What is Right for me

[Kimmler]

Hey, i'm brand new into Airsoft...I'm an ex-Xball player(Paintball) I have played a few airsoft games at my local field with some friends who just play for fun, but i really seemed to get into it. I'm really looking for what kind of gun/how much time im looking into commiting to this sport. I have no problem going out and spending money on things to get started but i was reading the newbie forums and i couldnt really figure out what kind/types of guns were right for me. I would assume that i would play some sort of support and/or sharpshooter role. I prefer to stay in the middle to back...i'm standing pretty short at 5'6-5'7 and about 150LBS, so im just looking to what would be right for me? and suggestions? P.s im 19 I'm not a youngster, 16 year old with dreams of owning a GUN! haha. thanks for any imput.

[turok_t]

Kimmler, as many ppl will say after my post, you should try to get AV'd to increase your options/selection.

[Kimmler]

yah, i've msg'd Voice of Reason a few days ago, he's the only AV'er for London Ont and he has yet to get back to me

[Evans]

A big decider in what gun you should get decides on how/where you play. If you play indoors, you'll want a more compact gun that allows you to move through tight hallways easily. If you play outside, you're going to want a gun that shoots at a higher velocity and has a longer barrel. The M4/M16 series is ideal for outdoor but some still use them indoors.

I know a couple guys that bought a GBB pistol as their first airsoft gun since they play lots of indoors. And they get just as many, if not more, kills as the guy using full rifles (me).

[KND]

Well choose whatever you like. Try to stick to AK or AR since those are common gun on the field plus you can share magazines with your team and you would easy to find part to fix if they broke on the field again because it's common gun that everyone has one.

The inner barrel and fps won't make much range in different but your hop up unit and hop up rubber that make the range big different.

[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 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 (yes the new TM M4/M16's have fixed this problem, but the bulk of the ones in country are the old ones so best to just avoid them for now).

I did extensive research and settled on the Tactical Carbine version of the Classic Army M15A4 (basically a full stock m4) 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.

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of Classic Army. One thing to keep in mind about Classic Army is they now have two lines, a proline and a sportline. Originally they were easy to tell apart because the proline had the metal body and the sportline had a plastic body but recently CA has been releasing their sportlines with metal bodies. The price tag should still allow you to easily tell the difference, the sportline being $300-400ish and the proline never being cheaper then $500, usually more like $600 or more but it's still something to keep in mind. All the pros that I went over above were regarding the proline model. The sportline model has cheaper everything internally and externally.

There's alot of people that will expound the virtues of G&P as well. And I'll admit the externals of G&P are very nice, easily on par with CA, in some cases better. The reason why I don't say G&P over CA though is much the same reason why people weren't big fans of CA up until a few years ago: their quality control for the internals is not the greatest. That means a fair number of lemons. CA got a handle on this a few years ago and they've been making great strides in terms of their rep ever since, but G&P isn't quite there yet. This is simply my personal opinion and there are many people that would likely disagree with me, but it's something to keep in mind. ICS is about a cheap a gun as you can go and still get full metal out of the box, I haven't read alot about this manufacturer but needless to say it's not in the same league as CA or G&P. It's what someone on a budget but determined to get full metal would aim for.

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.

[Evans]

Holy shit Neko. Good post.

[Danke]

Here's my current idea. Get in but don't get in too deep. Hit up a few games first to see what you like in person.

Right now there is a tidal wave of GBB rifles coming, they run CO2 mags so our weather won't slow them down. They won't be cheap, or easy to get but they could be the next big thing.

[Lawdog]

For a support or sharpshooter role you obviously want something with some range and accuracy. Depending on your price point you might wish to consider a TM m14, a really wonderful gun for range and accuracy and good for a skirmish as well. I also find my CA M15A4 good for both roles because when you get it upgraded a little and get the hop dialed in the range is pretty good.

I would also suggest the KA FN FAL but it might be a little too big for you.

You can't go wrong with a good quality AK or M16/M4, because when they are upgraded and dialed in they can be good for the dual role.

Think carefully about the "sharpshooter/support rule" as many people do not enjoy it as much as expect. Besides you young folks are supposed to run around so us old guys can hang back.

On the AVing issue I will be in London all day Sunday doing the WWII and then the Western game, so feel free to come out and track me down.

Ld

[m102404]

An M4 variant is like the Honda Civic of the AEG world. You can stick with it as is...add external do-dads as needed. You can build it out longer for more of a DMR thing...you can shorten it up for tight CQB. Mags, batteries and everything else is readily available...

The M14 is a great rifle...but long (I'm 5'6" and I'd be hard pressed to "run-n-gun" with that).

The KA FAL series is just plain awesome. The full length is loooong (99cm). The Carbine length is just right for me. The Tactical Carbine is great for CQB. The Carbine is a big gun (matches the "battle rifle" feel)...and it shoots like sex right out of the box.

Because of the ranges involved with airsoft...being up front on the assault sees a lot more action than hanging back. If you're young and if your knees are still good...get up front.

[RoyalEagles]

I suggest you buy a AEG so you can cover your-self if you get cornered but if in paintball you had a sniper role buy the Well L96 it is used mostly by all snipers.

[Kuro_Neko]

It's highly advised that newbies don't start with sniper rifles, it takes alot of practice, experience and patience to be a good sniper not to mentioned even a good upgraded sniper rifle isn't going to have too much more range then an aeg. The other thing about the sniper rifle is it costs alot to get a good one. Not just the base, but a lot of upgrades as well. We're talking at least $1000 or more. A sharp-shooting rig like an m14 or a Fal is fine, but stay away from the snipers till you have more experience.

[AngelusNex]

Originally Posted by RoyalEagles

I suggest you buy a AEG so you can cover your-self if you get cornered but if in paintball you had a sniper role buy the Well L96 it is used mostly by all snipers.

WHAT???? Most snipers use the WELL L96??? what are you smoking?






And, Get what ever gun you like the look of, I'm pretty much the exact same size weight as you and I find that ANY size of gun works, so just find a gun you like the look of/has good reviews. And on the note of your body size..... have fun finding a good fitting chest rig......

[Kokanee]

"Royal Eagles" in a minor with a few crappy crossman guns - Ignore him.

[Forever_kaos]

Hey Londoner man!

Yeah VoR is hard to get ahold of these days I hear.

What are you doing this weekend, the London guys are probably getting together. You could come out and check out our guns and what not.

Feel free to PM me if you have anyquestions more then willing to help you out.
Bah PMing you I can't help but jump on a new London gun