What to Look for in an Airsoft Rifle

Beginners Guide to Buying your Kickoff Airsoft Gun

By u/Houseofcards32

This guide literally has everything you demand when it comes to buying your first airsoft gun. If y'all have fifteen-20 minutes to read information technology, I highly recommend reading. This guide was created on the 1st of 2020, and so this information is upwards to date, and sources volition be cited. I accept been playing airsoft since 2010, so I personally have fabricated plenty of mistakes along the fashion. Read this guide and you will not make the same mistakes I did.

Table of contents:

Best Bang for your buck Starting AEG's
Things to consider
Choosing a Weapons Platform
Different Types of Airsoft guns
Brand Overview
Practise YOUR RESEARCH
Agreement the Basics
You get what y'all pay for
Do NOT purchase a sniper equally your first gun
Buying your gun
Buying used airsoft guns
Using Paypal
Conclusion

Best Bang for your cadet starting AEG's

Classic Regular army Skirmish Line- $169 (M4 platform)

ICS M4A1-$150 (M4 platform)

CYMA Total Metal AK47- 150$ (AK platform)

The guns listed above are some of the all-time contenders when information technology comes to beginner airsoft AEG's. These have been tested by thousands of people across the world, and are all reliable and will last you a lifetime, if you maintain them properly. In that location are a massive corporeality of Classic Army beginner rifles available, in all sorts of configurations and lengths. If y'all're looking for something dissimilar than the ane pictured above, cheque out these hither. The ane I have pictured above though is the near popular, as it has its own mosfet, the Classic Regular army ECS. It allows yous to change between firing modes, and accept things like 3 round flare-up, and even 5 round flare-up. The ICS pictured is the 2nd biggest recommendation I give to new players. The ICS sportline series is robust, and is also used by many. The 150$ dollar toll tag is bully for most, as its cheaper than the CA, just offers no mosfet. Lastly we have an AK from CYMA, who is regarded as the best company to make beginner-intermediate AK's. This CYMA pictured currently has the highest amount of reviews on Evike, as it has besides been used by many. Y'all want to start small when buying your start gun, because if you buy a long or heavy gun and you are scrawny, you will regret information technology about immediately. The last note in this part is to not buy a sniper rifle as your first airsoft gun. Read the section regarding snipers, I will explain there.

Things to Consider

As you continue to read through this guide, I will remind you of the golden 3 rules when information technology comes to starting airsoft:

Do NOT buy a sniper every bit your outset airsoft gun.
Inquiry your airsoft gun
What you pay for is what you will get.

Choosing a Weapons Platform

Before fifty-fifty thinking nigh which specific airsoft gun you lot want to buy, you demand to effigy out which type of gun you lot desire to become. You want to get one that fits your manner best. If you have a local store in your area, go there and get a feel for the weapons platform you are wanting to become. M4's and AK's have the about upgrade/replacement parts bachelor, and that is why they are recommended the about. Exercise notation that a stock gun is going to be outperformed by people who take upgraded their rifles to their maximum capability. I would non allow this discourage yous, as you are going to have fun either way. If you like airsoft and want to go on playing, then I would worry most upgrading. Equally mentioned before, practice NOT get a sniper rifle as your first airsoft gun.

Different Types of Airsoft Guns

In that location are five different major types of how your airsoft gun fires bb's. I will requite a overglorified overview of each type, merely I HIGHLY recommend starting with an AEG.

Automatic Electric Gun -AEG for short, this uses an electric motor to bulldoze a piston, which is and so compressed past a bound, which compresses air to fire the gun. This is obviously overglorified and is much more complicated than this, but AEG's are powered by NiMh or LiPo batteries. I highly recommend NiMh batteries to beginners.

Gas Blowback-GBB for short, these are realistic airsoft guns that can often be rewarding whist playing with them. These are powered by either dark-green gas, or propane, and these power the slide or bolt which fires the bb, and then cycles another round in the chamber. They function identical to their real steel counterpart, merely do come with some slight drawbacks. These do not work in common cold weather (normally below 50 degrees) and need to be cleaned often to preclude jamming. Some GBB's use co2, but co2 normally wears the gun down more depending on the specific model.

Electric Blow Back- These are basically AEG'due south that imitate a bolt going back and forth on a existent steel firearm. This adds another complex layer to AEG'south and often pause after a few uses. The EBB function usually puts a lot of stress on the gearbox, and can often lead to a cracked gearbox. The only reliable EBB at this current time is Tokyo Marui's Recoil shock line. These are normally 500-600$ and crave a lot of upgrades to perform well. Bolt has recently released a new EBB line that is plainly skillful, just fourth dimension will tell if this line is a better culling to Tokyo Marui.

Leap Powered- These are single shot/pump/pull everytime y'all want to shoot. These are normally sniper rifles or bound powered shotguns, because they mimic their real steel counterparts. The firepower of spring airsoft guns is extremely express when going up against AEG's, GBB's, and HPA users.

HPA- or Loftier Force per unit area Air, is an extremely popular alternative to AEG'south. These permit you lot to change the FPS/ROF relatively easily for different regulators. The massive downside to these is the external air tank you accept to comport, as well every bit that HPA oftentimes costs a lot more than AEG's.

Brand Overview

Here is a list of brands and their general qualities. Due note that non all of these brands are recommended due to the simple fact that they practise not make adept products. You should use this as a reference signal to requite yourself an idea of where to go and later on do individual enquiry on whichever airsoft gun you choose. This list will include companies that make and produce AEG's.

ASG- Makes mostly intermediate to higher end AEG'south. Very few beginner rifles to wait at, and virtually of the internals on their beginner lineup is outdated.

Repeat ane- By and large outdated and improve options are out at that place. Internals are pretty outdated in today's airsoft earth.

Elite Strength- Owned by Umerex, produces very proficient intermediate to higher cease rifles. Their beginner lineup is about half-dozen years and I would avoid this brand for beginners.

EMG- Uses APS/G&P/ARES as the oem for virtually of their rifles, produces meh rifles. Not recommended for beginners.

KWA- One of the oldest brands that is even so producing solid beginner rifles that can fence with newer companies today. Has solid high end guns too. Only con is that someparts internally are proprietary and cannot be upgraded.

Chiliad&G- The Combat Machine lineup once was the all-time line of airsoft guns offered to beginners, but these are vii-8 years old and even their G2 lineup is non as good equally other brands. Makes meh intermediate to high end guns, with their G2 mosfet being a horrible choice.

Krytac- Solid internals, but also kind of proprietary in their trident lineup and slightly outdated. Makers of the newer Vector, which is also had its fair share of issues as well.

Classic Ground forces - One of the best beginner lineups equally of 2020. Has a lot of choices to cull from, and as well makes solid choices for high end guns. They endeavor and compete with the VFC avalon serial.

Vegaforcecompany- VFC makes the Avalon serial, which equally of this moment is the best higher end AEG on the market. They too oem the Aristocracy force mp5, which has the avalon gearbox inside. They do non make beginner guns.

Rex Artillery- Pretty decent, they do not produce a lot of rifles anymore, but they are partnered with EMG.

Lancer Tactical- One of the worst brands in airsoft, sporting bad internals, and a visitor that falsified safety ratings on their goggles. Users take reporting zippo but bad things about this make, and rifles often suspension in the span of 1-2 months.

Tippmann- Produces solid beginner rifles, has non really made anything "new" for a few years. Their Commando lineup is the most popular.

PTS- The subdivision of Magpul that produces a lot of training gear for airsoft. They too brand loftier stop AEG's that have slowly gotten ameliorate, as they take partnered with KWA, M&P, etc.

JG- Entry level company that produces "decent" AK's, avoid their M4'southward similar the plague. Externals are unremarkably non that great, merely makes for a proficient learning gun if you're learning how to tech.

CYMA- Produces some of the best entry level AK's available. Externals and internals are pretty practiced, although their m4's are not very expert.

Crossman- A brand that you should avoid completely, does not produce anything expert.

ICS- Makes solid beginner rifles and intermediate- high finish rifles. Internals are very good on beginner rifles, externals are decent besides.

Tokyo Marui- Used to exist the well-nigh pop brand in airsoft, oftentimes referred every bit the pioneers of airsoft, manufactures ordinarily tend to copy ™ designs at a much lower quality. All of Tokyo Marui's guns are made out of plastic and have very low fps laws due to Nihon.

APS- Produces nothing expert, has the worst QC(quality command) in all of airsoft other than Lancer Tactical. Their internals are utter garbage but their externals are quite unique.

Umbrella Armory- The about expensive brand in airsoft, specializes in loftier finish gun builds. Known for their OCAW line and their Krytac line.

Practise YOUR Inquiry

Before buying a model, practice proper research on the brand and gun you lot are ownership. I find that this site has a massive database when it comes to airsoft gun reviews. Just use your fingers and type in the gun and the brand you are looking for, and you volition go enough of reviews. Just note that if you expect up a YouTube review, most of them are sponsored and the visitor paid to say skilful things most the gun they received. There are a few practiced ones, but most of them are either kids who nothing about the gun they bought, or a paid shill that says cipher but adept things about the product they got. Both of these 2 oft exaggerate how the gun performs, because 1 is paid to sell them, and ii knows very little about airsoft internals. Therefore if you make a conclusion to buy an airsoft gun based on a YT video, y'all take made an irrational determination. Instead of watching a YT video on a gun, do proper research using the site I provided above. By not doing research, you will end up with a shit gun that volition not last more than 1000 rounds. The market is littered with garbage guns, and if y'all don't do proper research, you will end up with ane. As quoted by u/thetboneguy, y'all will be shooting yourself in the foot if you practise not research your gun. Having a good gun is improve than having a broken gun at an event, I promise you.

Understanding the Basics

A fairly common mistake that new players make is confusing the FPS(Feet Per 2nd) of a gun with how adept information technology is. If you alive in an expanse with a field, about fields do not permit guns shooting over 420 fps with a .2, where as indoor arenas normally don't allow anything higher than 330 fps on a .ii. By choosing an airsoft gun over the limit, you are limiting where you tin can play in your land/land. Just because it has high FPS does non mean information technology shoots farther than a gun that shoots 350. Due to bb's being so calorie-free, hopup is used to give it backspin to keep it in the air longer. To simplify, the use of this hopup, the speed of a bb no longer affects the distance. In Nihon, they have a -1 Joule limit, hence why all Tokyo Marui guns shoot less than 300 fps.

Y'all should understand basic airsoft gun matientience. If your gun breaks and needs a new part, it's ameliorate that yous do not have to send it to a shop to get it fixed. I volition give an example. If yous strip a piston, it is about a 25$ part. If y'all do not know or empathize how to alter it yourself, y'all have to send it into a shop where they volition usually charge a fifteen-twenty fee merely to go information technology on their workbench. So a 20$ set up now costs you double that, and if you knew how to prepare it, yous would take just saved twenty$. Airsoft Forum and r/airsoft are two places that I would recommend you start. This thread on airsoft forum is about nine years old now, but still contains very useful data on how to have autonomously a gearbox. Use the search bar on both sites to find what you are looking for.

You get What you Pay For

If you take non discovered this in real life, if you pay nothing for a product, it is more than likely shit. Airsoft is no different. If you are non willing to spend a minimum of 150$ for an AEG, charger, BB's etc, than airsoft is probably non the right hobby for you. I often recommend renting or borrowing an airsoft gun before yous buy, and so you lot tin actually run into if yous bask airsoft. If you are stupid enough to spend l$ on a Walmart LPAEG, congradulations for not listening and you but wasted yout coin. At present that you are out fifty$, y'all can't open it up and fix information technology considering they are not made to opened up. You are probably thinking to yourself that those 500$ Tokyo Marui guns are expensive, simply they exist for a reason. People are willing to pay a high price for a reliable gun, what makes you call up yous will find a fifty$ one at Walmart? If you are not willing to buy, like I said, hire or borrow.

At that place are instances where airsoft guns take a high price tag accept very poor performance, examples of this would be APS, Lancer Tactical, EMG, etc. These are fairly common in today's airsoft market equally companies QC seems to have gone off a cliff. The externals may exist nice, but the internals are utter shit.

Do Not buy a Sniper equally your first Airsoft gun

If you are just getting into airsoft, please permit me to explain why getting a sniper rifle every bit a beginner is a dumb and stupid thought. Before you lot call me a novritsch hater, read on and discover why.

With your upkeep, yous will Non be able to get into airsoft sniping. You may look online and see bolt action snipers within your budget, but not realize that stock sniper rifles are utter garbage and even some GBB'southward can outrange a stock sniper. You may watch Novritsch and Silo have skillful activity in their videos, but practice yous always wonder why their videos are and then short? Y'all do the math. Yous are wanting to be like them, but you don't seem to realize that sniping is non a cheap virute. Airsoft snipers are Congenital non bought. You tin afford a 120$ JG Bar10, merely tin can you afford putting 600-700$ worth of upgrades in information technology to make it perform similar an actual sniper? Aye I didn't think so. You have to build an airsoft sniper for it to perform well plenty to authorize as a good sniper. Novsitsch sells a rebranded Change M24, merely you can build a sniper far better than his for cheaper.

Bare bones basic AEG's volition outperform a stock sniper rifle, and they also have like x20 more magazine capacity than your sniper. Sniping requires a lot of patience and it might exist high reward, just you are going to exist sitting in the same position exposed to fully-automated fire as you chose to be a sniper. Being a sniper is not often activeness packed, regardless of Novrtrisch's clickbaiting bullshit videos. The sniper rifle you WANT like mentioned earlier is actually a custom tuned gun that requires a lot of work and fourth dimension. Sounds extreme,but almost airsoft snipers built their rifles and they perform as a sniper should. Instead of wanting to be the next Nov, I desire you lot go to ASGI or Evike, and buy a beginner rifle and go out and take fun.

Buying Your Gun

Now that y'all take decided on what gun you want to purchase, information technology is time for you lot to find a website to buy it from(if you are non ownership local). Evike and Airsoft Gi are the two biggest retailers in the Us. Both of them are pretty reliable suppliers with a really big pick. Make sure to look around their websites when you lot are ownership, both of them commonly accept good deals going on. Pricing e'er varies from supplier to supplier, but nearly prices are pretty consistent. Do call up that if you are ownership online, you lot volition more than than likely have to pay for shipping. Evike offers a coupon code that any order over 99$ gets complimentary footing (1/1/2020). Evike's website UI is a LOT improve than GI's, simply pushes their own brands like Matrix and APS pretty hard, and they have also been known to accidentally post incorrect inventory online. GI is a fleck more consistent simply they are often more expensive and have brands that they take deals with (Lancer, and CA)

Buying Used Airsoft Guns

I have been buying/selling/trading airsoft guns for the past five years so I know this section very well. I HEAVILY recommend that you DO NOT buy your starting time airsoft gun used. There are some pretty practiced deals out there is you know what you are doing. Equally a whole, buying used tin often be a risky gamble. As a beginner, you are more than than likely to not know the background of the gun. That is putting you into an uninformed decision where there is no warranty or company to ship information technology back to. Not to mention that yous can can go a broken gun that the seller can either not tell you a role is broken or just flat out lie to you lot. If yous are buying from a private party (not a company), everything is sold every bit is, and there are no buy backs, trades etc.

You should never pay more than eighty% of the face value of a gun or gear, and for some guns, 80% is pushing it even if it has non been used. The second a gun walks out a retail shop, it normally loses anywhere from 20-25% of its value. Practise call up that the seller is selling the gun for a reason. Perchance they are selling it because they need greenbacks, peradventure they are selling information technology because it is "a ticking time bomb" of repairs. Either fashion, you demand to research information technology every bit if it is a new gun. Ask how many rounds it has been through, any external issues, whatever internal issues? Tasteful modifications such equally internal upgrades raise the toll of a used gun.

Using Paypal

Some other section I am heavily knowledgeable in. If yous are buying something from someone online, ALWAYS USE PAYPAL Appurtenances AND SERVICES! Using sites like Venmo, or Cashapp offer no protection against scammers. Another major scam is that someone will send you a check for a gun, and as presently equally you greenbacks it, the bank check will bounce and you are out a gun When using Paypal, make sure to employ goods and services equally mentioned to a higher place. By using 1000&S, you are covered past Paypal if something happens (seller does not send the item, seller sends the wrong detail, etc). Exercise Non Apply FRIENDS AND Family! Why? Because if you lot send information technology through friends and family unit, you will non be protected if the seller scams you lot. Sellers that scam users often tell you to transport it through f&f considering Paypal does not take a fee for using it. Do non fall wary of this scam.

While buying used, Certificate everything. Should something go wrong, whether it exist the seller'due south fault or your fault, it is always ameliorate to play it safe. If you take to open a Paypal case or one is opened against you, you will take all the data regarding the sale (screenshots, text messages, PM'due south etc). Like mentioned earlier, if you lot tin can play your cards right, y'all can score some KILLER deals. I own an Umbrella Armory OCAW, that retails for $2000, and I managed to get information technology for $950 Beak. Overall I do not recommend ownership used, every bit buying new is safer for new players.

Determination

All of this information that is on this thread is information and experience I have had in my airsofting career. We play airsoft to have fun, that is the main reason we play. Exercise not settle for something that is not reliable, unless you want to have a cleaved gun at your first game. Delight PM me if you have any other questions, I am a respected fellow member of the community and am more than willing to assist you.