10/11/2021
Spot on Doug. Hows its done at the Wasteland.
PART 5
Amendment of Fi****ms Acts
Definitions (Part 5).
25.— In this Part “Principal Act” means the Fi****ms Act 1925 .
Amendment of section 1 of Principal Act.
26.— Section 1 of the Principal Act is amended by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (1):
“(1) In this Act—
firearm” means—
(a) a lethal firearm or other lethal weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged,
(b) an air gun (including an air rifle and air pistol) with a muzzle energy greater than one joule or any other weapon incorporating a barrel from which any projectile can be discharged with such a muzzle energy""
https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2006/act/26/enacted/en/print
**Rant Inbound**
If you dont recognise the above quote from the very law that makes airsoft legal in Ireland, then either your new, its been pushed to the back burner, forgotten in the mass of misinformation that seems to be flooding all areas of Irish Airsoft forums of late since Inferno got shut down and Spec Ops suddenly banned HPA with Redhills following suit shortly after, or you have had your head buried in the sand for years and only coming up for air now. Although fair play to Redhills, it seems like they have done their homework and did a U-turn, bar for point which il get to shortly.
So there has been a lot going on of late with a site closing after Gardai called in, HPA systems suddenly becoming a hot topic and subsquently banned by both Spec Ops and the Red Hills in a short space of time. Obviously the backlash from the community was...impressive, and the memes just as much, but the one thing that kept popping up was how to chrono and the sickening lack of knowledge by some of these people that had some very loud voices. Dual chronoing has been mentioned where both you chrono with 0.2g bbs as well as the bb weight you plan to use.
Urgh...
Ok, a little history lesson for you all. When airsoft was in its infancy in Ireland, the above law was amended as everything from an airsoft replica, to a nerf replica, to even a spud gun, was technically a firearm in the eyes of the law. As airsoft became more popular, it became evident this needed to change. The early people of the Irish Airsoft Association worked with the Dept of Justice to amend it that so we have the 1joule limit we all know and love today, and the reason for the 1joule limit is that its the maximum amount of force the human eyeball can take before permanant damage is done. It will hurt like f**k should it happen, but chances are you will keep your eyesight! The reason the 0.2g bb for chronoing was that heavy weight bbs wernt that popular back in the day. Hopup mods were barely starting, and the likes of the RHop, Shop, and Ghop (showing my age with that one) were nowhere near starting their journey, so heavy weight bbs were the likes of 0.3s being only popular with countries that had higher power limits than Irelands 1joule. 0.2 and 0.25s were the majority being used here, so the benchmark was set with 0.2g bbs which, when travelling at 328fps is equal to 1joule of energy from the muzzle. This is equal to 100m/s as well, but since some people don't like the fact its a UK measurement and its not used very often here, il leave it out.
So. The "1 Joule Limit was equal to 328 feet per second" was the most widespread piece of information that sites and shops would pass on to players. This was all well and good because of the not much else used higher than 0.25s, and in some cases 0.3s because they couldnt be lifted by the average RIF.
Technology advances, and it always does. Without Germany creating what was literally the first ICMBs, we now have the ability to get into space. Airsoft being a technology is no different with its moving forward.
Heavier bbs became more desireable because they were more stable with backspin.
More backspin needed better hop ups.
Better hop ups meant mods were happening.
Results were being achieved.
Then we discovered Joule Creep. Fox-Green_Airsofter did a brilliant video on this explaining it to a T.
Im sure the techs who wanted to lift heavier bbs for that extra range and accuracy realised it long before sites and marshals did that all of a sudden, their 0.25, 0.28, 0.3g bbs were suddenly able to thread a needle at an extra 30-50ft, and were still under the 328fps with 0.2g bbs at the site chrono. GBB/Co2 replicas and Bolt action rifles would have been the first to show this purely for the overvoluming alone that would have resulted in the resulting joule creep.
So why am i bringing up all this?
Well, lets see. Hopup upgrades have been a big thing in the last 6-7years, the Rhop was the pinnacle of these. Difficult to master, results spoke for themselves, and lower than average techs who liked to skip steps in the process of making them would charge a bomb to do some butcher job on your replica. By the gods i have seen some hack jobs in my time. Its one reason i never sold it as a service because it took me so long to get right, and because it was cheaper to buy a new Maple Leaf bucking that gave all the advantages and results for a fraction of the price, plus it was a drop in fit for 95% or replicas out there. All of a sudden the demand for heavy weight bbs shot up, and id hazard a guess that the demand for downgrades did too since there is such a good airseal on them.
So what about HPA?
Ah yes, the bastard child of paintball with smaller balls...Seriously had a hard time typing that with a straight face 😂
HPA, while not a new system, is not a very widespread one in Ireland. This is down to the large expense to actually buy one, and the very limited options for refilling tanks. While i cant say Speedsofting is my thing, HPA has its own place in Airsoft. From a technological point of view, the system is pretty amazing. Its a very economical system, allowing you to dial it in to perform exactly to a players preference, and has so much adaptability that it can be installed in nearly every replica out there.
And here is where HPA has cut its own throat. Its too adaptable. Its adaptable on the fly, on a whim, and in game. This has made it the "Cheaters Choice" in countries abroad. The settings can be changed so a site legal airsoft replica all of a sudden is hotter than a snakes ass in a wheel rut (Good Morning Vietnam fans will appreciate that one). Basically, the turn of an allen key can give you a firearm on the fly.
Tournament locks are available though?
Yes, but there are other things that can be that adjusted to alter other things etc, and im purposely not using the correct terminology here as im not going to teach people how to dodge a chrono🖕
What has this got to do with sites banning HPA?
Quite frankly, whatever happened to Inferno has them worried, and by banning it is a quick fix to a known system that can be bypassed and tampered with after chrono. This is the perfect time for sites to be looking at their chrono procedures, to educate themselves, to update and revamp them. The fact the IAA has been referenced recently is worrying regarding the chrono procedure, because....putting it bluntly, the IAA is dead. Their chrono procedure is redundant, and was effective only at the period i stated above, unfortunately it no longer serves purpose.
So what do i recommend?
Do the homework. Chrono with the chosen bb weight in Joules, and record it. Do random chrono checks in game. Come down hard on those who flought the very rules that are there for everyones safety and legality!
Redhills posted an updated chrono procedure, and it is not unlike something i have discussed with my local site. Personally id let any weight of bb be used as anything over a 0.28 in an AEG, and a 0.32g in a GBB or bolty isnt very efficient without serious upgrades. The law is stated in black and white above, with a link to where it can be found. I recommend everyone who gives a damn about this hobby reads it and understands it.
And yes, there are plenty of other ways to cheat a chrono such as ********, etc (Hah! Nice try 😘). The half wits that were quick enough to post these suggestions under a post that wasnt deleted half as quick as it should have been, gave the rest of the f**kwits ideas to try. I can only hope that the sites are now wiser to all these...suggestions...and act accordingly to maintain the fair play, and ban any f**kwit who is out to break the law, potentially injure someone, and bring the hobby into disrepute.
Saying that, i will put my money where my mouth is. I am happy to talk and discuss with any shop or site that is looking for advice on chronoing and marshalling if it means safeguarding this hobby, and i have years of experience on the Manor and Wasteland sites to prove that, as well as my own time tinkering away on various systems and pieces.
Rant over. Time for a beer.
