Which gun to get for a beginner?

[johnnyntro]

OK, been cruising through the topics these last two days, trying to get a feel for what gun to pick up. I currently own a crappy, el cheapo pistol that I got just to play around with and for target practice, but I've had so much fun with it that I'm thinking I'm going to upgrade and really get into this thing. Keep in mind, I really have no clue what the vast majority of the terminology and such means to the gun (I know pretty much what they all mean, but their effect on each gun is still kind of a foreign language to me). I know there will be differing opinions about brands and such, but I need some place to start, ya know?

As far as what I feel like would be a good fit for me, I would consider myself a support type player. Whenever I play Rainbow Six on the Xbox, or when I used to play paintball, I wouldn't necessarily take point, but I would be with the group moving forward. I always covered the back and/or peripherals, and would only take point if there was a need for me to. I figure I'm probably best suited for a medium to long range gun.

As far as financials go, well, I do have a son soon to be born, so I definitely can't drop a whole lot on it. However, I don't want to get a piece of crap AEG just to get one, and have to replace it in 1-2 years with what I should've bought in the first place. I used to be in sales, so I know that 95% of the time, you get what you pay for. So, I'm really looking for the best bang for the buck in the $100-$200 range, that will actually keep me competitive, and not have to do a lot of upgrading/maintenance, because, frankly, I'm terrible at that kind of thing.

So, that being said, I'm totally up for suggestions. Just diving in, its kind of overwhelming, so I didn't really know where to start. I've picked up a few brands considered "good" through reading around here, are there any others that are good/great, or any that I should no questions asked stay away from?

Thanks for any input!!!

[johnnyntro]

PS...I'm also curious as to locations that I could get any of the recommended AEGs, reputable sites, and even better, places in close enough proximity (Birmingham-ish) that I could just pick one up.

[mongoman]

No hope of picking up a quality gun anywhere in Alabama, much less Bham. The web in the answer. If you can make it out Saturday, I have a couple of guns I am not using, and you could get a feel for them there. I have a TM m733 commando that shoots at 400fps, and a CA m15 cqb that shoots around 385fps.

Billy from Airsoft Revolution will be there this weekend. You can look at some stuff in person if you like, then order from him later.

I like my TM, however, since the M4 series has a plastic body, they get barrell wobble. I was able to fix mine with a metal barrell ring. The Classic Army is built like a brick. I have seen Snafu, our moderator and boardmaster, trip and stick the muzzle in the ground and fall on his gun, butt against his chest. (BTW Snafu is a monster of a guy). He cleaned the mud out of the barrell and went back to playing. I have no doubt that if that had been my Tokoyo Marui, it would have shattered. So, for durability, CA is the way to go.

From personal experience, ICS is a good gun, and you can't beat the price.

Finally, my $100 Well G3 SAS is still working. Not all that powerful, but it is a pig, and still just thumps right along.

Good to meet you man

M

[mateba]

I'm sorry to break it to you but your gun will break. without upgrades a quality AEG (automatic electric gun) might last 2 years. that is subject to usage. I play with a Tokyo Marui G3 and I use, err abuse it as SAW. I am asking for a stripped piston or worse but I want to bring that kind of firepower to a fight. I technically play a support role and for the amount of BBs my AEG was designed to shoot I am approaching its limit faster than normal. I can, as well as everyone else, attest to the money commonly involved in playing. It can be relatively inexpensive but for most it is not. It can be easily compared to paintball but instead of the cost for paint most people acquire gear and accessories. This is not always the case but i just want you to be aware that the expense of airsoft like most things depends on the person. I would approach buying a gun in two ways.

practical, buying one based on the value of the purchase or quality of the gun. this would include consumer research and qualified used guns.
impractical, buying one based on appearances or a fantasy. I probably fall into this category more than anything. My AEG was an impulse and I didn't know a whole lot about airsoft. In fact i didn't even know anyone who played. Considered what was available at the time 5 years ago purchasing a Tokyo Marui (TM) was a good choice as it is today. They have consistent quality and offer it at a reasonable price around $250+. If I would do it again i would spend more on a classic army but really am just rambling.
decide for yourself but it sounds to me that you are practical consumer. I would try out a few at games if you can wait and consider a used gun. Just so you know if you try to sell a used gun you typically will not get very much considering its retail value, but if you are not leaving airsoft a trade will give you a greater return for your gun.

When you start you will need a few things that might not come standard with your gun
skirmish freindly eyewear
batter and charger or gas and possible a propane adapter
extra magazine, usually a hi-capacity
BBs, i use about 3000 per game. (we try to buy in bulk)

alot of people consider camo necessary but its not. Mongo has THE HOOKUP he knows a guy that sells a complete set of german flecktarn camoflague for $30 which include a shirt, pants, parka, and a hat. usually the parka alone costs this much or more.

[johnnyntro]

OK, so what about possible brands? If I list a few that have flashed across my screen, can I get a some kind of review on it? I've seen CA and Marui flash up as dependable, but there are some I've never really seen, and don't really know how dependable they are:

Brands I've seen while researching, but haven't really heard "yays" or "nays" on are (and I may get laughed out of the building for questioning some of these): Olympic, ICS, UTG, and Well, which seems to be the one that keeps popping up the most in my price range.

[mongoman]

Few things to keep in mind.

My Well G3 is for all practical purposes, not upgradeable. I can put a little more spring in it, but for the most part, it is a 275 fps gun. I have had no mechanical problems with mine, other than a touchy trigger, and it just keeps shooting. The M4 is okay also, a bud of mine started with one, but he soon went to CA. Why you ask, if I can spend a hundred, would I spend 300-400? The Same reason I did, range and effectivness. My gun shooting 400 fps can out range my gun shooting 275 fps. Now, just raw power doesn't automatically dictate more range, barrell length, gears, hop up all go into making the gun shoot further, but the fps helps. That is the ONLY reason I upgraded to a more expensive gun.


Two friends of mine have the ICS mp5. They come out of the box at around 400 fps. Basically, you get a gun shooting in the upgrade range out of the box, and with a nice fat battery, you will still be under $300.

M

[Rook]

Tokyo Marui and Classic Army are both good guns that will get you the most return on your money. Ive never had first hand expierience with Olympic but I hear they are good, in the same range as TM or CA. ICS are cheaper, and in my opinion, less reliable than TM or CA but are still on the upper tier in airsoft guns and are less expensive. As for Utg and Well I would stay away from them if you dont want to get your hands dirty with good old gun repair. I had a UTG mp5 that I loved, but i put a lot of work into it to make it a good gun, but there again they are half as expensive or more than brands mentioned previously. Mongo stated that his Well worked fine, I dont know Ive never had one so I cant comment on those either. But if you dont want to work on one, spend the extra money and get a CA or TM, they are the best. If you want a CA they have package deals on them at evike.com that come with everything you need to get started for a very good price - battery, charger, high-cap mag, etc. Also Billy from airsoftrevolution.com has some CA guns and I beleive he can get you anything you might want if its not on his website. His name is skidude on the forums so you can send him a message inquiring about guns also.

[Kija99]

i have a well and it is as good as my TM. you can do alot more with a well than an expensive gun because you pay less than half as mutch and you dont mind messing it up.

[Tripps]

Just got a ICS M4 for someones birthday. It's REALLY worth the money. I got it from Evike.com for $285.00 shipped to my house for free, came with a battery, charger, 2000 rounds, and a hi-cap mag. Metal body and all. Nice gun, I want one for me! If you have the money, get a GOOD aeg (TM, CA, ICS) for a starer, it's a-lot easier that way.

Now, for the El-cheapo's! (I love China guns btw) The Utg M14 is crazy awsome, the Echo1 line is good (ish) and both are under $150 for the whole starter package. They are good for finding out if your really into airsoft...9 times out of 10, you won't stay with your first gun for long! I got a second (and third) gun less then a year after I got my first. I'm sure others here can say the same!

[electricblu]

I know frijole has a mp5 ics for sale, i think he is looking at getting $200 and im pretty sure it comes with a battery and some form of mag. But if you want to do the least matenince then i would go with at tokyo mauri as well, i love classic army, but those are tad more expensive, but since this is your first gun i would go with tokyo mauri. Because your testing the waters with airsoft, you dont want to ruin it by possibly getting a crapper gun. trust me, i have the worst luck with airsoft guns in the world, i have spent more than anyone i play with just trying to make my guns work. but thats airsoft for me, so dont look for high performance right out of the gate, go for reliability.

[johnnyntro]

Any opinions on the Crosman R74? I know Crosman gets negative press from what I've read, but I hear a lot of their other models critisized, then somebody chimes in about the 74 and nobody really has anything to say (positive or negative) about it. Thoughts?

[electricblu]

to tell you the truth, ive never heard of this crossman R74. Do you have a link to a site that is selling it?

[johnnyntro]

Can't access any of 'em at work, unfortunately. They're on Crosman.com, I believe. Its got a metal body and metal gear box, from what I've read...going for around $120-ish. Here's an ebay link, for what its worth (not going the ebay route, though, its just the only site I can access at work that shows one)

cgi.ebay.com/Crosman-Pulse-R74-6mm-Full-or-Semi-Auto-Soft-Air-Rifle_W0QQitemZ270080225374QQcategoryZ62122QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270080225374

[johnnyntro]

Doh, you're gonna have to take that space outta there for it to work, sorry!

[rugia]

iv herd good things about the echo 1 m4 is it reliable?
and about the crossman i was looking at that to i need to warn you if the fps on the crossman is over 150 it is probubly a springer i almost bought it to

if you need a reliable cheap med grade gun go to hobbytron.com thay have tm's ca's and other brands like cyma(an okay but overall low performance gun maker)and i think boyi i might be wrong and im totaly open to sum light critisism on this but im fairly certin going there would be a good idea i would check out evike.com before i go to that site there b/c they do have sum good deals