry the pistol mag in the GBB. How many shots do you actually need? You have a machinegun; if you're worried about your primary going down, then figure out what you need to keep it running.

E&E kit is escape and evasion kit (which is different than a survival kit, the recommendation following is actually a hybrid of an E&E kit and a survival kit); for airsoft, carry a compass, a timepiece (wristwatch or carabiner watch), whistle, and signalling mirror (the mirror is optional). In larger games you will need the compass, or even just to orientate to give better directions. Timepieces are important for timelines such as you have 30 minutes to find the target; or respawn time is 5 minutes, really important to be accurate for longer respawns. If the respawn is longer than 2 minutes, having a time piece will just save you getting a bad reputation for either coming out to early and 'cheating' or waiting around so long to make sure you have covered the time and then you're not supporting your team. Whistles are so very often overlooked; you're playing in brush, what happens if you get lost, fall and twist your ankle etc and your radio craps out (realize that water is the bane of radios, both for shorting it out and reducing your range, so if you hurt yourself, you really want to make sure people can find you).

Originally Posted by Tommygun_ted

second line, dont really need armor in airsoft i dont think, i want to save as much weight as possible, not sure what long-arm is, i have one 2500 round box mag for my SAW, so i dont need other mags on me, there too expensive for saw mags anyways, and i dont have grenades.

Armor, unless it has a game effect, is dumb in my opinion. If you've ever worn real armor, you know it's hot and heavy. Unless you have realistic weight plate to train with, fake plates are just a waste of time.

As for grenades, never underestimate the use of a well placed grenade. I really advocate everyone carrying a single grenade. Look up the rules in your area; must it be an Airsoft Innovations Tornado? (in which case buy the blue one; it's in a pouch so color doesn't matter there, and blue is rare in nature which allow you to find it easier) Or, contact Darklen (one of the supermods here) and ask about his Safety-nade, it's a blaze orange foam grenade with some shot in the middle for heft. You're using a machine gun; one of the best ways of taking you out is to lob a grenade into your position; can you return the favor because they're behind cover? Or for room clearing so you can then make an MG nest?

Originally Posted by Darklen

Originally Posted by Tommygun_ted

and third line would depend on the game, more would be required for longer games i assume? I also want to keep the F3 factor down as low as possible, i like going prone and using the bipod behind logs and other low cover. i guess my question is, whats practical for my set up? (Dont even own a sling yet :P)

Ghillie tog Once saw a MG with some pretty heavy camo, setting up at an oblique angle (ala WWI style), he'd just mow down a charge. The choice of gear (Ghillie + M249) combined with his tactics allowed him to have a fantastic kill ratio.


Machinegun specific sling with MASH hooks

You're carrying a heavy piece of gear there, that's pretty expensive. If you want to be a support gunner, be kind to yourself and buy a good sling. Too many people end up selling their MG because it's 'too heavy', a good sling will allow you to carry the MG with less stress, so you will move and agressively use the capabilities to your full advantage. I'm a big proponent of 2 point, double MASH hook slings for MG's. MASH hooks were designed for the heavy weapons that broke other attachment types.

As for the rest of your loadout, make sure you have: Water, Radio, kill rag, pouch for snacks (power bar or similar), map pocket (could be pouch for snacks also). Buy good boots, they prevent injuries and allow you to enjoy your time alot more.

Buy great goggles and seriously, goggles, not glasses. You are almost always prone, the target is your gun and your head, you're often around cover, so richottes are very common. You have one set of eyes, don't loose them. Buy great so they don't fog, if they have foam to keep the dust of Afganastan out, you can rip that off for better ventellation to reduce your fogging.