AEG or GBB

[Stu 661]

New to this type of thing and looking for some advice.

Should I go for an AEG or GBB rifle?

Really like the idea of a GBB purely from a more realistic point of view. Recoil, magazine quantities closer to real life etc.

My main concern is what are they like in colder weather? Can you get round the issue by changing gas type?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[M_P]

If you're new to airsoft definitely go electric, I'd never recommend a gas gun for new players as they require more maintenance and looking after. The performance does drop in the cold, some gasses are better than others as you'd expect and some guns are more or less resistant that others.

Always start out electric, it gives you a decent chance when new against other people, with a gas gun 90% of the time you're at a disadvantage. You may end up wanting to swap later on, personally I love a nice gas powered gun but start out elsewhere 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

^spot on

get an AEG rifle and a GBB pistol, then when getting a second primary you can look at going GBB if you want.

 

[E21A]

I was adamant that I was only ever going to use gbb right from the very start (who wants a battery powered gun! Lame!)

That was right up until I played my first game and saw the light! For all the things that matter, ie reliability, weight, ease of play etc AEG is better. They also cost less overall for a stater when including mags etc. Easier to maintain. Don’t really have to worry about the wether making your gun to hot, or virtually useless. 

 

[Wo1f]

i use nothing but gas, but id recommend an AEG to somebody who's just starting. They're simple and maintenance free for the most part. Mags are considerably lighter and higher capacity, which makes somebody who hasn't picked up a play style to have a level playing field with most other people.

That being said... The misconceptions about GBBR's is astounding. It's easy to tell that most people who say they're not very good have never played with one properly. I have about 10 GBBR's currently, and they all work all year round with very little fuss. As long as you get a good quality one and have a basic understanding of them, they're easily the most fun you can have in airsoft. What you need to ask yourself before buying one is this:

Are you happy carrying around multiple 30 round mags that weigh half a KG each?

Are you happy buying 30 round mags that cost between £30-60 each?

The gun's themselves are generally heavier in my experience

Does your play style suite/ support mostly semi auto play with limited ammo?

GBBR's are generally very simple to disassemble like real firearms, but are you willing to clean and lube them often?

Are you willing to run high quality BB's only? 

If the answer is yes to all of those, then buy a GBBR and take a seat at the cool table ? 

 

[MILITATED]

Are you happy carrying around multiple 30 round mags that weigh half a KG each?

Holy crap, I wish my mags were half a kilo. Mine are ~750g each ?

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Holy crap, I wish my mags were half a kilo. Mine are ~750g each ?

Do you even gurttrommel?

Although tbf you only need one of those

 

[Stu 661]

Thanks for the replies guys. I don’t have a problem with a heavy weapon or heavy mags, I am looking for a realistic experience as possible.

I am not the spray and pray type and prefer to take aimed single shots. Looking forward to keeping the weapon maintained, part of the appeal.

What type of gas do you use in the colder weather?

On the list of weapons I’m looking at, Umarex HK 416D or 417 the KWA version, Umarex HK 416 A5 or the Krytac Trident MKII SPR.

 

[Dentonboy]

My brother and another teammate have the Umarex/VFC 416D. They look superb but are inconsistent and both have broken their bolts after only a few skirmishes. 

I would urge you to look no further than TM for a GBBR, or if wanting to stick to batteries, their EBB range. 

I have used my TM M4A1 MWS all year round, just change the gas accordingly. I use Abbey or similar when very hot, Gun fire's Smart Gas or Nuprol when cooler. 

Avoid the VFC 416's unless you have good access to spares. Plus the magazines are hard to find. 

 

[Tackle]

First gun = AEG all the way, they do what you want when you want with little or no maintenance.

If you want realistic features & can afford one, go for a tm recoil, & as has been pointed out, get yourself a gbb pistol, I can't recommend a tm hi-capa 4.3 enough, & use it with a lightly modified serpa or similar holster, you'll never regret it.

AND THEN, when you've got some gametime etc under your belt, which includes figuring out your playing style etc (starting out we all see ourselves in a particular role "style", only to find its not for us, snipers are a great example of this !), then maybe start looking in to a gbbr as maybe a secondary/alternate primary.

 

[BigStew]

GBBR are significantly more work than AEGs in maintance. In game you will be subject to performance issues due to cool down, light hammers strikes, gas mag dumping all its gas because of a sticking part. Don't get me wrong GBBR have significant grin factor but in terms of playing they are inferior to AEG. 

Don't think anyone has said this but cost. You can get a good out the box Chinese clone AEG multiple mid/high caps, a lipo that will last all day, 3000 BBs and a charger for £200.00 new. An out the box reliable GBBR is minimum £300.00 then about £40.00 quid a mag. So for a semi decent set up you are looking at about £700.00. 

Get a mid range AEG to start with. I have gone back and forth with GBBRs I never had the money or the skill to get them right and everyone of them has not been reliable. 

 

[M_P]

My brother and another teammate have the Umarex/VFC 416D. They look superb but are inconsistent and both have broken their bolts after only a few skirmishes. 

I would urge you to look no further than TM for a GBBR, or if wanting to stick to batteries, their EBB range. 

To be fair that's more due to the VFC gbb stuff being awful than anything 

The TM stuff is really great but there are a lot of good options from other brands too and for a new player a TM is a big investment

On the list of weapons I’m looking at, Umarex HK 416D or 417 the KWA version, Umarex HK 416 A5 or the Krytac Trident MKII SPR.

I'd still heavily advise against it but if you're dead set on a gas gun avoid the Umarex/VFC stuff, it will break and will break quickly.

For your first one I'd look at a WE offering, the Scar H and G39 are very good. If you have the budget the TM MWS is the one to go for but they're not cheap.

Just bear in mind you'll be looking at a good £250-300 on top of the gun itself, if not more by the time you add mags, accessories and stuff 

 

[emilianoksa]

How does the Umarex/VFC stuff manage to hold its value?

Gbbr are unbeatable for the buzz they give, but there is price to be paid.

It’s a price I personally can’t afford to pay.

But when I played my first game I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the humble aeg.

So I make do with pistols for the old gbb.

And you can get almost as many rounds from a gas pistol as from a rifle. With my Glock 17 two 26 round mags and one of the extra long WE ones, I have an excellent setup for an hour’s cqb.

Take a break, reload and gas up and you,re good to go.

 

[Stu 661]

Yea was not interested in the Umarex VFC ones only the KWA stuff.

ive been told the KWA stuff is more reliable.

 

[emilianoksa]

A lot of people don’t much like KWA either.

 

[Wo1f]

Kwa is more reliable, but their hop up units are shite and they have much less kick than others because they’re usually short stroked. 

Gas wise.. in my TM mws I run propane until it gets too hot and the FPS creeps over the limit and I drop to a weaker gas. Mine will mag dump in full auto in winter happily on propane. 

For Everything else I run propane until it gets too cold to run efficiently then I run MAPP gas. 

Absolute best gbbr gbbr is in my opinion the mws. The cheapest, usable GBBR is the WE g36c. I love mine and it hasn’t missed a beat. Only reccomendations would be a maple leaf barrel and bucking in all WE guns is a must. Mws runs great stock, but a SixG brass nub will allow you to use heavier .30> weight BB’s which give you more range and accuracy. 

I put it to anybody to find a gun thats more fun to shoot than a We Scar H gbbr.

 

[Guest]

I second KWA hops being crap, but Airsoft Engenuity are now building proper ones ??

 

[sonofsammo]

Holy crap, I wish my mags were half a kilo. Mine are ~750g each ?

750g?? How many rounds? And what for????
I'm guessing not a Glock ?

 

[MILITATED]

750g?? How many rounds? And what for????
I'm guessing not a Glock ?

PTS/KWA 40rnd EPMs and Pmags ?

Unfortunately they haven't mastered the art of lightweight magazines yet