In short
- Protection comes first. Sealed eye protection made for airsoft and a mask for the lower face, both bought new.
- The gun is an electric rifle. An AEG, a battery-powered gun, in M4 or AK style, with a battery and a charger that match it.
- Add what keeps you playing. BBs, two or three spare magazines, gloves, boots with ankle support and a bag for the journey.
- No UKARA yet? Buy the rest first. A realistic gun is sold only once you can show that you skirmish, usually through UKARA, the player register British shops check. Until then you hire a gun at the site or buy a brightly coloured two-tone.
- Second-hand works for the big items. A used rifle, vest and clothing save the most. Eye protection and batteries are not the place to save.
The airsoft starter kit checklist
A starter kit has one job: getting you through a full game day without borrowing anything. That takes fewer items than most shop bundles suggest.
On the table before the first game with your own kit
0 of 12 ticked
From hire gun to your own rifle: the usual British route
-
Game 1
Hire the gun, bring your own protection
Book a rental package at a UKARA registered site. Your own goggles, gloves and boots already make the day better.
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Game 2
Add what you missed
A mask that fits, better layers. Watch what the regulars carry and what they leave in the car.
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Game 3
At least 56 days after the first
Now the site can register you with UKARA, if you are over 18 and live in the UK. UKARA charges players nothing.
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After that
Buy the rifle
A shop can now sell you a realistic gun. Choose battery, charger and magazines with it.
Gun, battery and charger
The best airsoft gun for beginners is an electric rifle, an AEG: a battery and a motor drive a piston that fires the BB. It works in rain and cold, costs little per shot and takes magazines every shop stocks. Pick an M4 or AK style from an established brand such as Specna Arms or G&G.
Read what is in the box before you order: many rifles come without a battery, and an included charger is often a slow one that does not switch off by itself.
Rifles in the webshop
Shown here: rifles within the limits for Great Britain. In Northern Ireland and Ireland the line is 1 joule.
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft Gun AR15 KeyMod 10" Charlie Eagle Tan
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft AEG URG-1 Sopmod Block 3
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft Rifle GBB CQB-R Block 1
In stock, ships right away
HECKLER & KOCH (Umarex) AEG Rifle G36C Sportsline Eyetrace
The airsoft battery for a first rifle, in plain terms
- Type
- LiPo (lithium polymer) is the usual choice; NiMH is the older, more forgiving type.
- Voltage
- 7.4 V is the safe start. 11.1 V fires faster and wears the parts sooner.
- Plug
- Mini Tamiya or Deans (T-plug): gun, battery and charger have to match.
- Charger
- A balance charger fills each cell of a LiPo evenly. Never leave a charging battery alone.
Eye and face protection
Airsoft face protection is the one part of the kit without a budget version. A BB in the eye does permanent damage, so sites make sealed eye protection compulsory wherever guns are loaded. Buy goggles or glasses that are sold for airsoft, carry an impact rating and close the gap around your eyes.
A mesh or fabric mask protects teeth and lips, and many sites require one for under-18s. Try the two together: the mask must not push the goggles up. Fogging is why beginners lift their goggles in a game, the one thing you never do.
Eye protection in the webshop
Read the rating on the product page and ask your site what it accepts.
In stock, ships right away
i4 / i5 Lens Thermal Clear (helder doorschijnend) — smk/gold
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — FIRE Blk/Red
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — STORM Blk/Blue
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — SHADOWFIRE Gry/RedBBs, magazines and a way to carry them
Airsoft BBs are 6 mm plastic balls graded by weight. For an electric rifle 0.25 g to 0.28 g is a sound start. Many outdoor sites only allow biodegradable BBs, so check before you buy. Skip the bargain bin: BBs with seams or air bubbles jam the gun.
The magazine in the box is usually a hi-cap: several hundred BBs, fed by winding a wheel. Many players move to mid-caps, which hold about a hundred, feed by spring and do not rattle. Take two or three spare magazines and a speedloader to fill them.
Three ways to carry your magazines
Pockets
Cargo pockets hold two magazines for a first day. Slow to reach, fine while you find out how you play.
A belt with pouches
A sturdy belt with two magazine pouches. Leaves your chest free and stays cool.
Belts and pouchesA chest rig
A row of pouches on your front. Lighter and cooler than a plate carrier, the heavy vest built to hold plates.
Vests and chest rigs
Used vests, plate carriers and chest rigs
Carrying gear wears slowly: a good second-hand buy.
Clothing and boots you already own
Nobody needs camouflage on day one. Long sleeves and trousers in dark or earth colours take the sting out of a hit. If you do want the look, used clothing is plentiful.
What matters more is on your feet: sites are mud, roots and broken ground, so wear walking or work boots that lace above the ankle. Gloves are the cheapest upgrade of all: a BB on a cold knuckle is the hit beginners remember.
Three example kits: new, second-hand, mixed
Three routes to the same kit
Everything new
One order from the webshop, with a warranty on the gun and 60 days to send back what does not fit. The battery comes from a British shop. The quickest route, and the dearest.
Second-hand
Everything used, except what protects you and what stores energy: a used electric rifle with magazines and a vest or chest rig. The cheapest route, and the one that asks most checking.
Mixed
Where most players end up: a used rifle and vest, with new protection, BBs and battery. Or a new entry-level rifle, and gear from a player selling a whole kit in one lot.
New or second-hand, item by item
| Item | Buy it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eye protection and mask | New | You cannot see old impacts or a tired seal |
| Battery | New | Nobody knows how a used LiPo was charged and stored |
| BBs | New | An opened bag takes up moisture and dirt |
| Electric rifle | Used is fine | The biggest saving; ask for a firing video and a chrono reading, the measured speed of the BB |
| Magazines | Used is fine | They either feed or do not; test on arrival |
| Vest, belt, pouches | Used is fine | Wears slowly, often sold nearly unused |
| Clothing and boots | Either | Boots have to fit your own feet |
The kit bought new, at today's prices
Read from our webshop as you open this page.
| Item | From | Usually around |
|---|---|---|
| Electric rifle | €147 | €515 |
| Eye protection never save on this | €7 | €28 |
| Face mask | €12 | €13 |
| BBs | €4 | €19 |
| Spare magazines | €1 | €40 |
| Gloves | €17 | €36 |
| A new kit, without the battery | €188 | €651 |
Electric rifles right now: used against new
Live figures from our marketplace and our webshop.
- listings in AEG on the marketplace
- more than 800
- middle asking price: half ask less, half ask more
- €280
- eight out of ten asking prices fall in this range
- €125 – €600
- products in stock in Rifles in the webshop
- 37
- lowest price of what is in stock in Rifles
- €147
- brands in stock in Rifles
- 4
Airsoft Bazaar data Measured on 13 November 2026
Used electric rifles on the marketplace
Often sold with magazines, sometimes with half a kit.
What can wait until later
Most money wasted on a first kit goes to things that look essential in photos. Each is easier to choose once you know how you play.
Four things a first kit does not need
Myth
You need a pistol as a back-up.
Fact
A sidearm adds a holster, gas and its own magazines to the bill. With spare rifle magazines you will not miss it in a first season.
Myth
A red dot sight makes you hit more.
Fact
On a first rifle its own sights and the visible flight of the BBs do the aiming. An optic can wait.
Myth
A plate carrier is part of the uniform.
Fact
It is heavy and warm. A belt with two pouches carries the same magazines.
Myth
Upgrade the gun straight away.
Fact
A standard rifle from a known brand lasts a season. Play first: then you know what you want to change.
Reader poll
What did you buy too early?
- A sidearm
- An optic
- A plate carrier
- A second gun
- Nothing, I regret none of it
A starter kit is finished when you can play a whole day without borrowing anything, not when it looks finished.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need in an airsoft starter kit?
Sealed eye protection, a mask for the lower face, an electric rifle with battery and charger, BBs, two or three spare magazines, gloves, boots with ankle support and a bag for the gun. With that you play a full day without borrowing. Everything else can wait.
Are ready-made starter kits worth it?
Only when every item in the bundle is one you would have chosen anyway. The saving often sits in a slow charger, a small battery or basic goggles. Price the items separately before you order.
How much does a complete starter kit cost?
The rifle is the largest line; protection, BBs, magazines and gloves form the rest. The budget table in this guide adds them up from today's webshop prices. A used rifle lowers the total most.
Can I build a starter kit second-hand?
Yes, for most of it. A used rifle, magazines, a vest and clothing from the marketplace do the same job as new ones. Eye protection, mask, battery and BBs you buy new.
What should I always buy new?
Eye protection, first of all: you cannot see what a used lens or seal has been through. The same goes for the mask and for a LiPo battery, whose charging history nobody can check. BBs are bought new and kept dry.
Do I need UKARA to buy a starter kit?
No. The registration matters for one item only: a gun in realistic colours. A two-tone can be sold to anyone aged 18 or over, and many players buy the rest first and hire a gun for the three games a registration takes. See buying replicas in the webshop.
Sources
- Firearms Act 1968, section 24A (age) legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, section 36 (realistic imitation firearms) legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Realistic Imitation Firearms Regulations 2007 (defence, colours) legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Player registration rules UKARA, 12 November 2026
- Data sheet X810 Bollé Safety, 12 November 2026
1 more source
- Exchanges and returns; batteries, gas and safety Airsoft Bazaar help centre
