I remember my early games with my raider. I felt out ranged, out gunned and useless compared to most other players. Reading things online (here included) didnt always help.
There is lots of misinformation around. Longer barrel, better hop = more range and super fast bbs change battery for better ROF etc.. I had a complex about my gun compared to everyone else as I knew it was entry level and el cheapo it was frustrating watching bbs float off at the end of their range or dropping at peoples feet whilst I was getting hit.
But actually playing for a while and playing to my personal style and using the gun in different scenarios allowed me to learn my limits, just because I could see someone did not mean I could shoot them!!!
I learnt to play sneaky where needed to get closer, aggressive where needed to keep people in my range on my terms not stand behind a tree 100m away looking through a scope wondering why I couldn't hit anyone!!!
Maybe it was a combination of me expecting more from a cheaper gun / or me not being as super snipey ninja as I thought I was
personally I wouldn't have got a raider if I started again, I would go with something a bit better/faster/accurate but by starting with a cheap gun it has molded the way I play and made me realise range is not everything as I can get closer to most players even in woodland than they are comfortable with anyway
Sometimes people need cheaper guns to learn how to play and how things work. How many times have we seen people admit buying a AA12 or sniper rifle as their first gun is a mistake? Better to buy cheap, learn and upgrade to a decent standard if you decide to keep it than buying a £400 quid gun and regretting it.