Let the madness begin!

[Morley Dotes]

I have a intrest in sniping. What are some of the beter guns for doing such? I think that I might be partial to springers. What are some opinions?

[Tripps]

Well, this is a subject of much debate. Suffice to say, air soft sniping takes a VERY special person.

The "standard" 550 fps. limit, while much more powerful, doesn't get much more range. A truly good sniper rifle will get you a some more range/accuracy, but typically your out maneuvered by small squads with higher fire power.

If you love finding a good position, relaying intel, and sacrificing everything for one, perfect shot, you will love sniping. Snipers in air soft become a great support role. And, if your doing it right, the other team thinks every shadow is you (as Bart Simpson said "PSYCH PSYCH PSYCH!!!!"). Just my opinion (which I love giving!! ;D ).

Springers are much more accurate then their gas counterparts. Unfortunately, to obtain the 550 mark with a spring requires EXTREME upper body strength and a lot of reinforced parts. High dollar stuff....and your exhausted at the end of one game.

Gas gets the 550 mark quickly through different gas uses and simple tweaks. You pretty much just spend your time working on accuracy upgrades. They start off expensive and the parts are a little harder to find and acquire, but for the most part, they are cheaper to upgrade then a springer because of the initial cost.

Sniper rifles are a labor of love. Tweaking and trying combinations will take days and you'll love every minute (if your a mad professor/nut like me).

For a gas gun, anything Tanaka makes (my wife uses a Tanaka M700) is good. The KJW m700 is based off of it and has become very popular lately as a inexpensive clone. It lacks some finer points, but it's pretty good.

For a springer, I'd go with the VSR-10. It's tried and true with upgrade parts EASILY found. There is a ton of people that have owned/own one so information is every were. And, from experience, it's damned accurate, but not very powerful straight out of the box.

I just love typing....

Pretty much, you need to decide what you like. If your a lazy player, like me, the easy bolt pull of a gas rifle is worth the time & cost of the accuracy upgrades. If you would rather work on a powerful/reliable gun that is a strength workout every time you use it, the cost of a springer is worth it.

[Morley Dotes]

I have been considering the workout of a springer and I had a thought. Crossbows are a devil to pull back without a mechanical aide. Has any one seen such an aide for a springer? Or would that just be too much against the concept of a MilSim? Granted such an aide would need to be fast and easy to use. Hmmm...

[Tripps]

Funny story....

The wife and I have thought about getting a draganov (one of the 550+ springer versions) sniper rifles for her. But, we decided we would have to make a crank system like they did for ballistas!!!

[mongoman]

Ballista, can do. Let me know if you want one.

M

[prometheus]

boy do I love your avitar

[Morley Dotes]

Thank you! She's a cutie!

[The Shootist]

(This is me taking pride at my avatar collection).

I agree with Tripps, except I think there's one aspect missing on the gas guns: The gas. The gas can get expensive over time, and there're a lot of debates about how cold weather screws, or doesn't srew, with performance. That's the down side to Gas.

As for a fast crank for a springer, they already make those, they call 'em AEG's ;D

If you're new to airsoft, or airsoft sniping I'd recommend you borrowing someone else's sniper rifle to try it. Even with a shitty sniper rifle, you'll quickly learn the hurry up and wait pacing required for even the best sniper.

Personally, I've taken the role of Combat Support Specialist. I have a fullsize M16 AEG, with a Tightbore barrel (helps with accuracy). I'm going to upgrade the spring to a M120 (as opposed to the M170+ in Sniper rifles), and get a slightly larger battery (9.6v as opposed to my trusty 8.4v). This will add more range to my shots, and maybe enough power to go up to a .23 or .25g BB as opposed to the standard .20s. Which will again add accuracy, and sacrifice a bit of range.

What this setup allows me to do is switch to semi-auto, and snipe. Sure, a real expensive sniper rifle will out accuracy and out range me; but not by much more than 20 (or maybe, MAYBE 30) feet. Plus, I can switch to full-auto and join in on squad tactics. Sure, there're guns that'll shoot faster than mine, and guns that'll shoot further than mine. However, I enjoy the fact that I can outrange almost all of those guys who shoot faster, and I can out shoot those guys who go further.

Having said all of that, I remember a game where I got sniped from a position I didn't quite see, and still didn't see after I was shot (so far, it's the only time this has happened). It was a two man team, and they were using lightly modified AEGs. Then there's all the times Psycho shot me in the back with his Pistol because I walked past him in the dark.

So there you go.

[Morley Dotes]

My interest in sniping is much like my interest in absinthe. 50% of it is in the paraphernalia and the ritual. I'm buying an AEG for the game on the 16th. I'm sure that I'll love it and that it will be useful for many applications. But for the sniping aspect of this wonderful game I think that I will continue to pursue a top shelf springer that I can modify out the wazoo.

With all the new parts that are coming onto the market I feel that it is only a matter of time before sniping becomes even more viable that it already is. I have checked out a couple of cheap springer snipers and they can be a bear to cock so my current quest, while I await the necessary funds to go mad with, is to find a mechanical answer to the springer/upper body strength question. I suppose I could go with the 13th Warrior answer of simply growing stronger, but man that's a lot of work.

[The Shootist]

Nah, just sit there in your boxers watching Gray's Anatomy and cocking your huge ass springer. It'll be healthier than what you normally do. ;-)

[rugia]

im thinking about getting a 60$ older version of the super 9
my resoning is if i go out on the field im gunna go there duke nukem style with at least three guns(right now my basic set up is a close range g36 with a meduim range shotty and pistal)
i think adding a sniper role two my team would be a very importent asset to our victory

[Tripps]

SUPER PRO BAD!!!!!!

Get the usr-11 by hfc. It's not much more and it takes marui vsr parts.

[haslinger]

If you are serious about sniping...pick up a SR 25 by either G&P or G&G. DON"T BUY THE CA 25. The G&G has a blocker on the body and the gearbox that prevents it from firing full auto...meaning most fields will let you shoot at 550...which is completely feasible considering the design. The CA25 will switch to full auto making it illegal at 550 on a majority of fields. The PSG-1 is another good choice. If you're serious about sniping why waste your time with gas rifles (they are quite finicky). Spring rifles must be loved every single game, trust me I had a VSR10 upgraded with every part available...I still shutter to think about how much time I spent just tinkering. Therefore, I HIGHLY suggest getting an electric rifle. One which is set up to be a semi only sniper...

If you think you want a super 90 pro...think again...not only will you be dissapointed...you'll be laughed at. Trust me...I had one...

[Kija99]

the VSR10 is an awsome gun the bolt is so quiet but sounds pretty loud when fired.

[rugia]

you guys are going to luv this
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkSLwwn2Crw

its about sniper tactics its pretty cool and i thought some of you really good sniper guys might appreciate it