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mao2

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Hi!

Been to my first ever game a month ago, loved it! Going again this Sunday!

Anyway, I'm looking to get my first assault rifle and pistol. I've got all clothing and tactical vest. Want something reliable and my budget is around 400£ for both pistol and rifle. Are assault rifles better than SMG''s? I've seen a good looking mp5 from g&g but are they suitable for woodland combat? I also like their ak5 rifle..

Cheers

 
Hey. Welcome to the site.

Are you going for a defence first so that you can order an RIF or just 2-tone? Given that you only need to wait another month and attend one more game after the one you're going to this week, I'd say getting a site membership and UKARA may be the better option. Not sure if you're going for that or not.

So the general rule with airsoft is that barrel length doesn't mean a whole lot. You do generally get more FPS from a longer barrel, but equally that can be done with shorter barrels and with AEGs is mostly dependant on the cylinder and spring you're using anyway as longer barrels need a larger volume of air to propel that BB. Accuracy tends to depend on your hop and the quality and/or width of barrel rather than length. For this reason, MP5s and M4s are not intrinsically different when it comes to their performance. What matters more is the manufacturer and any aftermarket parts you've added to it (such as a new barrel, new hop unit/rubber).

If you're just starting out but are happy with spending that much money then my best advice would be to drop the pistol and put a good deal of that money (say £180-250+) into a rifle then spend the rest on some gear, ammo and all that stuff. Pistols are fun, sure, but they're pricey and really you very rarely get to use them (especially when playing woodland). May be something to consider.

As for what brand to get: ICS and G&G are well recommended as both entry-level and mid-tier guns. If you have a larger budget you can obviously get something that performs slightly better, but airsoft is all about how much you're comfortable with spending. You don't need to spend £400 on a single gun to get something that's going to compete well. This guide explains some of the starting-out stuff and touches on UKARA and defences too. This index of links may also help.

In the end it's up to you. If you want to spend £400 on both a pistol and a gun then consider an ICS or G&G M4 and a WE pistol. That should leave you with up to £150 spare for everything else. As I said though, pistols aren't entirely necessary. If I were starting out today I'd shop around and find something I really like the look of for £300 like a Krytac M4. That said, AKs, the SA80 family, SMGs like MP7s, MP5s etc. are all viable options if you get the right brand. What do you like the look of? Have you tried anything out when you last went? It may be worth handling some other peoples guns when you go this Sunday and see what you like the feel of - people are usually more than happy to let you try them out.

 
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Welcome to the forum.

Your dilemma is a similar one that I had when starting out, I wanted a Heckler & Kock but was not sure which to buy. I have mainly played CQB so needed a compact gun that is easy to carry and move around plus rails on it for attachments. I chose the assault rifle option with short barrel and sliding stock over the SMG, although I will no doubt get one later as a back-up gun.

I was also going to buy a pistol straight away but was advised to wait and spend the money on a better primary gun and get an extra battery and magazines instead. I took the advice and bought the pistol a few months later, having changed my choice of pistol in the meantime by seeing what other players used and information from the forum.

So many guns and options to choose from :)

 
Welcome.

£400 is a nice budget to play with for your first guns. As said above, a pistol is a second consideration after a good rifle/SMG. If you fancy an MP5, have a look at what ICS do. Apparently ICS make very good MP5s. http://www.fire-support.co.uk/ stock a good range of ICS MP5s.

 
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Blimey! Nice and informative. I'll definitely be going for the defence... screw two tone!

Ive only tried one rifle, the one I hired which looked like an m4? Adjustable stock.

I definitely want an adjustable stock, but apart from that I am not entirely sure what I want? They do a lot of woodland combat at my local site but also cqb.. I'd definitely want something that performs well both cqb and woodland, as I can't justify buying both. Hence why I thought a pistol would be useful? I really don't know how it would work practically

I'm not particularly bothered as long as it's practical and multi functional.

Peterbrough is the closest big shop for airsofting I think? I live in norfolk... it's a good 2 hr car journey, if I were to go, it would be worth going as a group of people. Would definitely not go all that way just for me lol..

I like the look of gk5c mp5 hk416 hk417 and g5 gbbr. But don't know how practical they're??

 
A decent carbine length M4 would suit woodland and CQB equally - wouldn't worry too much about that. Depends on how big you are too, but carbine lengths are great for everything really. Trigger response is more important in CQB really than barrel length. That's why a more expensive AEG may give you the edge I feel.

GBBRs are cool. Wouldn't recommend them to someone new and the cost of one will use that whole £400 budget if you want a decent number of magazines.

 
Definitely wait until you have your defence. Personally I'd spend the £400 on a Krytac (the PDW is nice if you want something shorter) some mags, lipos and a red dot. Pistols are fun but you'll find you dont actually use em very much.

 
Low or mid cap mags? And how many do you generally need?

Everyone seems to recommend the m4, is there much difference between the hk416 and the m4??

 
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The ICS SG 551 looks pretty incredible! Would this be suitable?

 
mao2 said:
The ICS SG 551 looks pretty incredible! Would this be suitable?
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Something I learnt was it comes down to what you like personally more than anything else. If you stick to a good manufacture then your 80% there.

I'm not a fan of m4's so I have a scar h and vector downside to this is not many others do so I'm normally the only guy with vector mags and scar h mags so if I have a prob I'm on my own.

The great thing about airsoft is you can be totally unique.

The 551 is lovely if you like it great go to a shop hold one and see if you really like it.. then off you go.

Most rifles can be used in cqb even the scar h I have at worst the stock can be folded.

Basically I'm saying buy what you want and like the look of make sure it's a decent manufacturer and do some online research on your chosen gun and violla.

I researched the scar h for 4 months before I bought it ( only recently ) and the vector I bought because I love them.

 
MrMcG said:
Something I learnt was it comes down to what you like personally more than anything else. If you stick to a good manufacture then your 80% there.

I'm not a fan of m4's so I have a scar h and vector downside to this is not many others do so I'm normally the only guy with vector mags and scar h mags so if I have a prob I'm on my own.

The great thing about airsoft is you can be totally unique.

The 551 is lovely if you like it great go to a shop hold one and see if you really like it.. then off you go.

Most rifles can be used in cqb even the scar h I have at worst the stock can be folded.

Basically I'm saying buy what you want and like the look of make sure it's a decent manufacturer and do some online research on your chosen gun and violla.

I researched the scar h for 4 months before I bought it ( only recently ) and the vector I bought because I love them.
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Dont trust his judgement he bought a Vector ?
 
Does ICS make decent stuff?? I think I'll order the 551 as it looks stunning, although it's a little bit on the pricey side. Looked for 551 reviews on YouTube and looks like a solid gun! 552 looks quite solI'd aswell but a lot smaller.

Apart from the gun batteries, charger and magazines. What are other things can you recommend? Do I put on a foregrip? Are flashlights necessary? What sights do people tend to use? Reddot holo or normal X2 x4 magnifier?

I still have to wait untill I get my Ukara defence though, which I hope won't take too long.

Thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to respond to my questions

 
mao2 said:
Does ICS make decent stuff?? I think I'll order the 551 as it looks stunning, although it's a little bit on the pricey side. Looked for 551 reviews on YouTube and looks like a solid gun! 552 looks quite solI'd aswell but a lot smaller.

Apart from the gun batteries, charger and magazines. What are other things can you recommend? Do I put on a foregrip? Are flashlights necessary? What sights do people tend to use? Reddot holo or normal X2 x4 magnifier?

I still have to wait untill I get my Ukara defence though, which I hope won't take too long.

Thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to respond to my questions
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Ics sig is a great gun whether its a 551 or 552.If you want to play cqb get the 552 if you are playing woodland it doesnt matter which one range and accuracy are the same.

The only thing I would say is that there is not so much choice on some parts for aftermarket upgrades internally.

Hop up is proprietary.

Gearbox case while version 3 is not standard.

Motor is medium length so not as common but still available.

Nozzle is proprietary.

If you do go for one get the MRS version more battery space and lots of ris.

 
Are internal upgrades necessary? I'm not all that technical to be honest lol.. You give me a sick person and I'd know what to do, but guns? Hmmm I'd probably screw up.

How important would you say it is to upgrade? Is that what most people do? What are the main reasons for upgrades? Surely factory fitted stuff should be sufficient??? I've absolutely no clue!.

After spending 300£ish on a gun, I can't imagine people wanting to spend more??? I'm limited to 350fps at my local site for fully automatic. 450 for DMR and 500 for bolt action.

 
Where can I pick the MRS version up from? I've only ordered from Patrolbase.co.uk so far.

 
mao2 said:
Are internal upgrades necessary? I'm not all that technical to be honest lol.. You give me a sick person and I'd know what to do, but guns? Hmmm I'd probably screw up.

How important would you say it is to upgrade? Is that what most people do? What are the main reasons for upgrades? Surely factory fitted stuff should be sufficient??? I've absolutely no clue!.

After spending 300£ish on a gun, I can't imagine people wanting to spend more??? I'm limited to 350fps at my local site for fully automatic. 450 for DMR and 500 for bolt action.
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Upgrading it isnt necessary it will be fine out of the box just change the bucking, ICS bucking is crap.I was just pointing out the limitations incase you ever want to. A lot of people do to get the very best performance.

If your going to buy an ICS use Firesupport they are the main Uk stockist and usually a bit cheaper and have very good service.

 
Bucking?? Lol I'm thick

FireSupport it is.. I think there's a shop in Peterborough? ? Do you need to bring ukara defence with you?

 
IMO ICS are a decent brand but you need to be aware that ICS (and other manufacturers) may have 2-3 lines of the same weapon. That is there may be a budget range, a medium range and premium range which vary a lot in cost, quality and materials. The budget line may be called something like Sport-Line and the premium may be called the Pro-Line or something similar. So have a look at how a manufacturer structures their product range. For me it gave a better idea of quality levels and what makes a good gun or a bad gun.

 
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