First rifle advice.

[Fly Si]

Hi folks,

I've signed up for the forum hoping for some advice. 

I would like to buy a rifle for a bit of fun and target practice in the garden. I don't want to spend much as I'd like to make sure I'm enjoying it and actually getting use out of it first. Therefore I'm aiming around the £100 mark.  

I'd like to be able to shoot as accurately as possible (within the confines of budget), but also let rip from time to time! So something that will do full auto preferably. 

I've been on a few websites and decided on 2 different rifles so far, only to discover they are out of stock everywhere. 

I'm wondering what rifle would be recommended by those in-the-know for my needs and budget? And also importantly, in stock somewhere. 

Many thanks for any help. 

 

[Asomodai]

Hi folks,

I've signed up for the forum hoping for some advice. 

I would like to buy a rifle for a bit of fun and target practice in the garden. I don't want to spend much as I'd like to make sure I'm enjoying it and actually getting use out of it first. Therefore I'm aiming around the £100 mark.  

I'd like to be able to shoot as accurately as possible (within the confines of budget), but also let rip from time to time! So something that will do full auto preferably. 

I've been on a few websites and decided on 2 different rifles so far, only to discover they are out of stock everywhere. 

I'm wondering what rifle would be recommended by those in-the-know for my needs and budget? And also importantly, in stock somewhere. 

Many thanks for any help. 

That is an incredibly low budget especially in this time of price rises and low stock. 

I would suggest getting at least doubling your budget so you can get something that could be skirmishable, be somewhat reliable, pay for it to be painted two toned, along with eye protection, BBS and a decent charger/battery.

Spending less will likely not give you a pleasant experience and will discourage you from the hobby. Airsoft does require some reasonable expenditure from the outset. 

I suggest you go to a skirmish and rent a rifle first and see how you feel, that's the main reason why rentals exist.

 

[Guest]

What @Asomodaisaid, at £100 you’re wasting your money

 

[Tackle]

@Fly Sias the extremely learned gentlemen above have pointed out, at that budget you'll not find anything worth having, your alternative is to look at the secondhand classifieds, here is very good & pretty busy, but even secondhand you may have to up your budget a bit to get something you like.

The other issue is finding someone to sell to you, as I'm guessing you don't have any type of reasonable defence under the vcra rules, but that's not to say a seller might two-tone something, assuming your over 18 ?. 

We might be able to give you better advice with more information from you, such as what rifles your interested in, your location in the UK, & anything else of relevance ? 

 

[Fly Si]

Thanks for the advice guys. I knew I was at the very bottom of the budget range, but I was hoping that there might be a bit of a hidden gem of a buy somewhere. 

Sadly I am considerably north of 18, but no I haven't taken part in any airsoft events so I can't own a RIF. 

As I said before, I'm only looking to shoot in the garden. When I was younger I used to shoot air rifles which I enjoyed immensely.  I live in Scotland so can no longer own an air rifle without applying for a certificate. Besides which I only have the garden to shoot in. 

I was looking for something safe and legal to enjoy the satisfaction of plunking away at targets. I've no problem with the gun being blue or orange etc. 

Perhaps you guys could point me towards a rifle that would be an acceptable compromise between cost and function? 

 

[Floperator]

£100 is a bit too low, but you don't need to double your budget imo. Another £30-£50 and you're getting into reasonable entry level stuff perfectly suitable for light back garden use. You could pick up a cyma p90 or ak74 for that. 

Good points above about budgeting for eye pro, BBs, charger if not included etc. 

 

[BigStew]

Thanks for the advice guys. I knew I was at the very bottom of the budget range, but I was hoping that their might be a bit of a hidden gem of a buy somewhere. 

Sadly I am considerably north of 18, but no I haven't taken part in any airsoft events so I can't own a RIF. 

As I said before, I'm only looking to shoot in the garden. When I was younger I used to shoot air rifles which I enjoyed immensely.  I live in Scotland so can no longer own an air rifle without applying for a certificate. Besides which I only have the garden to shoot in. 

I was looking for something safe and legal to enjoy the satisfaction of plunking away at targets. I've no problem with the gun being blue or orange etc. 

Perhaps you guys could point me towards a rifle that would be an acceptable compromise between cost and function? 

if you can find one CYMA M14 is an excellent AEG can be got for £150/170. I will add unless you live in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours back garden target shooting can get you in a lot of trouble.

 

[Rogerborg]

What sort of ranges are we talking?  If it's a few tens of metres or less, then pretty much anything with a hop unit is viable.

Any electric rifle with a metal gearbox, a gas pistol (non-blowback should be more efficient and consistent, blowback is much more fun), a bolt action sniper, or even a cheap pump action single barrel shotgun with a variable hop unit.

You don't have to throw upgrade money at them, just clean the barrel and hop rubber and feed them the heaviest BBs that they'll hop.

Just be aware that airsoft guns are never that consistent or accurate, and you'll always get the occasional flyer.

 

[EDcase]

Adding my 2p

I don't think you need to spend much more than £100 for a basic rifle to do target practice in the garden.

Any of these will be OK for plinking: Two Tone Airsoft Assault Rifles | Buy Now Pay Later | Patrol Base  (Don't know about Lancer but CYMA and Specna are decent)

Low stock is a problem everywhere ?

Be aware though, airsoft weapons are nowhere near as accurate as air rifles.  Especially above 30m.

Get some 0.28g BBs to help with accuracy and you should have some eye protection just in case.

Check the one you want comes with a battery and charger although a better battery (LiPo) and intelligent charger will be good investments later if you wish to continue with airsoft.

 

[Fly Si]

Many thanks for the comments and advice everyone. 

My garden is about 30m long and well enclosed with walls/fences/trees/bushes etc. It's unlikely that I'll have BBs leaving my property. Particularly if I put in some kind of back stop. The garden is only overlooked by my immediate next door neighbours and they cannot see the area I would be firing from. I also have the option to shoot from inside the house through patio doors. 

There really is a chronic shortage of products in stock. I have found a Cyma CM011 - G36C though, which is the front runner at the moment. Any thoughts on this one? 

 

[Rogerborg]

There really is a chronic shortage of products in stock. I have found a Cyma CM011 - G36C though, which is the front runner at the moment. Any thoughts on this one?

Go for it.  I have a Jing Gong G36C which is essentially a clone of the CYMA (or vice versa). It was bought as a reliable backup gun (they're site rental favourites), but shoots so well that it's actually the one that I use most often now.

CYMA gear tends to be basic but robust. They're better known for AKs and M4s, but the G36 has a V3 gearbox, similar to their AKs, so should be a solid choice.  G36s have a decent rotary hop unit that tends to be more consistent than basic dial or slider units.  It even comes with a basic nimh battery and dumb charger which will be fine for plinking. Just don't leave it plugged in for more than a couple of hours, and keep an eye - well a hand - on the battery temperature while charging.

The only thing I'd flag up is the two part V3 trigger and mediocre motors and batteries on stock guns can leave them slightly vulnerable to locking up if you trigger-spam on semi and don't fully complete a cycle.  This is more of an issue while skirmishing, it shouldn't be a problem while target shooting.

 

[Fly Si]

Go for it.  I have a Jing Gong G36C which is essentially a clone of the CYMA (or vice versa). It was bought as a reliable backup gun (they're site rental favourites), but shoots so well that it's actually the one that I use most often now.

CYMA gear tends to be basic but robust. They're better known for AKs and M4s, but the G36 has a V3 gearbox, similar to their AKs, so should be a solid choice.  G36s have a decent rotary hop unit that tends to be more consistent than basic dial or slider units.  It even comes with a basic nimh battery and dumb charger which will be fine for plinking. Just don't leave it plugged in for more than a couple of hours, and keep an eye - well a hand - on the battery temperature while charging.

The only thing I'd flag up is the two part V3 trigger and mediocre motors and batteries on stock guns can leave them slightly vulnerable to locking up if you trigger-spam on semi and don't fully complete a cycle.  This is more of an issue while skirmishing, it shouldn't be a problem while target shooting.

Great! Thanks very much. 

And with regard to BBs. Should I go with the standard 0.2 or something heavier?

I understand that heavier ones might be a bit more accurate, but that cheaper guns might struggle with them? I'm not sure if I've picked that up right though. 

 

[Rogerborg]

And with regard to BBs. Should I go with the standard 0.2 or something heavier?

I understand that heavier ones might be a bit more accurate, but that cheaper guns might struggle with them? I'm not sure if I've picked that up right though. 

Generally, go with the heaviest that the gun can lift.  That's determined by a complicated relationship between nozzle energy, bucking shape and material, nub hardness, and hop arm pressure, which boils down to: it depends.

Pretty much any stock gun should hop 0.25g.  Most can hop 0.28g, although it's not guaranteed.  What I would always suggest is cleaning the hop rubber and the barrel before use - hopefully the CYMA will come with a cleaning rod, although you can push a patch down the barrel with any 6mm-ish plastic rod.

Ideally you'll clean from rear to front so as not to push any barrel shipping oil back into the bucking, although it's not super critical as long as you get it all clear all the way.

If you do fancy diving inside, this is a fairly decent disassembly video.

Or you can remove the inner barrel by taking off the handguard, removing the three screws shown in red here, and the whole inner barrel assemble will slide out forwards, giving access to the hop unit and rubber.

View attachment 90893

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

At the risk of going against the grain here I'd say that there are plenty decent beginner AEGs for around the £100 mark and absolutely go for it.

Anything by CYMA or JG is a safe bet and my Lancer 933 was about £100; my first gun and quite frankly I still love it. Its reliable, decently put together and happily lobs .25s in the woods I skirmish in. Nice and lightweight too and accepts most mags without fuss. The Core Specnas are much of a muchness and probably worth a punt too.

I hear lots of put downs regarding Lancer online but I have to say mine has been perfectly good. There again, same with my UAR; very marmite but I've had no bother with that either.

I echo above regarding ammo choice, using 25s or 28s is one of the most effective (and cheapest) upgrades you can make.

Good luck with your choice.

Eezer G

 

[Fly Si]

Thanks. I'm definitely going to go for the Cyma and I'll get some 0.25 BBs. 

Is BB choice very important? I'd like to get biodegradable ones so my wife complains less about them ending up all over the garden!

The ones available in the same shop as the gun are Angry Balls, Snow Wolf and ASG Open Blaster. 

6 hours ago, Rogerborg said:



Generally, go with the heaviest that the gun can lift.  That's determined by a complicated relationship between nozzle energy, bucking shape and material, nub hardness, and hop arm pressure, which boils down to: it depends.

Pretty much any stock gun should hop 0.25g.  Most can hop 0.28g, although it's not guaranteed.  What I would always suggest is cleaning the hop rubber and the barrel before use - hopefully the CYMA will come with a cleaning rod, although you can push a patch down the barrel with any 6mm-ish plastic rod.

Ideally you'll clean from rear to front so as not to push any barrel shipping oil back into the bucking, although it's not super critical as long as you get it all clear all the way.

If you do fancy diving inside, this is a fairly decent disassembly video.

Thanks for the video. I must say that looks a bit daunting. As a general rule of thumb, if I take something to bits it doesn't end well! 

 

[EvilMonkee]

Don't be conned by Bios, they don't really break down that much quicker.

 

[Floperator]

Don't be conned by Bios, they don't really break down that much quicker.

Actually worse for the environment too because they break down into microplastics and get into the food chain quicker.

Further to the above I have a Lancer M4 and JG G36c and they've both performed well in skirmishes, no issues at all as yet. Both can be picked up for around £120ish if you shop around.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Your choice of BB will often show on whether your site insults on Bio or not. My site mandates Bio as its within Forestry land. Although they do take literally years to degrade.

.25 is generally a good all rounder but depends on the play style (outdoor/indoor) and the gun. If you're plinking in the back garden though may as well save cash and just use .2s, keep the heavier stuff for skirmishes. (Said like a true canny Scotsman)

 

[Rogerborg]

If you're plinking in the back garden though may as well save cash and just use .2s

I'd go the other way.  Given the low number that you'll get through while plinking, and the cost of the gun itself, the extra cost per bottle is negligible.

And I agree on bios, PLA breaks down in an industrial composter at 60C, not lying on the grass in Scottish weather.  The "BIO" label is really just for fooling landowners and wives.  

 

[Fly Si]

Well, I wasn't expecting that. I was kind of hoping the bio balls might dissolve away after a month or two. I suppose it would be a good idea to have the bottle marked biodegradable though, for the purposes of "wife fooling" if nothing else. Tbh I can see a fair bit of moaning coming my way very soon, once the little balls start collecting in the flower beds. The Mrs. principal hobby seems to be complaining about my hobbies!

OK, so list of stuff to buy. 

1 x rifle

Some 0.25 BBs 

Some kind of eye protection (what?)

Anything else? 

Thanks guys.