Hello my name is Cody I recently moved to Germany from America. I've been interested in starting airsoft but don't really know where to start. (guns, equipment, places to play, ect.) I have experience with similar sports I paintballed for a long time and hinted all my life. Sorry for writing in English because my German is absolutely terrible. Thanks in advance! :)
in germany we have roughly 2 categories of airsoftguns:
-below 0.5 joules count as toys, but are mostly anscheinswaffen. so fullauto is legal
-over 0.5 joules you need the 'F im Fünfeck' proofmark, and you are restrictet to semi only
I think the best way to get connected to airsoft as an foraigner is to get in contact with a nearby airsoft Team.
Where do you life atm?
Yes everywhere I've looked I've heard of this law. Now if I were to buy an over0.5 gun what would be a good start? Again I don't know much about what's good and what's not, is an electrical gun a good option?
https://www.airsoft-verzeichnis.de/index.php?status=forum&sp=1&threadnummer=0000386870&seite=1#post1730447
time to learn som german, eh? ;P
also important to know: it is illegal to walk around/carry/use/play with a gun that looks like a real one (even when its under 0.5J) in public ("anscheinswaffe"). they have to be transported in locked bags/cases.
its only legal to play on fields designated for the sport, so please don't just play in the woods somewhere :D
where in Germany do you live? then someone might be able to suggest fields around you. on some fields you can borrow guns for a day so you can play, get to know the field and some people even if you don't have your own equipment yet.
if you need help understanding the beginners guide let me know^^
Maybe this picture guide will help you if you have question about the basic equipment.
Find a team will be a great idea.
Cheers Caddie
Really depends on where you want to play (cqb vs woodland / field limits) and your budget. You can look up any gun info on FB/YT or Reddit in english.
Like explained only buy guns above 0.5j in german shops, so you are safe. Also any weapon mounted lights/lasers are a Nono.
The latest G&G products with ETU are a safe buy in generall with little to no need for upgrades out of the box. Also a cyma aep pistol with mosfet upgrade is a usefull inexpensive backup for close range engagement.
In best case you find some players to group up or a field with rental guns and have some games before you buy stuff. Look what other ppl use, talk with them and get a overview what makes sense for you.
"Anscheinswaffe" = "real gun look alike"
Also important to know: Lasers and lights are are illegal on Airsofts. Already the possession and import of special light and lasers for weapons is forbidden in germany.
A real good German airsoft shop is begadi
The website is also in English available
https://www.begadi.com
I think the legal explanations here lack some detail, so I will try to explain the laws as detailed as possible:
Any kind of device which projects light onto the target, thus illuminating it, which is meant to be mounted onto a weapon is illegal in germany. So already the posession of a flashlight or laser with, say, a picatinny rail adapter is illegal, even if you do not use it.
Any kind of optics that electronically manipulate image data and display it to the shooter, like NVGs mounted behind a sight or a thermal sight are illegal.
Airsoft guns with a maximum energy of less than 0.5J are considered as toys (instead of weapons). If they look realistic, which airsoft guns tend to do, then they are also considered as a "Anscheinswaffe" (="firearm look alike") and are prohibited to carry in public
Airsoft guns with a maximum energy of more than 0.5J and less than 7.5J are considered as weapons. Before any shop is allowed to sell any of these guns, they must be officially checked and allowed by the "Beschussamt". If they find that the gun complies with all german laws, then it gets the following markings: The name of the importing company, the model of the gun, the caliber (propably "6mm BB") and the "F in a pentagon". If any of these markings is missing and the gun has been imported after somewhere around the year 2000 (dont know the exact date, the laws have been changed back then) then it is considered an illegal firearm. Airsoft guns with more than 0.5J of muzzle energy are also prohibited to shoot anything else than semi-automatic, so burst or automatic fire is illegal.
Airsoft guns with more than 7.5J are illegal firearms.
If you transport an airsoft gun, say to a field or a friend, it has to be locked in a way that it is seperated by ammunition and (if needed) the battery. The gun must not be in a state where it is ready to fire when it is transported. Also you must not be able to easily take if out of its case, thus locks or some kind of zipties are required to secure the gun case from being opened.
There is no certainty within the german airsoft community weather modifying the firing mechanism of an airsoft gun is illegal or not, however tuning and/or replacing internals like the piston or other parts of the gearbox is widely considered to be legal, however replacing the gearbox with say an hpa unit is widely considered to be not legal. If you do so, it is recommended to send the gun to the "Beschussamt" by yourself for it to be tested again ("Einzelabnahme") to avoid any legal issues. This process will cost you some money.
Apart from the legal stuff, there are not that many decent sized fields in germany, as the regulations for a field to be legal are also very strict. You will find some smaller sized indoor cqb fields and a handfull of larger ones, but unless you are really lucky, one of those will propably not be near to where you live. Most airsoft players tend to travel to France, Austria, the Czech Republic or other neighbouring countries for larger OPs. There are many teams around germany and I would recommend you to find one in your area, however there is a good chance that this team will not have its own field and will only travel to OPs and to skirms mostly to neighbouring countries.
Thank you all so far! This is all really helpful. I was suggested this gun by a few people https://www.begadi.com/airsoftwaffen/frei-ab-18-j/s-aegs/hw60-st316/begadi-g60-sport-s-aeg-nylon-fiber-version-frei-ab-18-j.html it seems pretty solid to me but what do I know? Haha I have a few things gear wise that I can transfer over from paintball and hunting to airsoft. I just need a good mask(I prefer full face I don't like getting shot in the face) and a good belt for holding things like mags bbs ect.
My first questions are, how old are you, how big is your wallet and most of all.... why did you move here? ^^
Do you want to go into reenactment or just f2p? I think all the legal issues have been posted :)
Chin tonka I don't know what f2p is but I'm 27 and right now just for a gun I'm wanting to spend tops 300
Ok, that helps. So there are no legal bindings for buying stuff for you, thats good ^^
300 isnt much, but you might get a decent gun for it. Did you decide which way you want to go? F2P just means fun-2-play.
