Working the National Airsoft Festival 2025 – Highlights, Challenges & Takeaways
Working the National Airsoft Festival (NAF) 2025
Another year, another National Airsoft Festival (NAF) - and once again, it delivered the kind of weekend that reminds you why you put in all the hard work. From equipment mishaps to fantastic customer interaction, it was a busy, rewarding few days at Zero One Airsoft.
Preparation Woes – The Jetboil Debacle
Let’s get the bad bit out of the way first - my prep this year wasn’t exactly flawless. For various reasons, I completely forgot to pack my Jetboil, which meant no way to cook. Not ideal when you’re camping out for several days. I ended up making a roughly two-hour round trip to Go Outdoors, only to find their website stock levels were completely wrong; they didn’t have the Jetboil in stock after all.
Thankfully, I managed to grab an MSR Pocket Rocket 2 instead. It saved the day and at least meant we could cook our own breakfasts and dinners without being completely reliant on food vendors (though I have to admit, we did indulge in those a few times too).
Early Birds Everywhere
We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and I was honestly surprised to see just how many other vendors were already fully set up and trading. No time to waste - we got straight to work setting up, and within minutes, customers were already stopping by to browse. Managed to make a few early sales before we’d even finished putting everything out, which was a nice little bonus!
Great Support from CSW / Vortex UK
One of the best parts of the weekend was catching up with Chris from Country Sports Wholesale / Vortex UK. As always, he brought along a great range of gear, including Vortex optics, Edge Eyewear, and DLX products. I always recommend Edge Eyewear. Personally, I use the Sharp Edge model when playing, and the Hamel Polarised when I’m out fishing or driving. If you haven’t seen the durability tests Chris has done on these, check out the links below. They speak for themselves:
Edge Eyewear vs. Shotgun Test
Edge Eyewear Stress Test
Community Vibes and Happy Customers
A big part of why I love the National Airsoft Festival is the people. It was fantastic to catch up with returning customers and meet plenty of new ones, too. There’s something really satisfying about helping someone find exactly what they’re after, then having them come back later to say thanks and tell you how well it’s worked out for them. Those moments really make the long days worthwhile.
Sunshine, Dust… and a Lot of Cleaning
The weather was spot on this year, hot, sunny, and thankfully no rain. While that made for a more enjoyable weekend overall, it did mean dealing with a lot of dust. Between cleaning cabinets and keeping stock from getting coated, we stayed pretty busy. But let’s be honest, I’d take the dust over torrential rain or high winds any day.
Facilities Upgrade
Big shoutout to the organisers for improving the festival facilities. The addition of showers is a massive win. I know they were introduced last year, but in 2024, I couldn’t take advantage because they weren’t open early enough. This time, they were spot on.
The toilets were also much cleaner than in previous years. It’s the little things like that which make a big difference when you’re living on-site for a few days.
Sales Goals & Delivery Delays
While we had a solid weekend overall, I’d be lying if I said we hit our sales target. We fell a little short, and part of that was due to delays with our courier, which meant some of our Vector stock didn’t arrive in time. That limited what we could take and, unfortunately, left a few gaps in our display.
Wrapping Up
Despite the rocky start and a few logistical challenges, the 2025 National Airsoft Festival was another great event to be part of. Massive thanks to everyone who visited the stand, had a chat, made a purchase, or came back to share their feedback. It’s the people who make these weekends special.
Looking forward to doing it all over again next year - hopefully with better prep (and a Jetboil)! READ ARTICLE
Rifle Scope Mounting & Zeroing Guide
Rifle Scope Mounting & Zeroing Guide
If you are having trouble mounting a scope, you're not the first person, and you won't be the last. When you're new to the sport, all the numbers and torque settings can make it seem like it's bigger than Ben-Hur, but with a few little steps, it can be simply done.
Common issues
If you have run out of adjustment, it means that the scope is not correctly aligned on either axis. Points to look for are:
Do I have a 10/20/30 MOA rail?
Are the mounts securely fastened in their correct position?
Have you been dialling the correct way?
Are the rings and mounts you have good quality?
Is the scope on the correct side? (mounted the right way up)
10/20/30 MOA rail
With a rail with MOA adjustment on it, sometimes when a scope (commonly with a 1" tube) with limited adjustment is placed on it, you can't adjust it down to zero at 100m. This is because the scope is not suited for this tilt in the rail. Small hunting scopes (3-9x40, 4-12x40, etc) run into this issue most purely just because they are designed to be hunting scopes and not used on a rail originally designed to aid in target use. If this issue affects you, check your rail and see what adjustment it has and look to reduce it if you can't zero on it.
Are the mounts securely fastened in their correct position?
Making sure the mounts are located in their correct position is essential. Without this step, the scope won't be centred down the barrel, and you will not be able to zero the scope. Another issue you can run into is crunching the scope. Rings are precision-made to be 100% in line with each other, and if you don't put them on the right way, the scope will sit awkwardly in the rings and become crushed when the top rings are tightened down. So, with a dovetail mount, ensure the two sides of the mounts are securely fastened on both sides and sitting flush on the dovetail. If they don't, it could mean you don't have the correct rings for your rifle. With a picatinny rail, ensure the lugs are sitting correctly in the gaps and that the base of the ring & the clamp are sitting flush with the correct torque settings.
Have you been dialling the correct way?
A common mistake we see on zeroing the rifle scope is dialling the incorrect way. On a rifle scope, the adjustments to zero the scope are to move the Point of impact (POI) or the Bullet hole to the Point of aim (POA) or where the reticle is aimed. For example. Assuming the reticle is in the centre of this target.
You will need to make a 2.5MOA adjustment to the left and a 1.5MOA adjustment up. This will move your POI to match the POA. If you try to adjust the reticle down to match the impact points, or move 2.5MOA right and 1.5MOA down, you will keep moving further and further from the centre of the target.
Are the rings and mounts you have good quality?
Good quality equipment can be the difference between a good day shooting and wanting to snap your gun in half. With rifle equipment needing to be precision-machined in order to line up to be accurate, if your equipment is sub-standard, it means that the scope may not be in line with the bore and will require you to adjust the scope to correct for this. Needing some adjustment in the scope is normal, but needing to adjust to the point where you can't go any further means that there could be an issue with your mount quality.
Is the scope on the correct side? (mounted the right way up)
This one sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised by how easy and how often scopes are incorrectly positioned. The easiest way to mitigate this is to determine the eye piece and the elevation turret. The eyepiece will have a diopter adjustment on the end of it to focus the reticle to your eye. The eyepiece, as the name suggests, will be the way you look through the scope. Another easy way to tell is that instead of zooming into the target, the targets seem like they have been zoomed out quite a bit. It means your scope is backwards. The elevation turret needs to be upright, as it will have more adjustment than the windage turret and will allow you to make further corrections. The elevation is easy to tell because it will have a measurement (0.1MRAD, 1/4MOA or 1/8MOA) and the word up with a little arrow denoting which way to spin the turret to move the POI up.
Having the scope on its side will be like having your car sitting on its side; you can sit there and look through it, but you're not going to get far.
Summary
I hope these tips have helped you zero your scope and continue shooting. If it hasn't, please contact the team at Optics Warehouse, and they can help you further in troubleshooting your issue. READ ARTICLE
Vortex VIP Warranty: No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Coverage
Vortex VIP Warranty: No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Coverage
The worst part of owning a scope is it breaking. You see a once-in-a-lifetime buck in the distance, and you move towards the perfect shooting spot and decide to recreate a Bruce Lee flip and end up landing on the scope, breaking it. Apart from a bruised ego, the next thought you will have is, what do I do with my scope now that it is broken? If the scope is a Vortex, then you're in luck; you're covered under warranty.
Now, the flip isn't the best example of what you're likely to do to the scope, but it was an extreme example that will convey the point. Vortex prides itself on its Very Important Promise (VIP) warranty, which provides a no stress, no worry, no receipt warranty that will always work for you, the shooter. It is a lifetime that is fully transferable, and no receipt is needed. Make contact with either the retailer you purchased the optic from or Country Sports Wholesale (If in the UK) and get it sent off. Once the item is received, the warranty process will begin, and it usually only takes 3-5 business days.
If your Vortex product is ever damaged or found to be defective, it will be repaired or replaced at no cost to you. If a repair isn’t possible, a replacement will be sent that’s in perfect working condition and equal to or better than the original - both physically and functionally. It doesn’t matter how the damage happened, whose fault it was, or where you bought the product. If something goes wrong, they've got you covered - no questions asked. That’s their promise. The VIP Warranty applies to all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and monoculars.
This customer had lost all their scopes in a house fire, and Vortex replaced them all without a second thought. Well over £3500!!!.
This unit was destroyed in a house fire and covered under the VIP warranty.
This customer took a fall while hunting, the VIP warranty has his back.
This customer's car got washed away in a flood, and after sitting in the water for a month, the Vortex products were replaced under warranty. Get that from Temu.
These two belonged to an archery club that got ram-raided and set alight. Unconditional warranty means unconditional warranty.
When it comes to standing behind their products, Vortex absolutely nails it with their VIP Warranty. It's simple: no paperwork, no questions, no problem. It doesn’t matter if you’re the first owner or the fifth - if your gear breaks, they’ll fix or replace it. That kind of promise is rare these days, and Vortex backs it up like pros. What really makes the VIP Warranty shine is how easy it is to use. People rave about how fast and hassle-free the whole process is. Customers have damaged scopes repaired or completely replaced - no receipt, no drama. Some people even had 10+ year-old optics swapped out like it was no big deal. That kind of service builds serious loyalty. Vortex’s VIP Warranty isn’t just talk - it’s one of the best in the business. If you're investing in optics, knowing you’ve got this kind of backup is a huge win. Peace of mind like that is hard to beat.
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National Airsoft Festival 2025 – Our Weekend at Ground Zero Airsoft
National Airsoft Festival 2025 – Our Weekend at Ground Zero Airsoft
Recently, over the August bank holiday weekend, we had the chance to go to the National Airsoft Festival and see another part of the shooting sport and see their largest event of the year. It started for us on the Thursday with the journey from Torquay to the Field at Ground Zero Airsoft in Dorset. We unpacked and were promptly swamped with people asking for the newest vortex hats (the orange ones sold out almost immediately).
Getting the stall set up with Ade "Sweet cakes" Cross.
We got the stall laid out and set up. I then went for a wander around the site and had a look at some of the facilities. They had bars, food vendors, airsoft and optics stalls and best of all...us.
The saloon where the chronograph testing was.
The stall this year was in conjunction with Country Sports Wholesale, who had Chris helping us in the stall with product support for Vortex, offering a helping hand as well as warranty support and being a subject matter expert on Vortex and other goods.
Helping the first customers while still laying out all of our show goods.
The second day of events on the Friday held more excitement with all of the players taking their airsoft equipment to be chronographed and tested to be compliant with the site rules. This also meant that all the players who needed gear could come to our stall to get all the equipment they needed. It was pretty cool to see all the players' outfits and their airsoft weapons with the matching themes. I saw Vietnam War loadouts, WW1 and WW2 loadouts, Black Hawk Down (Delta Force), British Army, knights in shining armour (with M4's) and even a guy dressed up as Vector from Despicable Me who was very committed to the part.
Second day in the morning, already a few customers are coming to have a look.
Once everyone started getting up on the Friday and presumably once the hangovers started subsiding, the pace picked up a bit with everyone either queued up for the Chronograph or the bar or the stalls.
The path towards the camping of the festival.
Towards the main playing area and the bar. (A bit before the mad rush for the chronograph)
The second day was a really great day with all the players either just arriving and getting set up or the campers moving to the chrono and milling around the stalls and buying things, looking at the new products and just generally having a good time. We had a good time ourselves talking to all the players and seeing how excited everyone was, and talking about their set-ups and what they're hoping to do this weekend, although the guy that wanted to do a rendezook I think was missing a fighter jet or two. All said and done, after the second day, we stayed up till like 10:30 pm for everyone to get the bits they needed before the first day of events, and a lot of people took us up on this and made some good purchases for the day to come.
The Third day on the Saturday came with a buzz in the air as all the players were up ready for the game early, (although Ade setting off the car alarm did help them wake up) and all the players came down in all their gear ready to start the day and the weekends fun with the almost 3 thousand players that turned up to participate in this years festival. The only issue was, with all the extra foot traffic came the DUST. Although this year being dusty was a godsend compared to last year's flood but it certainly made the days interesting. It was a good day all around, with everyone having a great time with perfect weather.
A very literate bug must have been crawling around on the iPad.
The most important thing after a long day.
The last day came and everyone shuffled off to the main gathering area for the last start and their last opportunities to get some show specials before the mass exodus of everyone leaving to go and sleep in their own beds. People still came out bounding with energy for the final games in their teams and nobody let the hangovers stop them as just as many people came for the games on the last day of games compared the the first day of games (even though I had my doubts about a few), and a great time was had by all. And I do not doubt that next year will be an even bigger year for the National Airsoft Festival. Slowly, we drew down our stall and all of our goods and made our grand exit. We had a great time and hope to see you all again next year.
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Picatinny Rails & MOA Explained
Picatinny Rails & MOA Explained
When choosing a mounting system for your rifle, a picatinny rail is a surefire choice for reliability, compatibility and accuracy.
What is a Picatinny rail?
A picatinny rail is a standardised rail system used on firearms for mounting accessories like scopes, lights, lasers, and grips. It's characterised by its evenly spaced, rectangular slots and standardised dimensions, allowing for repeatable attachment of various accessories. Picatinny rails are known for their ability to allow mounted accessories to return to their original zeroing position after being removed and reattached, due to the precision and repeatability of the mounting system. Picatinny rails can be made from various materials, including steel and aluminium, with steel generally being more wear-resistant and aluminium lighter and more corrosion-resistant.
What is MOA?
In the context of rifle scopes, MOA stands for "minute of angle," an angle of angular measurement. It's used to describe the size of the reticle's adjustment increments in windage and elevation turrets. Essentially, 1 MOA represents the amount of angular movement that will change the point of impact on a target by approximately 1 inch at 100 yards. When you adjust the scope by 1 MOA, the bullet's point of impact will shift by approximately 1 inch at 100 yards. This relationship changes with distance; for example, at 200 yards, 1 MOA would shift the bullet's impact by approximately 2 inches.
How can a Picatinny rail have MOA?
A picatinny rail used to mount a rifle scope can sometimes have MOA built into the rail in the form of a downwards tilt, allowing you to use more of the internal adjustment of your scope. How it does this is when you are zeroing the rifle scope, you will need to adjust down in the scope's elevation adjustment in order to zero the rifle scope at whatever distance you choose (generally 100yds). This tilt effectively "shifts" the scope's elevation adjustment range with the effect of having more usable upward adjustment for dialling in the correct point of impact at longer ranges.
If we had a rifle with a 0 MOA base, and there was a laser going through the middle of the scope, and the middle of the rifle bore that went forever and let's say the rifle was zeroed at 100 yards, those 2 lasers would intersect at that 100 yard target. If we then changed to a 20MOA base, the scope's laser would be on target, and the rifle's laser would be hitting the target 20 inches high. This is essentially how a 20 MOA base works. Since you are now hitting 20 inches high, you can dial the scope back so that the rifle is zeroed at 100 yards again, and you have an extra 20 inches of elevation to work with. Another example, the Arken EP5 7-35x56 MOA has 110 MOA of internal adjustment. On a 0 MOA rail, you will have an equal amount of up and down adjustment (55 MOA up and 55 MOA down), as on a flat surface, you will be in the centre of the scope's elevation adjustment. Whereas, on a 20 MOA picatinny rail, you will need to adjust 20 MOA down when zeroing the scope to adjust for the tilt in the rail, giving you 75MOA of upwards adjustment and 35MOA of downwards adjustment after zeroing the scope.
When should you not use a Picatinny rail with MOA adjustment?
While a Picatinny rail with MOA built into it is generally advantageous for most forms of shooting, sometimes there are instances where using one can result in problems. If you have a rifle scope with a smaller amount of internal adjustment, you may run into an issue where you don't have enough adjustment to adjust for the cant in the rail to zero the scope, and you may need to set a zero for a further distance or use a 0 MOA picatinny rail. In some hunting applications, MOA picatinny rails aren't required due to the distances that are likely to be observed when taking a shot being generally shorter and not needing extra adjustment that cannot be provided by the scope alone. On thermal and night vision scopes, when zeroing, the reticle will be slightly off centre, so the crosshair/reticle sits where the bullet will hit. When adding a 10/20/30 MOA tilt to the rail, the reticle will need to sit higher and higher to zero at shorter distances. This could work well if you are shooting at longer ranges and you want to zero at longer ranges, in which the reticle will sit further towards to centre. However, for most shooting applications, e.g., Ratting, squirrel and foxes, where most of the shots are shorter distances, the reticle sitting higher could be an inconvenience.
Summary
While Picatinny rails with inbuilt MOA can be very advantageous for longer range shooting, Consideration must be taken when choosing the amount of MOA and the style of shooting undertaken to see if it is right for what you need. READ ARTICLE
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