First Sniper

[Matt.2504]

Hi everyone.

Ive been into airsoft for about 13 years now and finally think I’m ready to venture into the world of sniping; the question is which rifle should I get?

Currently torn between a VSR style or an Ares striker.
I know the vsr has a ridiculous amount of upgrade parts available which is a definite positive but should I get an actual TM VSR and upgrade that?

a cheap replica and save some pennies instead of the real thing?

should I buy an Action Army AAC 10 / 11? Compatible with everything VSR but look more cool

Should I build one from the ground up? Maybe with an M40 style stock
 

should I buy an ares striker AS-02 or even an AS-03 and run it alongside my Evo to cover all bases? Or maybe my LMG but that might just be overkill. 
temptation from an AS-02 is to build something like below.

Or should I push the boat out and get an SRS?

plot twist….. I’m left handed so it needs to be able to be converted. 
the VSR has proper conversion kits, there are Ares mods and the is left handed versions of the srs.

Thanks in advance for all advice

View attachment 76137

 

[Impulse]

Go VSR. I'm not biased at all in my opinions on the matter. Totally impartial. *hides both VSRs*

Seriously though, VSRs have a silly amount of aftermarket parts that are really good. You can take a large number of different approaches to upgrading and there are a lot of combinations that work really well. There are other platforms that are really nice too, but I can't comment on them as I haven't built any of them; next boltie project I'll do will either be a TM L96 or a KJ m700, but they're low on the priority list!

In terms of what type of VSR to go for, both clones and TM have their benefits. I've found there are tiny inconsistencies between clone VSRs and the TM one, but they're generally not a problem. I think the most I had to do was loosen one of the screws that holds the stock to the receiver so the Action Army magazines I like to use would click into place. I also have a Maple Leaf receiver that doesn't like my JG stock and sticks out a little bit, but I just kept the stock receiver in my build because it's fine. Oh, also, if you're looking to HPA it in the future and want to go the route of having a CO2 adapter in the stock, the TM stock requires a little modification (sanding down the interior) as it's pretty thick.

However, unless you know you want to go into the world of the boltie, you'd do better with a JG or Cyma. Why? Because all you really need to do with them is slap a Maple Leaf hop rubber and nub into them and you'll have a boltie that will perform decently enough; swapping out the hop unit for the Action Army one and swapping the stock barrel for a tightbore are advisable, but not necessary. Other than that you can just run them stock until you decide where you want to go or until the stock parts give up, as the JG starts at around 1.8J (at least mine did) and the Cyma is supposed to be around 2.2J, which is perfect. It's the power upgrades that really cost a lot, so if you can avoid doing them to start with, the better. However, the stock internals will eventually give out, but it will give you the time to get some trigger time with it and decide if you want to dive in fully, or if you want to keep it as a side thing that you don't want to spend too much on (because building the "perfect" boltie isn't cheap... Trust me)

 

[Hatchet]

Have you looked at the Silverback Tac 41? Might tick a lot of your boxes and cheaper than the SRS. Ambi convertible as standard I believe.

 

[Matt.2504]

Have you looked at the Silverback Tac 41? Might tick a lot of your boxes and cheaper than the SRS. Ambi convertible as standard I believe.

That’s a very good idea. thank you , never heard of it until now. Does look very nice and you’re right it is ambidextrous which suits my needs.

 

[PopRocket123]

I'm getting the tac 41 later this year. Seems like the best option on the market right now. I want to try doing a printed chassis for it kind of like what you've pictured. 

 

[Samurai]

I used to run an upgraded Bar-10 (vsr clone) for some years before switching to Striker AS-02. My Striker has less range, but quite accurate and with a straight pull bolt I made for it it's lovely. I'm really enjoying it much more than the Bar-10.

I advise you to not to run an AEG and a sniper rifle at the same time. Sniping is a different play style and if done correctly, there's no need for an AEG. It's way too cumbersome to carry both. I did that a couple of times until I got confident enough with my sniping.