Cheappo gun performance

[CrackCommandoUnit1972]

I took my son for his first woodland game the other day and he had such a good time that he will badger me to play every weekend (I'm fuckin skint and trying to save up for a TM MWS)

Anyway it was also his first time using his £115 Specna Arms M4 and I tell you what, using .25's, the range and accuracy was almost as good as mine and the other players presumably much more expensive guns. Makes you wonder why people buy a gun then spend £100's more on it in upgrades for a very slight increase in performance. 

I've not any experience of using really high end guns but are they that much better?

 

[Adolf Hamster]

generally as a rule of thumb i reckon getting 80% of the performance is pretty easy, but it's a law of diminishing returns after that to get that last 20%

frankly it's whatever makes you enjoy the sport, i can see both ends, i have my mostly stock jg aksu which is a barrel of lightweight laughter but at the other end my m4 is a labour of obsession to squeeze every last drop of range and accuracy from it.

this is airsoft, you can get kills with a nerf gun if you're good enough and as long as you're having fun doing it who cares?

 

[Asomodai]

Agreed with the above. Law of diminishing returns to get that extra bit of performance possible. 

Cheaper guns can be perfectly fine. Though not true for all rifles, there is more chance of a lemon the cheaper you go. 

 

[PopRocket123]

Agreed with the above. Law of diminishing returns to get that extra bit of performance possible. 

Cheaper guns can be perfectly fine. Though not true for all rifles, there is more chance of a lemon the cheaper you go. 

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There's a balance to be struck. You can pick up a decent gun for less than £200 and make some pretty much free upgrades to it and it'll keep up with our outrange a £500 gun

 

[Luke85]

With airsoft much of the "higher end" guns price goes on build quality and extra features rather than performance. Barrels, springs, air seals etc play a part but even so there is only so far you can sling a small plastic BB accurately. I picked up £80 Fab-arms plastic tri shotgun from Patrol Base last year for £35 in a black Friday deal. This shotgun I picked up for £35 performs almost the same, if not a little better than a friends £350 shell ejecting shotgun. The difference is his feels way nicer, with likely last longer and far less likely to break it, and the shell ejecting feature certainly puts a grin on your face. But if comparing the price based on performance alone, you'd have to be crazy to spend the extra £300. With AEGs and more so with DMRs and Snipers the difference in performance is more noticeable the more you spend, but its still not that significant. As I say, a lot of the money is going on build quality and extra features made to increase enjoyment and fun factor, and most of us will agree running around with a metal RIF is far more satisfying than carrying a lightweight plastic one that feels like it'll break as soon as you drop it or catch it on a doorframe. 

 

[TheFull9]

There are some pretty solid laws of physics that limit the range and accuracy of low-velocity smoothbore projectile launchers.  You can spend 100k on a super car, but (assuming you don't break the law) it'll not get you from one town to another on the motorways any significantly quicker than a 4k little 1 litre hatchback.  There will be certain aspects of that drive which are very different of course, but from a sheer transport from A-to-B perspective.. f*** all in it.

Same applies to literally anything you can spend money on even outside of airsoft and within airsoft it's the oldest, most over-done conversation ever.  Thing is this isn't a hobby for life for the vast majority of players so the same conversation is had over and over and over again.

A £120 AEG and some cheap mil surplus kit will put you in basically just as good standing at a skirmish as the £1000 gun and thousands worth of SF-grade tac gear in terms of your ability to run about and shoot BBs at the other team.  Acknowledge that, make peace with the fact different people want different things from their game so some will spend that big money, then just go out there and enjoy yourself in the way you personally want to.  That's all there is to it, all there ever has been and all there ever will be.

 

[CrackCommandoUnit1972]

I suppose you are all right. I do a lot of fishing (my other obsession) and have a load of very expensive gear but Im not sure I catch much more with a £200 rod compared to a £40 one.

I was just suprised how good the guns performance was.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

There are some pretty solid laws of physics that limit the range and accuracy of low-velocity smoothbore projectile launchers.  You can spend 100k on a super car, but (assuming you don't break the law) it'll not get you from one town to another  on the motorways any significantly quicker than a 4k little 1 litre hatchback.

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there's also the factor of ammo, even a top end gun is going to shoot like shit if it's fed legitbbgunz4less "special" .12g's.

had one of those moments last sunday- spotted a sniper at range, popped a few .48's his way and he called out. later saw him dandering back to the safe zone citing he wasn't getting the range he wanted, asked him what ammo he was running and he replies ".25's".

 

[TheFull9]

All I ever use is .2s, which was the globally accepted way to go at UK FPS levels (for automatic RIFs) many years ago yet is absolutely scoffable now.  I almost always shoot indoors though, so it makes absolutely no difference other than my ammo is a teeny-tiny bit cheaper.

I don't reckon that many people out there are buying air-pocket-seam-line-special 0.12s anyway, there'll be the odd person, but serviceable BBs are insanely cheap really.  

 

[Adolf Hamster]

All I ever use is .2s, which was the globally accepted way to go at UK FPS levels (for automatic RIFs) many years ago yet is absolutely scoffable now.  I almost always shoot indoors though, so it makes absolutely no difference other than my ammo is a teeny-tiny bit cheaper.

I don't reckon that many people out there are buying air-pocket-seam-line-special 0.12s anyway, there'll be the odd person, but serviceable BBs are insanely cheap really.  

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true, for cqb it's kinda pointless pushing for range might as well save the pennies, but we deal in outdoor sites trying to run 1j and heavier ammo definately goes a long way (pun may be intended)

 

[Tiercel]

Specna Arms are really very good value for money. I'd never heard of them til about a year ago, picked up one of their guns at a bargain price, and was amazed by the performance. Threw a tightbore barrel and maple leaf rubber in it, and with .28s Im regularly being accused of running a hot gun for the ranges Im hitting people at  

Yes you can spend silly money on toy guns, but as already said most of that goes towards better build quality and construction materials/finish rather than more performance. That being said the Specna Arms are rock solid build and a very nice finish too. My only complaint about them really is they weigh an absolute tonne. A more expensive gun may be made of lighter grade of Chineseium. 

 

[Druid799]

 lighter grade of Chineseium. 

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I like that word ! ?

matter of fact I’m stealing that word ! ?

i find there’s something a little reassuring about a heavy gun , hate it when you have a gun that’s light as a feather but the real one weighs a tonne !

 

[Rogerborg]

Counterpoint: I have never got to the end of the day and thought "Gosh, I wish I were carrying more weight".

Love my plastic fantastics, me.

 

[Tiercel]

some of the early TM plastic stuff was just plain awful to use, I had one of their FAMAS and G3s, and my god it creaked like old lady trying to get out of bed with every little movement and the G3 was so long and plasticy it flexed in the middle. Comparitively Ive used my mates plastic combat machine ocasionally and it feels rock solid.

My little cyma MP5k is probably one of the heaviest guns Ive got, god knows what pot metal they used to make that, probably melted down  leftover T62s. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

i find there’s something a little reassuring about a heavy gun , hate it when you have a gun that’s light as a feather but the real one weighs a tonne !

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agreed, i remember seeing one of ics's plastic g3's and man that just felt wrong to hold.

i like a light gun, but i'd rather it be realistically light and well balanced rather than over the top, although granted when your tired it can be nice to just go super lightweight.

 

[Rogerborg]

Ive used my mates plastic combat machine ocasionally and it feels rock solid.

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They do use a decent polymer[*].  Light but very sturdy, much nicer than the stuff on my CYMA, Galaxy or JG.

[*]What you call plastic when you're justifying spending £120 on a silly toy.

 

[HuttArmouries]

Ive found it just as fun to run cheap guns as expensive ones. My two main weapons are a cyma ak which is on the budget end but excellent for the price and my a&k pkm which cost me an arm and a leg. I Enjoy them both but play very differently when using each. Ive never upgraded the internals further than cleaning them and replacing a stripped piston. Most people think im insane for lugging 8kg of machinegun around at a game but I do get enjoyment out of it that I dont out of a normal rifle. Again it comes back to what you find fun.

 

[Druid799]

Most people think im insane for lugging 8kg of machinegun around at a game but I do get enjoyment out of it that I dont out of a normal rifle. Again it comes back to what you find fun.

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AND you do have the added advantage of if some nobber ain’t taking the hits you CAN hose the Bejesus out of them and when they start screaming “overkill !” You can shout back “it’s a Russian support weapon, it’s ment to over kill !” ?

???

 

[Falloutfan123]

My JG SR-25K always turned heads with its accuracy and range, added cheapo tightbore barrel, cheapo uprated hop rubber and a custom H bucking (12p that one!), followed some random guides on tuning Airsoft DMR's, wrapped the hop rubber in dental floss etc etc.

Point I'm trying to make is that if you just care about performance a time investment in this hobby goes just as far as a monetary one

 

[Rogerborg]

a custom H bucking (12p that one!)

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