Looking for a New Gun!

[The Joke]

Hello!

I want to get a new AEG for somewhere around the 200 pound mark.

The only three things I absolutely need from it are for it to have a full metal body, be easily upgrade-able and be able to utilise M4 magazines.

Having a recoil module would be nice, but I'm not marking it as essential.

The thing that I really want with this weapon is range. Which gets me asking a few questions which I hope you can help answer!

Does barrel size matter? And if so, are bullpup weapons better at range/more accurate?

How much does FPS matter? Should I aim for a higher FPS and use (For example) 0.25g BBs or higher to bring it down to the site limit?

Should I just focus on upgrading the hop up if I want better range/accuracy?

Do recoil modules affect FPS/the weapons performance?

Thank you very much for reading and any input you can offer!

 

[Dentonboy]

Forego the need for a metal body - look at the TMs on Fire Support for around the £200 mark and get yourself a decent AEG which will last for ages if you don't do anything daft.

 

[EDcase]

I'd recommend the SpenaArms Edge range based on your criteria.

You'll have to spend a lot more to get a good recoil system in there.

BUT, airsoft guns are an integrated system that's designed to work together so changing one component can cause problems and reduce performance if not done correctly.

The key to BB's going straight and far is the Magnus effect which is controlled by the Hop rubber and nub.

The fps is dependant on the piston spring strength but has to be kept under limits.

Barrel length must be matched with piston volume and these can also influence fps.

Generally barrel length is not as important as the hop rubber and nub setup.

Again, fps is important but good hop and barrel integration is key. (TokyoMarui often have lower fps than their competitors but good hop make BB's fly straight and far)

Conclusion:

TokyoMarui have the best reputation for out of the box performance.  That doesn't mean they're always better but they're the most consistent.

The Hop rubber and nub are the first things that get upgraded and that is usually not too difficult. 

You can spend a lot of time and money upgrading bits in a gun but if they aren't well integrated then the result will be less than the components full potential and the gun may perform worse than the original.

Should I aim for a higher FPS and use (For example) 0.25g BBs or higher to bring it down to the site limit?

Don't do that as it will get you banned and can produce an illegal gun.

You have to stick to the fps limit of a given BB weight (to keep the energy below 1.3 Joules)

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Does barrel size matter? And if so, are bullpup weapons better at range/more accurate?

within the extremes of very short of very long not really, at least not compared to other factors.

How much does FPS matter? Should I aim for a higher FPS and use (For example) 0.25g BBs or higher to bring it down to the site limit?

you're confusing fps and joules. for a given joule limit (which is what a site actually means when it says the limit is x fps on an 0.2g bb) heavier ammo will have a lower velocity, however it will travel further when hopped correctly despite the velocity being lower.

eg, for a 1j limit:

0.2g is 328fps

0.3g is 269fps

now the .3g will still travel further when hopped correctly even though it starts out slower.

what you're suggesting is having a .3g at 328fps which is actually 1.5j, and is a hot gun (for the 1j limit in this example).

whilst you should aim to get reasonably close to the joule limit of the sites you're running, there's a certain logic to ensuring your slightly under so that you're guaranteed to be able to play.

Should I just focus on upgrading the hop up if I want better range/accuracy?

yes and no, upgrading the hop alone will not give you better range/accuracy. but it will give you the ability to more consistenty hop heavier ammo which will give better range/accuracy.

most stock guns are ok for bb's in the .3g range, which is a good balance of performance versus cost. whilst you can run really heavy ammo (eg .48's) in an assault rifle it gets very expensive very quickly.

Do recoil modules affect FPS/the weapons performance?

depends on the particular type. the ones to avoid are pneumatic blowback systems (eg g&g's versions), these are basically adding a massive set of extra air leaks for no particularly good reason.

other mechanisms won't affect the shooting performance as much, but they do induce extra wear and tear on the system and often mean a bunch of proprietory parts which can be a pain to fix when they break.

unless you really want a rumble pack in your gun i'd suggest just sticking to a standard gun.

 

[Davegolf]

If you can stretch out about 30 quid, ICS or Classic Army make some great metal M4s and would not disappoint at your price point.

Any barrel longer than 330mm is pointless at 350fps so don't get hung up on that.

Focus your efforts on the barrel and hop in the future.

Mostly higher FPS only gets the BB there faster, not more accurately.

Get a gun and come back for upgrades later ?

 

[ak2m4]

Specna Arms ONE series / E&C or CYMA Platinum at those price points for me.

 

[The Joke]

Do you guys have any specific recommendations when it comes to Specna Arms?

Thanks for all the input so far!

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Start off simple, get yourself some good quality ammo and give it a while.

Once you've got the feel of it then you can ask about specific upgrades to address any deficiencies. Its a very easy thing to get a new gun and immediately throw money at filling it with shiny parts when a few key tweaks could have a real good performer for minimal cost.

 

[Skara]

Once you've got the feel of it then you can ask about specific upgrades to address any deficiencies. Its a very easy thing to get a new gun and immediately throw money at filling it with shiny parts only to achieve, at best, a barely noticeable improvement.

FTFY.

to the OP. Play with it, compare it to similar guns on the field, look at where your gun is lacking/shining compared to them and report back.

as Adolf said, no point in buying something and randomly throwing cash at it. Most of the times you won't solve anything.

 

[Zarrin]

Do you guys have any specific recommendations when it comes to Specna Arms?

Thanks for all the input so far!

While these are not Specna they meet the price point with some nice features:

https://www.taiwangun.com/en/electric/cm-097b-upgraded-version-cyma?from=listing&campaign-id=20

https://www.taiwangun.com/en/electric/cm-097d-upgraded-version-cyma?from=listing&campaign-id=20

https://www.taiwangun.com/en/electric/cm-097a-upgraded-version-cyma?from=listing&campaign-id=20