How to start?

[gatot_kaca_GG]

Hi. I'm Adrian. I'm an international student and would like to jump start my airsoft gunning hobby here in Vancouver.

These are a few questions that i have.
1. Is there any events coming up here in Vancouver, I would like to get myself age verified so that i could buy some airsoft here?
2. What to look in an airsoft gun when i buy one?
3. Can i take BB gun from outside of Canada?

Thanks.

[Rubs]

Originally Posted by gatot_kaca_GG

Hi. I'm Adrian. I'm an international student and would like to jump start my airsoft gunning hobby here in Vancouver.

These are a few questions that i have.
1. Is there any events coming up here in Vancouver, I would like to get myself age verified so that i could buy some airsoft here?
2. What to look in an airsoft gun when i buy one?
3. Can i take BB gun from outside of Canada?

Thanks.

1. Check the "Games and Events Schedule" under the BC section.
2. In airsoft, its all about whats comfortable to you. If you like to rush with an mp5, go for it. If you like to sit back with an L96, cool too. The ranges are very minimal with every barrel, so it's all about your playing style. Most people will recommend an m4.
3. Get AV'd and buy inside Canada. There is no-way that your going to get a gun through customs unless you break down the gun, in that case, your paying through the roof for shipping costs, not to mention the parts may get siezed. Getting AV'd will open your world to all the goodies.

Welcome to airsoft.

[Rubs]

Another thing to add. Your going to want to invest in a lot of other areas then just an AEG. Your going to want a set of BDU, a vest, mags for your AEG, boots, a mask. A solid investment is about 1000. Airsoft isn't a cheap sport to get yourself started. But, it's so worth it in the long run.

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by Rubs

1. Check the "Games and Events Schedule" under the BC section.
2. In airsoft, its all about whats comfortable to you. If you like to rush with an mp5, go for it. If you like to sit back with an L96, cool too. The ranges are very minimal with every barrel, so it's all about your playing style. Most people will recommend an m4.
3. Get AV'd and buy inside Canada. There is no-way that your going to get a gun through customs unless you break down the gun, in that case, your paying through the roof for shipping costs, not to mention the parts may get siezed. Getting AV'd will open your world to all the goodies.

Welcome to airsoft.

Doesn't matter if you break it down. The reciever will still be siezed.

[NoGear]

My advice Don't cheap out on googles. i rather spend 70$ for good eye protection then spend thousands on eye surgery. Paintball masks are your best friend there . People reccomend a good pair of boots with ankle support, Gloves that protect your knuckles and knee pads. paying for all those would put you back 200$ at most depending on quality.

[L473ncy]

You can take them out but can't bring them back in.

NOTE: You can only take them out of country depending on the country of destination and their local laws, eg. you cannot take most AEGs into New Zealand due to a single shot only + registration law.

[Kuro_Neko]

If you could state how much you're willing to spend on the various parts of kit we would be able to advise you better.

Manufacturer is generally more important then the style. Generally all airsoft aeg's work the same so how it looks like outside is up to you. Though the advice in the Airsoft Newbie Buying Guide about styles is good. Generally ak47, m16/m4 or mp5 are good starter gun styles due to the availability of accessories and upgrades.

For $200, the best you could manage is Aftermath stuff. Both the Broxa (full stock MP5) and the Kraken (AK47) are decent bargain basement guns, about $160 or so each. Stay away from Aftermath's Kirenex or Knight (both M4 variants) and the Lycaon (collapsible stock MP5) though, not a good rep.

If you're willing to go up to $300 you could get a JG. Yeah JG's are China clones but they're getting quite respectable nowadays. JG's M4 runs about $290. You could even get one of the G&G cansoft (clear receiver) M4's for about $340. G&G is the cheapest of the midgrade guns. $400-$450 would get you an ICS which is a higher end midgrade gun. $500-$600 would get you a G&P, there's some debate on whether this is the lowest of the higrade guns or if it should rank higher. Either way they make nice guns.

If you can afford it highgrade guns such as Tokyo Marui or Classic Army are the way to go. They're going to run you $600-$700. Though if the M4/M16 style is what you want then I'd recommend staying away from stock TM's, the barrel wobble and creaking are pretty bad on the stock TM M4/M16's.

I did extensive research and settled on the Tactical Carbine version of the Classic Army M15A4 as my first gun. If an Armalite is what you're looking for then I think it's the best of all possible versions. You have the shortened M4 carbine barrel, which makes you less likely to smack your barrel off something when turning quickly, combined with the full stock which houses a large battery. Small batteries don't have near the run time of a large battery, not to mention that the reinforced slip ring (the ring that keeps the fore-grip on) is really stong. While this is mostly a good thing and a big step up over CA's previous M15 versions, it makes changing small batteries in the field very difficult if not impossible.

CA's M15A4 series in general is a big step up over their previous versions and as far as stock armalites go they're probably the best. All metal where the real steel version is, the plastic parts where the real steal version is plastic are made of high quality enhanced nylon fiber rather then abs for great texture and feel. Classic Army has a deal with Armalite so you get all the proper markings. Plus that deal also goes to show the quality of the manufacture, Armalite wouldn't put their name on a shoddy product.

Internally the gearbox is reinforced metal and all the gears are metal as well. It fires hotter stock then Tokyo Marui's as well, firing at 300-320 fps where your average TM only fires 280-300 fps.

All in all this is a great starter gun if you can afford it. Because it's all metal you don't have to worry nearly as much about breaking it and you won't get any of the wobble or creaking that is infamous in stock TM M4/M16's. Unfortunately affording it is the biggest problem, they're not cheap. For reference I got my CA M15A4 from the classifieds, upgraded with a bunch of Systema internals to fire 390fps, for $600 shipped which was a great price.

One of the perks of going with an M16/M4 variant is that mags are dead easy to come by and dirt cheap. You can get Star brand mags for like $5 a mag or less, plastic yeah but sturdy none the less (Star is also the only brand that makes realcaps too). Metal mags will run you a fair bit more, $15 to $30 a mag. There's no real reason to go with metal over plastic for mags except looks/realism. Though of course if you're going to go hicap then you might as well get metal ones. As to Brands, TM and CA make good mags. I've heard pretty good stuff about MAG brand mags as well. King Arms not so much, especially for M4/M16 mags. Star is always a good affordable fallback too.

Some people say you need to shell out for batteries, mags, camo, chargers and ammo in the begining. Most of that isn't necessary right off the hop. The stock battery will do you for awhile. Most of the guns come with a hicap (high capacity (300-600 rounds)) mag that will also do for awhile. I do agree that a good charger would be a sound initial investment, but not a total requirement, especially if you plan to get a good battery down the road and don't care if the cheap wall charger fries your stock battery. Camo isn't really required in the beginning either, just some dark clothes. Ammo, yeah obviously a requirement but even good ammo (BB Bastard) only costs $10 for two thousand rounds.

So truely, all you really need to start is the gun, a bag or two of ammo and good eye protection (which will run you between $30 and $50). That said, if you can afford it then it all helps. Camo would cost about $100, a chest rig or vest would cost another $100. A good loadout of mags, even the cheap Star mags, are going to cost at least $50. A good charger is at least another $50, with another $50 for a good battery. A sidearm is another thing that people like to have but isn't really necessary. A decent sidearm would cost you between $250 and $350.

Sidearms aren't really required right away so if you're on a limited budget then hold off on the sidearm for now. If you have the budget for it then what you want in a sidearm depends on two factors (besides cost of course) whether or not full metal is a must and exactly what model you're partial to. Certain manufacturers tend to make certain models better then others. If full metal is a must then the best choice that isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg is probably KJW, especially for the M9 which they do very well. You'll see alot of WE's around, they're cheap and full metal but tend to have problems, especially their 1911 models. KJW has a rep of having mag problems, but I have two KJW pistols and I haven't had any trouble with my mags. If full metal isn't a must then WA or TM would be very good choices.

Kuro_Neko

[Loathing]

Just recently got into Airsoft myself a couple month's ago, and the only bit of advice I can give is to wait until you're AVed to purchase your AEG/GBB of choice.

You'll have access to a very good selection of AEG's, GBB's and Springers in the AVed For Sale sections. Usually you can even find gun's for the same price as the stock stuff you find in stores (clear lower receivers) but all black, upgraded or even all metal.

Gear wise I'd suggest checking out the Gear For Sale section as well, Ive managed to pick up a few very nice pieces of gear there that you wouldn't be able to find in a store anywhere normally.

[gatot_kaca_GG]

Hei guys.
Thanks a lot for the advices.

I fell in love with M4A1 actually. real nice. Any advice on what brand should i get? The budget is around $400-$500 maybe $600 but that's already pushing it.

Looking forward for my BB experience here in BC. Cheers. :duke:

[Kuro_Neko]

Classic Army's M15 series is basically the M4. I would recomend the A4 over the A1 but other then that, CA has pretty much any configuration you'd want in their M15 series. If you can afford it CA is a great choice.

Kuro_Neko

[L473ncy]

Op-For and BCAC are the local airsoft clubs.

Where in Van are you and where are you going to school?

Please don't take your gun outside of Canada if you want to return and play here. If you do you're reducing the number of "black" guns in Canada and you'll also have to pay for another gun (or rent) if you return to play.

[yuhaoyang]

CA M15A4 carbine proline is probably the best way to go. You can always opt out for a JG s-system or 416, the newest versions(in Hong Kong anyways) have a long list of more durable parts. They probably will still need some work to make them work their best, and they will never compare to the quality of CAs, but the new JGs are about 250-450 less than new CAs.