How do you guys find time for Modelguns?

Post by Phobus

I am fairly new to modelguns and have about 6 so far .

I have noticed that they increasingly encroach upon the small amount of leisuretime I have - but in a nice way

Only blackpowder guns can be as time consuming and require as much owner input I reckon .

I have a small child who takes up a lot of time as well so the best I can often manage is to get them out of the box for a quick look and hold and then away they go again .

My wife thinks I,m a frustrated terrorist or something and I don,t tell many friends about my hobby

I also like strategy military computer games and stuff like Band of Brothers - I bet a few others on here do likewise .

So what about you guys , how do you find time for your modelguns ??

Regards Carl.
_________________
Marmite enthusiast

Post by shazhib

Phobus,

I found it this is very interesting question, especially, for those who have family.

I have 2 daughters, 5 and 10, need not that much of care like I need for a baby, still, needs some time to share. I usually spend my hobby time after 9:30-10:00pm for 1 or 2 hours. I usually fire my guns at weekend because it will take time to load the cap, fire, and clean. If there any written matter relates to firearms or modelgun, I read those at either communiting or bathing time.

It is not very easy to find one who have interest in toyguns here, especially, modelgun. If I just randomly speak out that I'm interested in modelgun, then, general reaction will be a) why you are intersted in something like "gun"; b) why you are still playing with toy gun (I'm later 30's). Sometime, get to know somebody in the net, likely be somebody lives far away (like you guys!).

Well, this is about one story of businessman with family live in Tokyo.

Anybody else?

Post by 8ace

I'm single with no kids so i have all the time in the world.

And yes my mates think i'm nuts to but they all want to shoot them when they come to mine

Post by MT01

Hi Phobus,

I'm a pretty much a newbie too, also have 6 models and, I can definitely understand where you are coming from!

As for me - no kids yet - and my better half does not mind so much if I spend a few hours tinkering on my XM177 as I strive to get it working consistently. In fact when used to have loads of airsoft, she used to join in target plinking until we found out that we have a few dents in the furniture and walls.

Love military PC games, just finished Rainbox six on Xbox360 (in co-op mode with my better half - she's not bad!). As for films - It was Band of brothers that made me get a Thompson!

Post by Phobus

Thanks Guys ,

Shazib I understand what you mean about telling friends about modelguns .

In the UK guns are so negative that most people would never discuss openly that they have an interest . Many people here think only criminals and Police have guns so you must be one or the other .

As for modelguns specifically : it would be

" you paid HOW much for that ? and it shoots NOTHING ?? " I did,nt get it myself until I saw one / held one - I guess I defected from Airsoft although I still have a few , and a few Airguns .

MT01 I can understand getting the Thompson after watching Band of Brothers . I would like one of those MGC IMI Colt .45 autos - I really fancy a full - Metal .45 might have to get a Wa Shan before the ban . I really like the Weapons from WW 2 ERA and Vietnam for that matter .

Any other frustrated modelgunners with too many guns and not enough time ??

Regards CARL.
_________________
Marmite enthusiast

Post by Pydracor

Well, not frustrated, though I sometimes think I DO have too many weapon replicas (most of them airsoft, only 3 modelguns at the moment).
I'm a student, so I find plenty of time to tinker around either with or without projectile

I consider myself pretty lucky, as my girlfriend not just approves my hobby, she owns some airsoftguns herself and is rather fascinated by modelguns aswell, which I reckon is very rare in the world of women

It's something different with my friends. Most of them just ignore this hobby, others regularly try to discuss the absurditiy of replicas that don't fire anything, or if they do, it's just a small plastic pellet. I also have been asked, why I don't join a gun club to get a license for real guns, but that's another story

So, well, altogether I'm pretty happy with our admittedly questionable hobby

PS: Oh, almost forgot - of course there' also is a downside to being a student: I NEVER have enough money to get the guns I really want

Post by shazhib

Pydracor,

"money vs time" is a perpetual theme without boundaries. When I was student (elementary), it was such a decision to buy a pack of MG cap (400yen almost 25 years before was fairly good money for a kid). The other day this year, I bought 10 packs at a time. But the time I can spare for modelgun hobby is definitely 1/10 now.

I have one suggestion. If you have time, but money, then, sell all airsoft and buy modelgun instead. Why? if you get late 30's or above and have money to spend on modelgun, it may no longer available. Either a company going out of business or stop producing. I'm damn serious.

ciao,

Post by Pydracor

Yeah, you're right shazhib, the relation time / money never seems to be right, you always have too much of one and too little of the other.

Of course I see the point of what you say about the availability of modelguns. The problem is, that i like most of my airsoftguns far too much to sell them, and I have gone through some difficulties to legally get some of those guns to Germany (a change in the law made airsoftguns more or less legal only about 3 years ago and fullauto guns have to be changed to semi, so shops in Germany have a very limited range of different guns. It gets a bit complicated, if you want one, that is not available here, but that's not for this forum ).

At the moment, I'm obsessed with the idea to get a LMG replica (M60, M249, MG34 / 42) and unfortunately, no manufacturer has ever produced a modelgun LMG (which of course would be ridiculous, considering the number of cartridges you'd need and the complicated belt feeding mechanism...)... big dilemma huh?

Post by Phobus

A LMG Modelgun . Now you are talking .

Could you imagine preparing 200 rounds for a quick 7 -8 seconds blast ??

Sure would be nice whilst it lasted and then picking up and cleaning all the brass ...

Another problem I have regarding the time and space for my hobby is where to keep all the kit .

I would LOVE a proper gun case / cabinet but have no space and too many inquisitive kids around . Sometimes mine are left in nooks and crannies around the house - top of bookcases / behind the TV / airing cupboard .

Imagine my embarassment when the electricity guy came to read the meter to find a shiny Vietnam issue M 16 propped up in the corner .!! I quickly explained that this was a REPLICA only but I,m sure he thinks I work for Al Quada or something .

Maybe I should take up Golf .

Regards CARL.
_________________
Marmite enthusiast

Post by fightdesigner

I hear ya, in two ways- one, yes, I have a house that always needs work, a daughter and wife that always want more time, and I need to keep looking for a better paying job... etc etc.

Also, I use these in my side-business, as a film and theatre armorer and fight director, and they take much longer to reload and need more cleaning than the plugged barrel blank fire versions, so there's not always time to mess with them even when that's my job!
_________________
Freelance hack... and slash, and gun.

It can be a very lonely hobby can't it?
As most of the regular contributors here know by now, I'm disabled as a result of breaking my neck in a Road Accident 7 years ago. I'm paralyzed from shoulders down so neither of my hands work now.
Not that that stops me doing as much as I can mind you!

Not being able to continue with my usual hobbies of riding motorcycles, engine repairs and tuning, rebuilding and restoring them, was my main passion but I also really enjoyed sea fishing. Both need working hands and mobility so I had to find something else to keep me entertained.
My life long interest in both World Wars and the desire I'd had since being a kid to own a WW2 German helmet got me into the world of Internet shopping and I bought a helmet, much to the disgust of my (then) wife and kids.
One helmet led to another, then officers caps, hand grenades, all manner of military gear and after watching the "Making of Saving Private Ryan" and seeing resin prop MG34's I thought if it's possible to buy props like that?
To cut a long story short, I found a website selling pfc MP40's. I couldn't believe my eyes, a replica MP40 that works? Oh Boy, I just GOT to get me one of these!
So what if I can't hold it, take it apart, fire it? I can hang it on my wall with my helmets!
Didn't take long to persuade myself to buy it (about 4 seconds).
Due to my injuries I have to employ a team of assistants to help me with practically everything 24hrs a day. That includes helping me enjoy my hobbies (made damn sure that bit was in the job description!).
As it's turned out of course, the only one that can be trusted to even touch my modelguns is my girlfriend, (wife liked modelguns even less than steel helmets) but even she hates 'em. She does, in all fairness, do a really good job of loading rounds, she's learned really quickly how to field strip all manner of guns now as my collection has grown considerably since buying that first MP40. Well you can't have just one can you? You can't do without a Thompson, and a Luger, and a... Goes on and on doesn't it?
So IF I behave, and treat her nice for a few days, she'll consent to an hour or two of gun fun once in a couple of weeks but, well you all know what women can be like!
There's nothing I'd enjoy moe than sitting down stripping, cleaning, reassembling, firing, tweaking my modelguns myself but this way I'll never get bored because every time is a treat. It's a lot of money too, sitting there in boxes or as wall hangers but it's great just having them. This forum is a regular stop for me, daily really. Part of the fun of owning these is sharing experiences and knowledge with everybody else.
The best day was one last Summer, when one member was visiting folks not far from me and he came over. I think he fired every gun I own for me and I had a great day, house was full of smoke for a couple of days and smeld of fired caps and gun oil...Great!
It's a shame there's no-one close by to share the fun with, but thats the way it goes.
It sounds like most of us that have commented struggle to find enough time because of other commitments but the time we can find is really enjoyable though.
I seem to have written an essay guys (again), I'd better sign off and work on "gently persuading" my girlfriend that tonight might be a good night to load up a few dozen cartridges...

Cerwyn
_________________
Hobby collector of mainly WW2 era uniforms, headgear, field equipment and replica weapons.

Post by MT01

Wow Cerwyn, Got to take my helmet and liner off to you.

I joined this forum quite a while back - I think it was after following a link somewhere to see a picture of a gun.. I didn't really stop back then and have a proper look around as I did not know much about modelguns.

It's not until fairly recently that I found this forum again and realised what I have been missing all that time.

I know this is a lonely hobby as you and a lot of members have said on this thread, but this forum kind of makes up for that and makes it 10 times more enjoyable for me. I only have 6 guns (more on the way i hope) but its really good to share other member's enthusiasm for this hobby and to share their experiences with their own collections, some of which make your jaw drop!

Thanks for sharing

(There is one thing however that has got worse since i've started using this forum, and that is my bank balance! )

It's only money mate, (I keep telling myself that) but every time I tell myself that that's it, no more, the collection is full, something else really tasty and tempting comes along!
The Money Tree that I keep hoping will sprout in the garden just ain't showing though!

I couldn't agree more with you, this forum is and has been a fantastic source of knowledge, help, advice, friendship without which my enjoyment would be far less.

Cerwyn
_________________
Hobby collector of mainly WW2 era uniforms, headgear, field equipment and replica weapons.

Post by Phobus

Some really good points there guys ,

I never realised about the idea that this is a lonely hobby but when you think about it , thats exactly what it is .

All other " shooting sports " have clubs / associations / magazines / shops that you can go and browse in etc .

All we in the UK have is 2 online shops and this website . We are fragmented around the country and around the World .

Hey , maybe we should have a Nationwide Conference / members meeting ?? we could have it at YOUR house Cerwyn !!

Seriously , it would be good to meet other members and maybe have an impromptu " Run what you brung " session with our modelguns .

On a more serious note , I wish I got into modelguns sooner so I could have more time to enjoy it before our Government takes it away from us .

When / if they do I will have to apply for an FAC so that I can at least have some working guns even though I am only REALLY interested in automatic weapons . I will have to stick to .22 ,s rimfire - until those get banned as well .

Regards CARL.
_________________
Marmite enthusiast

Post by Mark

When I discovered the modelgun hobby in the 1980's, I knew that later I would have a somewhat large collection of them due to their realism. Unfortunately, I later lost interest in them due to changes in my life and I have always regretted it. When I rediscovered the hobby in 1995, I started collection them as fast as I could locally (Seattle) but, I was limited due to the fact that there wasn't any around that where in good shape. Then, in 2004, I discovered sources for them on the net this of course, led me to start collecting modelguns at a bank account emptying rate! The main problem that I had at the time was that many of the modelguns that I had bought where without cartridges and more importantly: The caps. When I found the source for caps then the hobby expanded from there...

Now, when I first started to shoot my models, I was able to spend quite a bit of time shooting and cleaning them due to my job at the time allowed me quite a bit of spare time. My current job allows me some time but, not time enough to shoot my guns regularly so they sit most of the time. I still find time to handle them and of course, buy them...I would like to shoot them more but, I have to balance my available time between work and my other hobbies like cars and actual firearms. The interesting thing is that my modelgun collection is far larger than my actual firearm collection! Modelguns allow me to shoot comfortably in my house and I don't have to drive miles to shoot in bad weather. I think the largest time waster that the modelgun hobby has is the loading and cleaning cycle. That, I guess and the "trouble shooting" of why the gun doesn't always work. There are a few other reasons but for the most part, the hobby is mostly time consuming.
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by MT01

While we are talking about spending time and money on this hobby, got to say one of the best investments I made after reading advice from this forum is a good ultrasonic cleaner (yet again this forum comes to the rescue!)

Ok its is still a chore to cleanup afterwards, but these save SO much time. Now after shooting a few mags, just bag up the empty rounds after firing and then clean them all in one go at night with a nice cup of tea (i drink the tea that is - not clean the rounds with it).

Post by fightdesigner

Hey Mark, just a thought- if you're looking for more excuses to fire off your guns and are willing to let random strangers do so (with supervision), let me know. I routinely get calls for prop guns in the low-budget indie film scene here in Seattle, and often they want extras to play thugs or guards with guns as well. If you'd enjoy playing "thug number five" and getting to fire off some rounds from one of your model guns, I'd be more than happy to drop you a line the next time something like that comes up.
_________________
Freelance hack... and slash, and gun.

Post by Mark

fightdesigner wrote:

Hey Mark, just a thought- if you're looking for more excuses to fire off your guns and are willing to let random strangers do so (with supervision), let me know. I routinely get calls for prop guns in the low-budget indie film scene here in Seattle, and often they want extras to play thugs or guards with guns as well. If you'd enjoy playing "thug number five" and getting to fire off some rounds from one of your model guns, I'd be more than happy to drop you a line the next time something like that comes up.

Ha! Now that would be cool and fun!
However, my work schedule might not allow the trip..But, I might be able to make some concessions just to help out on the guns etc.

MT01 wrote:

While we are talking about spending time and money on this hobby, got to say one of the best investments I made after reading advice from this forum is a good ultrasonic cleaner (yet again this forum comes to the rescue!)
Ok its is still a chore to cleanup afterwards, but these save SO much time. Now after shooting a few mags, just bag up the empty rounds after firing and then clean them all in one go at night with a nice cup of tea (i drink the tea that is - not clean the rounds with it).

Hiya,
Too true mate and get yourself a Lyman Vibrating Tumble polisher too, it runs your brass parts through a polishing medium (grain and crushed walnut stuff) and makes the brass gleam inside and out.
Worth every penny, I wouldn't bewithout mine now.
Cerwyn

Post by MT01

Hmm.. come to think of it my brass is looking a bit tarnished. Thanks for the tip cerwyn.

Phobus wrote:

...I will have to stick to .22 ,s rimfire - until those get banned as well

Don't forget you could always try to apply for NRA membership. That way you will be able to take up full bore (.22 really isn't comparable)
I've been toying with the idea. Have been to Bisley and Altcar many times when I was in the Cadets and have many fond memories of competition shooting.

Hi Mt01

Biggest advantage is that the inside of the round gets thoroughly polished too without any abrasives nor elbow grease.
You can chuck in 200 parts at a time with no bother, switch on and leave it for a couple of hours whilst you clean your gun or something!

I paid £70 for mine, complete, last year and it is worth every penny.

Cerwyn
_________________
Hobby collector of mainly WW2 era uniforms, headgear, field equipment and replica weapons.

Phobus wrote:

Hey , maybe we should have a Nationwide Conference / members meeting ?? we could have it at YOUR house Cerwyn !!
Seriously , it would be good to meet other members and maybe have an impromptu " Run what you brung " session with our modelguns .
Regards CARL.

Hey Phobus,
Well mate I did throw in a few posts some time ago about a "get together" for UK members to do just that, an impromptu get together and "run what
you brung"
I made a couple of enquiries with a UK dealer but space, Insurance and other difficulties (Police for instance) ruled that particular location out. Biggest problem is the public and their interpretation of guns, models or otherwise. We would scare the shit out of them if we all turned up in a hotel or a Motel somewhere toting rifles, SMG's and Pistols, and that'd be before we started shooting! Be a good laugh though eh? The local Police could join in and show ustheir real MP5's too!
However, I certainly wouldn't object to a small scale visit by one or two here at home should ever the notion come up!
Cerwyn

Post by Phobus

Heheehee ,

Good one Cerwyn ,

I can just imagine how the local A.R. Unit would like to participate in our shooting session !!

Mind you , in our area they seem to have ditched the MP5s in favour of G 36s - make a BIGGER Hole in you when you get shot !!

Still , re enacters seem to get around the problem of meeting up with lots of guns and shooting them LOUDLY without attracting unwanted attention so it must be feasible .

Regards Carl.
_________________
Marmite enthusiast

Hiya Phobus,

Re-enactors have to go to extreme legths to organise their events. Police involvement (notification, permission etc etc) Insurance and tey must be well away from the Public or residences obviously unless it's an organised event.
Nightmare to arrange really but clearly worth it!

I would've liked to have visited a modelgun dealership, set up a "Show Day" where we as forum members could meet up, see what's available, maybe spend time talking to the dealer seeking advice and that kind of thing and also ideally of course, using the dealers premises to shoot our guns together. It might have been a good sales day too beause seeing a nice new toy in the flesh is even more tempting than a photo innit!?

Travelling is a problem, time might well be, but unfortunately the dealer regreted to say that his premises didn't lend themselves to a crowd of us being there. Insurance was also a problem as it is with everything these days. He was keen enough though to be fair, but his place just couldn't handle us lot.

If we organised something on a serious basis here, this VCR hinderance would probably screw us anyway. Even without the VCR, can you imagine the mayhem we would cause in a Travel Lodge?

What we need is an airfield or something like that, miles from any village or frail residents, wherenoise wouldn't be a problem, and with a hangar or sheds large enough for a crowd of us (how may do you reckon might turn up 10? 12?) a dealer and his stand of wares and a make shift range or shooting gallery.
We could all take sandwiches and a flask unless somebody organises a barbie!

Personally I would jump at the chance to meet a few of you guys, get to meet the dealer(s) and learn from each other! It could be a lot of fun I'm sure of it.
I live in North Wales, right on the coast so travelling for most would be arduous. If we found somewhere in the Midlands say, most of us might manage that without too much difficulty as it's fairly central.

Is there a Reenactor here that knows of some private land, an old Military base perhaps or somewhere that mightbe suitable in the Midlands?

Any of you guys fly aircraft, helicopters, microlights, gliders???

Summers coming lads, wouldn't it be great to have a weekend of modelguns?

Cerwyn
_________________
Hobby collector of mainly WW2 era uniforms, headgear, field equipment and replica weapons.