Airsoft Thread

[JackieD]

Hi Sandy,

Thank you for your reply. I live in Mumbai. Can I get it without customs hassles. I will ask the people at tigerhk111 to dismantle it and send it to me. If you are also interested, we can import it together.

[estousandy]

Every customs office has got its share of issues. We're talking about metal guns here, so too risky i'd say. Give it a shot though. You might get lucky.

[kiran2608]

Every customs office has got its share of issues. We're talking about metal guns here, so too risky i'd say. Give it a shot though. You might get lucky.

Yes Sandy,

You are absolutely correct, now the customs and their procedures are completely changed.

Let me update you all with the recent happenings.

Last year that is May 2014, two members, Karthik and Ashish got in touch with me asking to help them in importing airsoft pistols. After a month's research, and when we were about to order, one of the guys phone was broken and they ran out of money:-)

But after 6 months are so, Ashish again contacted me and this time he was ready to buy a pistol even if there was not sharing in shipping.

Again after so much research, he finalized KWC M1911 CO2 full metal pistol. Even I liked it as per the reviews in youtube and other sites.

In the first week of Jan 2015, an order was placed and this time, Ehobbyasia themselves gave me enough warnings about the customs and their restrictions for metal guns.

Thinking that my membership would be sufficient to import, I accepted all the terms and conditions of Ehobbyassia, overlooking the future risks.

First shipment reached bangalore in the last week of Jan and then customs stopped it with a call memo sending to my residential address.

After two days ( with a great difficulty from office) I went to customs office and produced all the invoices, specifications etc.

They were not at all willing to release the shipment unless I get a no objection letter from commissioner of police, Bangalore inspite of producing my membership and related letters.

I was literally fed up and was about to give up, thinking that I will pay Ashish the amount he transferred. On a last step, I got a chance to talk to the commissioner of customs directly in his office. I explained him the exact content and showed him all my membership documents.

Finally, he called the person who was handling my case and gave few instructions which I could not hear:-)

Atlast, they released the shipment, collecting 29% duty on the invoice ( Remember the duty is including the shipping charges).

I clearly told them that as second shipment is on the way for which they should not impose this duty as the invoice is for both the shipments.

The game started again and luckily too less time for them to agree with me.

Last friday, both the shipments were delivered and I have assembled the gun.

Inspite of the huge struggle, after assembling the gun, forgot all the circus and gave me a wonderful feeling:-)

Here are the pics of the pistol.

Reviews of KWC M1911 CO2:

1) Everything is metal except the Nozzle chamber and the grips.
2) Unlike Tokyo Marui, most of the tensions are managed with the metal plates ( Trigger and hammer)
3) Metal is really solid, as good as normal airguns.
4) All parts are designed in such way that they completely fit and sit in the space provided for them.
5) Gives a solid recoil.
6) No springs are in tension when the gun is not in use.
7) Barrel is real steel.

I am big fan of Tokyo Marui ( ofcourse Umarex is my first choice and it come under airgun). But TM design is very delicate, most of the parts are in tension even when the gun is not in use. When I assembled my TM beretta model, I was scared about the design because all the parts are like just attached one after the other.

Especially, there were more small springs and almost all of them cant resist the high pressure gas.

This KWC is really good at that, only one small spring which is secured properly in between the hammer parts.

Altogether, its a wonderful pistol with solid blow back and recoil with CO2 powerplant with atleast 350 to 380 fps.

Ashish is one of the luckiest guys who acquired this gun:-) I hope this made him really happy.



Regards,
KD

[gulshan.bhatia24]

Hey guy
I live in Mumbai n I wanna buy an Airsoft sniper rifle. I am trying to buy some Airsoft since longtime but didn't got lucky with it. But m huge fan of Airsoft n I have to buy some.
I am planning to buy http://airsoft.tiger111hk.com/p27486/AG ... _info.html this gun...

Plz guys reply as soon as possible need help urgently

[estousandy]

Thats a neat gun Kiran. Glad to see you're moving away from stock TMs. They're not designed to withstand gas pressures in our hot climate.

Gulshan, you'll have to read into previous posts to find the answers you need. Just delay buying anything big for atleast a month. There's something big happening airsoft-wise at the moment. We'll know in time.

[gulshan.bhatia24]

Thanks sandy for ur reply..
But can u give me some idea what's going on in Airsoft sector.. Bcz I have waited for to long to buy an Airsoft and that wait is killing my passion about it

[estousandy]

If it's only that deep, then why not just let it die?

I know only so much, so there's nothing more i can say now. Patience pls.

[gulshan.bhatia24]

Sandip yes m very much interested

[estousandy]

Anyone interested in airsoft at ~actual prices, give me a ping.

Again, i'm not selling anything.

[lima jamir]

Hi Frens I would like to know if someone is importing a airsoft from http://airsoft.tiger111hk.com. i want to buy a M4 AEG.

[estousandy]

http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1 ... n-warriors


Top guns: Hong Kong's thriving business in replica weapons that are still classed as 'toys'
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 07 March, 2015, 6:41am
UPDATED : Monday, 09 March, 2015, 4:17pm
Charley Lanyon
[email protected]


Stanley Leung of eHobby Asia takes aim

Kwong Wah Street in Mong Kok is known to enthusiasts as Cheung Gai - Gun Street in Cantonese. In the warren of side lanes and covered arcades that radiate from the street, stores bear names such as Gun Heaven and Top Gun. Shop windows are crowded with rows of pistols and walls inside are festooned with sniper rifles and sub-machine guns alongside posters of American soldiers and Hong Kong police.

Even on a week day, the stores are full of people of all ages. An older man inspects an American-issue rifle from the second world war; young men take turns feeling the weight of an AK-47. Just ask and shop assistants will cheerfully show you to the back of the shop, where they keep the handheld grenade launchers; one store even offers what looks like an RPG-7, an anti-tank missile launcher.


War game enthusiasts ready for action at Sha Lo Tung

Beyond the press of shoppers, two young boys, no older than 11, loiter outside a convenience store. One is wearing camouflage pants and at their feet are two block boxes instantly recognisable as rifle cases.

Of course, none of the weapons is real. Every item, from the rifles to rocket launchers, is an airsoft version - replicas that are designed to use electricity or compressed gas to shoot projectiles (usually tiny plastic beads called BBs). Typically used in war games and target practice, they are classified as toys in Hong Kong.

Still, you could be forgiven for mistaking them for the real thing - airsoft manufacturers spare no expense to make their weapons as real as possible. They are made of metal, have the weight of a real gun and look, feel, and work almost exactly like regular firearms. As much as is possible, the airsoft guns even fire like real weapons.

At WGC, one of biggest global suppliers of airsoft gear, showroom manager Brandon Fung says: "People who play with real steel are trying all their best to lower the recoil, but with toy guns we are trying our best to increase the recoil."

The greater the knock-back when an airsoft gun is discharged, the more authentic the feel. With the focus on realism, expensive materials and craftsmanship, airsoft replicas are not cheap. You can buy an airsoft gun for about HK$1,000, but some high-end versions can set you back more than HK$20,000. In fact, airsoft guns are often more expensive than actual guns.

On Cheung Gai, a replica AK-47 goes for HK$1,200, but, according to a 2007 study by Geneva-based research project Small Arms Survey, the actual assault rifles are available for as little as US$40 in Asia and US$12 in Africa.


Airsoft pistols at eHobby Asia

Airsoft weapons weren't always like this. A decade ago, most were made in Japan; generally of plastic and looked more like toys. Then an increasing range began to emerge from manufacturers in Taiwan, where consumers wanted the imitations to be as realistic-looking as possible. Today, even Japan is creating ultra-realistic toy weapons. Tokyo Marui, a Japanese airsoft gun manufacturer, has its company motto emblazoned on coffee mugs; it may be in broken English but the meaning is clear: "To the real thing as possible".

Airsoft, a sport that involves players trying to eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets fired from replica guns, is popular around the world. Suppliers count Britain, Germany, Russia and the US among major markets, but the pursuit has become an especially big in Asia.

Fong says this is because people have almost no access to real guns in jurisdictions such as Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"In Hong Kong it is so hard for us to even touch real steel, so more and more people buy toy guns," he says.


Airsoft automatic rifles at eHobby Asia

Stanley Leung, a shop manager at eHobby Asia, one the city's biggest suppliers, suggests the fascination with airsoft is also because Hong Kong has never had its own military. Many people are drawn to the glamour of being a soldier, playing tactical and war games with airsoft is the closest you can get to being in combat in Hong Kong.

It may sound like a macho obsession, but you would be wrong in assuming airsoft is primarily a male pursuit. Despite a plethora of airsoft adverts featuring impractically clothed women that are clearly aimed at male customers, vendors estimate that 30 per cent or more of local players are women.

Enthusiasts can be roughly divided into three categories: those who enjoy target practice, those who play war games and collectors. Collectors spend big bucks on precise replicas of historic firearms. Weapons related to the US Navy are the most popular, especially rifles from the second world war, Leung says.

For target shooters and war gamers, there are venues all around Hong Kong. Indoor arenas tend to be converted warehouses where people play what are called "close-quarter battles". The largest indoor arena, Impact Force in Diamond Hill, takes up 35,000 square feet and features three playing zones based on the Amazon jungle, Cambodia, and something called the Lost City which combines ancient Chinese and Egyptian motifs.

Many war gamers, however, seem to prefer outdoor arenas such as those in Sai Kung, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long.

Christopher Hay, an English tutor, got his first airsoft gun when he was just 11 years old - a gift from his mother.

"It's great exercise and it's super fun," he says. "It feels very realistic when you start to apply real-life war tactics to the game."

Hay also recently started conducting airsoft retreats with his co-workers and says it has been a great team-building exercise. Like most enthusiasts, he is keen to emphasise how safe the hobby is.

"Getting shot is not as bad as it sounds, it stings for about a minute but you usually forget all about it … The pain from getting shot is bearable about 80 per cent of the time."

As for the other 20 per cent, Hay says: "Last time I got shot three times right on the same spot on my forehead and it started bleeding … that hurt like hell."

Many manufacturers and retailers encourage users to treat their airsoft equipment as carefully as actual weapons and always use protective gear in case of accidental misfiring.

"My friend took off his goggles - only for a brief moment - but still managed to get shot in the eye," Hay recalls. "Luckily, it was from far away and didn't do any serious damage; just left him in pain for about 10 minutes."

Hong Kong gun laws are famously strict, so it can be a surprise to find a community of dedicated gun enthusiasts flourishing here. But even so-called toy guns are closely regulated.

All airsoft guns must have a muzzle energy no greater than two joules of kinetic energy. By comparison, paintball guns, the most popular form of simulated weapons in the US, have between 10 and 13 joules of muzzle energy. Anything more powerful could be considered a controlled weapon under Hong Kong law and get the owner into real trouble: a fine of up to HK$100,000 and a prison sentence of up to 14 years. To be on the safe side many airsoft guns sold in Hong Kong are significantly under the two joule limit.

The other obvious danger with airsoft guns, especially now that they are mostly indistinguishable from real guns, is that owners may use them to intimidate people into doing something against their will, such as giving up their money in robberies. To guard against this, the US government requires toy guns to have a bright orange tip on their muzzle.

Because real guns are such a rarity in Hong Kong, there is no equivalent regulation. In any case, most vendors say that this danger is exaggerated. "The only people who can be robbed [with an airsoft gun] would be stupid people," says Fung. "You can see from the gun, especially the barrel that it's a toy."

But the police disagree. In 2013, a spokesman says, there were six robberies staged with pistol-like objects, a category that includes airsoft guns, but none with actual firearms. In 2012, there were nine instances involving pistol-like objects; last year, there were three.

Walk around Cheung Gai and it's clear many Hongkongers are enthralled with guns. At one shop, a female sales assistant asks an American customer if he has any real guns at home. When the man says he has a collection of more than 30 guns, the saleswoman offers an open-mouthed grin. "Wow," she says, eyes wide.

That's a kind of fascination, however, that Fung doesn't understand: "I'm quite afraid of real steel. Toy guns are very safe. Real guns make me feel a bit [in danger]. I'm an airsoft lover but not a real steel lover."

This is how the "Gun Street" look like:


TRIGGER HAPPY

A beginner's guide for would-be urban warriors.

Where to get your kit:

WGC, room 1407, 14/F Park-in Commercial Centre, 56 Dundas St, Mong Kok, tel: 2783 8300, wgcshop.com

eHobby Asia, B/F Lai Sun Commercial Centre, 680 Cheung Sha Wan Rd, Cheung Sha Wan, tel: 3165 1541

Where to play:

Impact Force, CQB, 25 Tai Yau St, Diamond Hill, tel: 2574 9008, impactforcecqb.com

Hong Kong's largest indoor arena.

Gulf War Area, DD 395 Tin Fu Tsai, Tai Lam Chung, Tuen Mun, tel: 2410 8166, gulfwargame.com

A large and popular outdoor arena.



This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Barrels of fun

[JackieD]

Hi guys,

Nowadays its next to impossible to import an airsoft gun. A seller based in Mumbai from whom I had previously bought a GBB refunded the amount that I paid him. I guess the only option we have got now are the dealers who quote thrice the price of the actual cost.

[estousandy]

Yes Jackie, he was the last good guy. It's next to impossible now. I presume you already have a SA G19. If so, you are super lucky!!

[JackieD]

Hi Sandy, I would have been luckier if I had gas to actually use the gun.

[estousandy]

@Jackie, I got your reply. I fully understand your liking for the Glock. I'm in the same boat too, but without one.

@Others with interest in Airsoft, kindly go through this govt public grievances portal and register your genuine concerns about AS import.

http://pgportal.gov.in/ > Lodge your grievance here > Public Grievance > Choose "Central Board of Excise and Customs" > Enter personal details > Choose "Harassment/Atrocities" under grievance category > Describe your grievance > Submit

Not that there is any hope, but always worth a shot.