Grand airsoft entry plan & request for clarification

[Ethernaut]

I am eventually gonna want 2 things out of my AEG.

1) The best balance between effective range, accuracy and brush penetration I can while running the minumum FPS/Joules to get that job done. The comments about "Matrix dodges" have been taken to heart.

2) Durability. After reading the forums and checking out some videos on Mechbox.com, I have come to the conclusion that if i am going to open my mechbox to do a spring upgrade, I will probably just get myself a modify tune up kit or something similar and just do the whole thing up right. Since im not looking for stupidly powerfull upgrades, im guessing i can get away with not upgrading to a reenforced mechbox. I know there is always a chance things could break anyways, but Id be more than a little upset at myself if they broke becasue I slacked off / cheaped out.

Speaking of durability, how much do metal bodies ( assuming they aren't made of monkey metal ) improve durability? I'm leaning towards an M4 of some kind and having a 2 part plastic receiver held together with 2 pins kinda scares me. I'm not looking to buy till i get AV'd and can check out everything available to me, but i do want to go into AV'd land with my head on straight.

Cheers

[Crunchmeister]

1) The "Matrix dodge" is only really applicable at long range when the target sees it coming. I had it happen last weekend at a game. My C7 rifle shoots 380-385 with .2, and about 320 with .28, which I always use outdoors. I took a long range (about 100 foot) shot at a guy with a burst of about 5-6 BBs. He saw them coming, exclaimed "OH SHIT!!!", and did the backwards Neo-dodge and the BBs scooted harmlessly past his head. But those are few and far between. Having .28s at that game got me more kills than I would have gotten with lighter BBs based on the wind and brush penetration alone. But that's a call you have to make for yourself.

2) If you get a decent gun off the bat, there won't really be a need to upgrade for some time. Start with a moderately powered AEG. Play with it and get to learn its strengths and weaknesses. You'll soon find out what you need to do to it in order to make it work better for you, and base your upgrades on that.

3) Plastic bodies are actually quite durable, and in many cases, better than low end pot metal receivers. As an added bonus, plastic doesn't contract as much in the cold as metal does, so you have fewer potential issues with playing outdoors in winter.