Hello from newbie

[RAZ0R]

Hello everyone. My name is Michal , I’m 30 yrs old and just planning to start airsoft as soon as I manage to save some money for gear ( my money sucking kids are not helping to save some cash unfortunately) and when it gets an bit warmer  . Currently I’m living in Kempston (Bedford area) and will be most likely visiting The Ridge (RIFT) site , maybe Special Ops in Milton Keynes, anyone from this area have some experience with this sites? I’m planing to start with sniper rifle ... I know it’s not best weapon of choice for beginner but I always wanted to be a sniper and will not change my decision  I was thinking to get this rifle:

https://gunfire.pl/product-eng-1152197817-SW-04-sniper-rifle-replica-black.html

Yes it’s black and I don’t have UKARA number but my brother is living in Poland so he can get it for me , paint it or tape it in some bright tape and send it to me. Price difference is quite big comparing to what we have available in UK so I couldn’t find anything decent for that price tag ... so what u guys thinking about that rifle? Any good? I may consider getting HFC VSR 11 instead if I get difficult to get that one. 

Anyway I’m glad to be here and hopefully will bring something to the community

[Gepard]

Welcome! 

 

You've already done your research I can tell but I'd strongly recommend buying an AEG instead of a sniper as your first gun. If you're set on that role however, I don't own any snipers, but I've played with and heard very good things about the VSR 10. With any sniper you'll need to do a fair bit of upgrading in order to get it on par with even the rentals so take that into consideration.  

 

Either way you'll need it painted 51% in a bright colour such as red, green or blue as to comply with the VCRA. Tape won't do, it needs to be painted. Or you could play your 3 games using rentals (which I'd highly recommend) and get your defense sorted out (UKARA, membership, etc) and then your brother could just send it as is. 

 

You should play at least one game before buying your kit. That way it should give you a good idea of what you're getting into. Otherwise you could spend hundreds on gear, turn up to the site for your first game and say to yourself "I don't like this" and end up having to sell it all at a loss. Food for thought. 

[sjhirst]

Hi,

I agree with Gepard in regards to renting first. I've seen many a person saying they want to be a sniper, play a few games and then change their mind!

You could always ask at the site you go to play at if you can borrow a sniper rifle off someone or have a short go?

If you stick with being a sniper, then look for a vsr compatible rifle. It will give you more options for upgrading.

Good luck

[RAZ0R]

Yes u right I done quite a bit of research already, tbh I was planing to start this hobby last year but there was some events which stopped me from doing it. Going back to rifle of choice I planned to get sniper rifle from the beginning, for me it’s not important how many kills I get but all of the role play as a sniper. I wanted to be real sniper in the past but unfortunately I couldn’t, so when I found out about airsoft I decided it’s something which I can do instead, and become sniper. I really like this Snow Wolf rifle, even if my brother need to paint it (not that he will get much choice ) I’ll try to get it. For the beginning I’ll cope with it like it is, after a while I can start investing into upgrades.

But thanks for welcoming me and giving ur opinion 

[Gepard]

It's not the role that's the problem it's the gun. Unless it's heavily upgraded you're going to have a hard time hitting anything, let alone at range. This isn't real steel and we're not shooting targets hundreds of meters away. For the most part you're going to be in range of the AEGs which can shoot you 50 times before you have time to rack the bolt. On top of that the BB could be effected by wind, it could hit a stray leaf, the person could just not feel it. All of these things can and will happen and if you're only shooting once every 10 seconds it will become very frustrating. You won't enjoy it, and it will put you off the sport. 

[RAZ0R]

Hmmm after reading all of that comments I may consider renting some sniper first and checking it or just get AEG instead... ohh no now I’ll have to do all my research again hahaha. But if I decide to go AEG way, any weapon u can guys advise? Budget up too £100 

[Gepard]

Yeah, you're definitely not going to get a usable sniper for under £100 mate. 

 

I'd highly recommend the CM16 for your first gun. It's a little higher than your budget but worth it for the quality and performance. 

[proffrink]

AEG first and always - ICS, G&G or maybe even a Nuprol M4. Something to fall back on after you try out other subsequent 'roles' (not that there are many other than sniping and everything else).

 

Edit

As above: You will need to drop ~300 on a sniper rifle to get it to outrange AEGs and be precise enough to be competitive anyway. Then there's the fact that you really need to know a site to be able to exploit sniping fully and that it's not for everybody - you'll be sitting usually a bit out by yourself and have to be reasonably patient.

[RAZ0R]

Ok I had a look and quick thinking about this, it’s either sniping or nothing. To be completely honest with u guys all of AEGs are not my cup of tea. So now my question is, is the Snow Wolf SW 04 decent enough as a first rifle or should I wait maybe another year and save money for much better rifle?

[Jedi_Master]

Welcome  

[RAZ0R]

Hey Jedi Master, just quick question, any chance u have some open spot for jedi apprentice??  just to warn u I’m showing some signs of dark side ...

[steakandpotato]

In my opinion things like sniper rifles are entirely irrelevant. Firstly let me get my disclaimer out:

 

As already said - I advise against a sniper as your first gun. Following reasons:

• You will get barely ANY kills
• The role of a sniper doesn't exist unless you're in a team with radios
• You WILL get frustrated by not being accurate at all (it has a steep learning curve)

Get an AEG. Once you're ready, DMR it. You can then get it locked to semi-auto and stick a scope on it and use that as a sniper for a while until you're ready to sink your entire life savings into a sniper.

 

HOWEVER

 

If you're going to go with sniper anyway.

 

I do not own a sniper, however from what I've seen and heard about them - for the most part, the internals are not to be worried about, as you will be changing them and upgrading them to suit yourself. Look at the externals, is it metal? Do you like the look of it? Cost?

 

That said - you're looking at £80 sniper rifles. You won't hit anything with them. It'll cost a HELL of a lot to upgrade them to the point they can actually be useful.

 

My advice - give up on your 'dream' of becoming a sniper, at least for now. Most people I know don't even consider sniping until they've been playing for 2-3 years. There's a reason for that.

[RAZ0R]

U ruined my dream  I may abandon idea of airsoft than and instead buy air rifle and just hunt rabbits  like I said before AEG and rifles are not my cup of tea, never was interested in them. 

[Gepard]

If you've never shot one how will you know if you like them or not? At least go and rent one out for a day before giving up entirely. 

 

Again there's nothing stopping you from going out and buying a sniper it's just it's better to get an AEG first as you've got a decent out of the box shooter to go pew pew with. You can always purchase and upgrade a sniper later on. I just don't want to see another newbie buy some cheap springer thinking they'll be the next Novritsch and get frustrated that they can't hit anything and quit the sport before they've begun. 

[steakandpotato]

22 minutes ago, RAZ0R said:

U ruined my dream  I may abandon idea of airsoft than and instead buy air rifle and just hunt rabbits  like I said before AEG and rifles are not my cup of tea, never was interested in them. 

 

You won't be interested in sniper rifles when you realise how difficulty they are to get right

[Guest scalawag]

For a sniper in airsoft I think range is one of your biggest friends.  

 

You need a rifle with a longer range to keep out of the effective fire zone of AEGs.  Without it, once you have been located, you will just get hosed before you can reload.  

Unfortunately to get that sort of range in a sniper rifle you will have to look at considerably more than £100 I think.

Even Snipers costing more than that need upgrades to get to where you can operate effectively with them as a sniper.

I suspect the rifle you have linked to will put you right in the sweet spot of most AEGs range wise.

 

As others have suggested hire one and see how you get on before buying one yourself, and talk to people on site who are sniping about what weapons and kit they use too.

[Gepard]

There's an ongoing thread you may wish to follow. I have a feeling it's going to turn into a step by step "How to build a budget sniper". 

 

 

[RAZ0R]

Thanks for that, I’ll have a look and consider all of the options once again 

[RAZ0R]

If I decide to go AEG way is any of the below two rifles good for a beginning? I kind of like the look of the AK 16A4 , reminds me of the SR 25 so I still could feel a bit like sniper in it? Just add the scope and may be quite nice imo

[Rogerborg]

Before committing yourself, I would strongly urge you to go and play once with a rental gun and confirm that you enjoy it..

 

If you do, I agree with getting an AEG as your first gun.  Get a long one, put a scope on it, and choose your shoots and you're half way to a DMR already.

 

This doesn't stop you from getting a bolt action sniper rifle as well, and taking them both out to the respawn point.  I've just ordered an MB-03 for the princely sum of £56, but I fully expect it to be effectively useless as stock.  However, we're just playing a game where grown men and ladies charge round the woods shooting toy guns at each other: as long as you're enjoying yourself, it's all good.

 

That 16A4 will likely be fine, and that's a decent price for a mostly metal gun.  However, it's neither fish nor fowl at 400fps.  Techically speaking, at 1.49J and full auto capable, that's a firearm, not an airsoft gun.  Most sites have a limit of around 350fps for full auto guns.  You could lock it to semi-auto and use it as a DMR, but then you'd be wanting it up nearer 425fps.

 

Whatever you decide, GunFire will 2-tone the gun for you, and reduce it below 350fps, free of charge.

 

https://gun-fire.co.uk/product-eng-1152211293-Free-painting-service-Gratis-servico-de-pintura-make-the-airsoft-gun-meet-your-local-law-requirements.html

 

https://gun-fire.co.uk/product-eng-1152197807-Free-electric-replica-downgrade.html

 

I'd suggest that you get it (or whatever you decide) powered down to 350, use it as an AEG, then decide if you want to throw a heavier spring in it and lock it to semi auto.  None of that is irreversible, you can chop and change as you like.

 

Oh, be aware that if you do go for a bolt action or DMR, it will have a minimum engagement distance, and most sites will expect you to carry a secondary as well for use within that distance.