Purchasing Guide & FAQ

1. Can I legally buy an airsoft gun from Defcon Airsoft?

Since October 2007 regarding the VCR Act you can only purchase a black airsoft gun or RIF (Realistic Imitation Firearm) if you have a defence under law which proves you are an active player (airsoft skirmisher) at a registered airsoft skirmish site OR have a valid defence for purchasing a RIF under Section 37 of the VCRA.

If you do not have a valid defence the weapon has to be painted over 51% in a bright colour (a process known as Two Toning).

Most Airsoft Guns we sell can be two toned – Please see our Two-Toning service HERE.  This service can be added at checkout. Because we class this as a customisation this item then CANNOT BE RETURNED for a full refund if you simply change your mind about the purchase although of course we will fix any faults that may develop under standard warranty terms and return to you at our expense.

Estimated time of a 2 tone service is between 1-3 working days.

If you don’t want to wait for two-tone painting we have a range of ready painted two tone guns HERE.

IMPORTANT: You still must be OVER 18 to purchase a two-toned gun or BB gun, valid photo ID (Driving Licence / Passport / Age Verification Pass Card) must be provided via email.

Proof of a valid defence can be achieved in one of four ways which will need to be supplied to us on our ‘Order Page’ when purchasing guns:

• Provide us with your UKARA number
• Provide us with your British Airsoft Club (BAC) number
• Provide us with proof of your valid airsoft site membership – this can be a scan of your membership card which can be uploaded to us on the order page. Please note we will check this with the site so verification may take slightly longer than the two methods above, we will also need to satisfy ourselves that you are a regular player at the site so any proof of purchased game days would be needed. A list of valid airsoft game sites we can accept proof of membership from can be found here: http://www.ukara.org.uk/approved-gamesites.php
• Provide us with your valid defence under Section 37 of the VCRA – these include the use of realistic imitations for film or television productions and historical re-enactment (again this may delay delivery as it will be checked with the relevant body before dispatch)

To prove you are an active “airsoft skirmisher” to obtain your UKARA or BAC number you must be a regular player at a skirmish site that has 3rd party insurance and must have attended 3 times in a period not less than 2 months.

UK law Requirements: Minimum age to purchase an airsoft gun is 18 years. An adult must supervise persons 14 to 17 years of age at all times. No gun should be carried in a public place unless in transit when it should be unloaded and placed in a secure gun bag or case. Note: guns must never be concealed on ones person.

2. What are airsoft/bb guns?

The design of an Airsoft Gun centres on a unique propulsion system utilising a small amount of air to accurately shoot lightweight plastic BB pellets.

3. What are the safety rules?

Please note that airsoft guns should never be used or pointed at another living being or any animal. We recommend that users purchase goggles for their own safety. Read more in our Airsoft Basic Safety Guide and BB Guns Safety Guide

4. Does it hurt to be hit by a bb pellet?

Yes it does! Not as much as a paint-ball but we would advise buying a paper target instead of using your mate!

5. Is the website secure for my credit card?

Transactions on the site are protected with up to 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer encryption.

6. How do we know we can trust you?

Because Defcon Airsoft aim to be the UK’s no.1 growing airsoft retailer, because we are part of a well established mail order company and because our reputation is based on word of mouth and our repeat customers.

7. Can we collect our orders?

You are welcome to collect your order from us. Just place the order as normal and in the comments box at the checkout please state you wish to collect from our showroom in Stoke-on-Trent. Please contact us first to ensure we will have your order ready for when you arrive to collect.

8. How long does delivery take?

In stock orders under 1kg are shipped via DPD, orders over 1kg are normally sent by UPS. Delivery generally takes between 1-3 working days depending on warehouse location and can be delayed if extra options such as two tone paint are selected. We have removed our next day guaranteed delivery option as due to the nature of the restricted items there can still be delays if we send via standard couriers 24 hour service – quite often they will arrive the next working day but we do not feel comfortable offering a ‘guaranteed express service’ when we know there is a higher chance of delays as it sets false expectations and can leave customers frustrated. Note, weekends are not classed as working days by our couriers.  We can provide Saturday delivery but this is quite costly so please contact us if this is required.

Orders received after 1pm will be processed the next working day as all our products are inspected and tested before dispatch, if an order is received before 1pm we will process the same day. We take care to ensure your order from Defcon Airsoft arrives in perfect condition.

9. What is a BACKORDER?

Some products which are not in stock have the following status:  *Available on BACKORDER. Item will dispatch when available from supplier.  Please DO NOT ORDER such items if they are needed urgently!

We restock regularly from many of the main manufacturers overseas such as Tokyo Marui, GHK, PTS, WE etc but sometimes they do not have certain items available as they are still in production.  Many airsoft products are made by the manufacturers in batches and can sometimes be unavailable for long periods of time, we allow backorders to ensure you can reserve items which would normally be in such high demand and limited stock that when they finally arrive may be out of stock again in minutes.

If you have any questions or require an estimate on when a product may become available please CONTACT US first.

10. Film, TV & Game Replica Guns & Props

Opening Hours:

Our Showroom in Stoke-on-Trent is OPEN for browsing and Click & Collect orders.

Please note: Our main warehouse is separate to our showroom – due to the large range of products we carry not all items showing as in stock online will be available at our showroom.  If there is anything in particular you wish to see before your visit please CONTACT US to check.

AIRSOFT GUN POWER RATING – Please note that the FPS or otherwise (feet per second or meters per second etc) stated for all models featured on our site are based on information provided to us by our suppliers/other sources and have not been personally chronograph tested by ourselves. All FPS ratings are not guaranteed to be correct or accurate and may differ slightly model to model of the same type due to minor variations within each gun manufactured. The FPS ratings stated on our website www.defconairsoft.co.uk are to be used as a rough guide only and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any of the information (FPS rating or otherwise) stated on our site www.defconairsoft.co.uk .  If the FPS is critical to you (high or low) please either call us first or add a comment to your order during the checkout process.

Note – Gas Weapon Faults: Whilst holding down the trigger and emptying an entire mag on full auto is fun it can damage internal components of the gun due to the cooling down effect of thermodynamics (Any time you compress a gas, it gets hotter, when you release the pressure, it gets cooler. This is basically how air conditioners and refrigerators work).  Any returns of faulty gas weapons will be inspected for this particular type of stress damage and it may void the warranty.

Please note that in all instances we shall not be liable for incidental or consequential damages or expenses, including but not limited to lost profits or other economic or commercial losses.

Gas Weapon FPS – Gas weapons are very susceptible to environmental temperatures, they can be unusable in both extreme hot (due to being overpowered) and extreme cold (not powerful enough to cycle the slide). The best way around this is to use an appropriate gas for the climate at the time and place you are playing.  In extremely hot environments the power rating of GBB pistols can shoot way above that advertised on standard green gas and we strongly advise to run the weapon on low power gas eg Nuprol 1.0.

Gas Weapons in Cold Weather – It is important to be aware that GBB pistols and rifles do not perform as well in the cold winter months.
If purchase which you have just received  does not perform as well as expected please contact us before doing anything so we can better advise. It helps to keep your gas mags as warm as possible before use (but no hotter than body temperature! ie – store a filled mag in an inside pocket of your trousers before loading) and only shoot on single shot in the cold weather.

Got a question or comment? Please contact us.