New to airsoft - need some help

[H00pla85]

I will like to spend $300-$500 for all my gear, however i could go over if the upgrade is worth it down the road. The gun would likely be stock for awhile until I figure out what I want to do.

I have used the M4 as a rental. It shot/handled well enough, but everyone outside of 2 people had an M4 and I would prefer not to have the same style but I am still open to it if it is the best route.

I will mainly play in the field and target practice at home (big property). When I was playing I was enjoying mid-long range game play and I think a DMR might be the direction I would go in or possibly a support gunner(although likely out of price range)

I was initially drawn to an M14.

Any input would be appreciated and I am glad to have found this forum. Thank you in advance

[nerdherd391]

Cyma ak 47
M1a1 Thompson
Cyma m16 or m4 are ok
Kingarms are not bad

[H00pla85]

So Cyma is a good budget brand? Better than a G&G, Dboys, ARES, E&C?

Is there any differences between the Asia and US versions?

[Ov3rWatch]

I'd actually buy the new G&G raider 2.0's or the srl series. A very good starter gun and you don't have to do anything really to it for a long time. They have a programmable mosfet (basically you can run 11.1 batteries out of the box and you can change semi to three round burst) and a Electronic Trigger Unit (ETU) which gives it some very good trigger response as well out of the box. I will say that the downside is they do have a proprietary gearbox, so I wouldn't recommend turning this gun into a DMR.

I think the main difference between asia and us versions of the guns is 2 things. Trademarks if they have any and FPS out of the box. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Asia versions will generally ship with a softer spring which gives it a lower fps and US versions will have them a bit higher. Also usually in the states they'll come with an orange flash hider.

[RainyEyes]

Us = orange flash hider.
Asia = metal flash hider that's black. Battery plug not compatible with north America's.

Fps requirements are usually the same.

Never buy the US version unless you absolutely have to.

Go with the kingarms if you're starting out. They come in metal bodies and are usually the most cross compatible across multiple brands. G&G is great for fooling around as an entry level gun but I don't think the price point is justified for a lot of the raider series especially since multiple parts are proprietary.

Stay away from ares if you're new unless you're getting the honey badger series which might be outside your budget.

[H00pla85]

What are your thoughts on Cyma? There seems to be far less options as far as ak47 and m14 go. Only found one another AK47 in my price range, echo1.

[SawBone]

As far as I know, echo1 is a re branded Cyma, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Cyma probably makes the only decent cheap AKs. I have no idea about the M14 though.

[RainyEyes]

Depends on which model cyma. Certain Tm-cyma clones are pita to tech apparently.

Echo-1 rebrands pretty much everything from lancer tactical to jg to other rebrands e.g. a&k is clone of CA and echo-1 makes a rebrand a&k m249.

[H00pla85]

Someone suggested cyma mp5's as well as their ak47s on another forum. But really open to anything non m4

Looking through dealers near me there are so many different models it gets confusing.

About Kingarms, Most I can see online are nearly the same price (or more) as ARES honey badger or a VFC (which seem highly recommended on some of these forums). The only sub $300 I have seen are nylon fiber.

I am thinking I would like to keep it under $250-300 for the gun only, but it looks like there is a huge step up going to under $400.

[Ov3rWatch]

Could always get age verified and take a look at the classifieds. You may get lucky and find something you like for that price range.

[H00pla85]

Yeah I am planning on it next week. Just want to get a sense of what brands/platforms to look at when I go to the store to see them first hand.

[BioRage]

Hmm in order

Top:
VFC
LCT

Ok:
E&C
CYMA

No:
Anything else

[H00pla85]

Regarding US versions. Are they typically designated that way on USA online stores? Any experience purchasing through an US retailer. I would prefer to buy local, but some US dealers have much better clearance/sale items and are much cheaper even with our exchange rate and duties

[Freeze]

Be wary when buying from the US. Canada has strict import laws regarding airsoft that don't all make sense, but they exist. Make sure they are Canada Compliant, like Evike lists their Canada Compliant items. Be warned though, they may still get seized/rejected/forced to go through the multiple month long testing process even if they are legal to import. And almost certainly you will. Be hit with duty and customs fees from. Across the border.

[H00pla85]

Originally Posted by Freeze

Be wary when buying from the US. Canada has strict import laws regarding airsoft that don't all make sense, but they exist. Make sure they are Canada Compliant, like Evike lists their Canada Compliant items. Be warned though, they may still get seized/rejected/forced to go through the multiple month long testing process even if they are legal to import. And almost certainly you will. Be hit with duty and customs fees from. Across the border.

Yeah i figured that was the case. I've had brutal luck in the past so I'm not even going to bother then

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