New to airsoft, need some friendly advice

[mcduff1979]

hi all,

i am new to airsoft and am looking for some advice on some potential choices i have narrowed down to on my list for my first airsoft gun.

They are as follows:-

VFC Umarex H&K HK416D

http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-m4-m15-m16-variants/1-vfc-umarex-h-and-k-hk416d-black.htm#.VPJn5F0-qc0

King Arms Voltr CASV-EL M4 CQB

http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-m4-m15-m16-variants/king-arms-voltr-casv-el-m4-cqb-airsoft-rifle-black.htm#.VPJnxV0-qc0

CAA M4 Carbine

http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-m4-m15-m16-variants/caa-airsoft-division-m4-carbine.htm#.VPJnXF0-qc0

All of these range in the £300 mark and are all battery operated as i dont want a gas rifle. id also like to be able to customise/add on more items eg, light, scope etc.

hope someone can help or even offer up a better suggestion.

 

[Sitting Duck]

have you played yet ? - £300 for a starter gun

are you 18 and aim to get ukara - or you gonna buy a £300 2-tone

there are LOADS of guns/shops out there and you could easily get away with some decent starter gun for half that money

there are new player guides - read Ian's airsoft on a budget and a few others

£300 gun - add at least £100+ onto that for battery/charger basic loadout to gun with your higher mid end gun

(probably way way more than £100 if you got such a good looking gun then you yourself wanna look the part too)

Land Warrior Airsoft, Fire Support, Zero One, Airsoftworld.net - there's 4 very good places in top 10 airsoft shops in UK

but I feel I would perhaps half my gun budget if I was a newcomer to the sport - £150 buys you a pretty decent starter gun

but is up to you in the end

 

[mcduff1979]

Yes i have played and will have my ukara next week depending on wife and kids permitting.

im well over 18 and am former military, the money side isnt a problem for me and im happy to pay the price.

im more interested in a good reliable option around the £300 mark, thats got a reasonable power and range and reasonable accuracy as rifles go.

i was told that patrol base were a good dealer, the gentleman i spoke to on the phone suggested the King Arms Voltr CASV-EL M4 CQB.

he suggested changing a few of the internals and cutting the spring to lower the fps to the 325-340 limit set at the airsoft place i go to.

i was merely asking on here as you are experienced and more knowledgable in these matters and wasnt sure if he was trying to sell me any old gun just for the sale.

 

[Sitting Duck]

Thanks for clearing that up about age & ukara

Everybody on here is from all different ranges of Airsoft spectrum, and I am just not much more than a humble noob myself

PatrolBase certainly know a LOT more about different guns than I will ever know

(though always thought lopping coils off spring is a little tight & noobish as coils won't align correctly flat

unless you do some work on the end you cut - ffs just fit a lower spring is the norm)

I only have cheapo budget guns so can't comment on those 3 middle range guns - except the 416 you are paying a fair bit for trademarks

(there is a WE version at LWA for £250 without tm's and if you get ukara you can get stuff even cheaper at gunfire.pl - BI-8001 is about £150 full metal)

though the last gun tell them to downgrade spring as it is 390fps - but they do this for free - needs a few tweaks as hop is meeeh and standard mag is $hit

but very cheap alternative - who is gonna know out on field if you got trademarks or not but that is just my cheapskate opinion

(many on here have the higher end guns and perhaps one day I may treat myself to a Tokyo Mauri or something that performs great out of the box......)

All I say is you probably will go with a couple of guns in the end - a cheap spare aeg and a pistol (gas blow back)

plus an extensive loadout & bits n bobs - spare mags, batteries, BFG's - it all adds up if you go the whole mile

To each their own but whatever aeg you get you will get taken out by the lower end guns from time to time

you be out-ranged by bolt action snipers & they will be out-ranged by other upgraded snipers

The gun you buy/use will depend on when you play woodland or cqb - or get a longer barrel M4 & spare shorter cqb one

(add shotgun/pistol for some cqb sites - and at these sites range is not such an issue of course so you could get by very cheaply)

All I would say its like passing ya driving test, you don't have to buy a BMW first car, many go for something a little less and work their way up

But if you can afford it then by all means buy what you feel you want to as it is your money in the end

Just letting you know it can really add up/get out of control - even if you stick to lower budget stuff let alone better mid range stuff

Dunno what gun you been using/hiring but best advice - especially if purchasing a £200+ gun is see if you can pop along to local shopor at

very least try and hold/fire a few shots from some other players guns at your local site first and ask them 20 questions about their guns

do they think it was a good buy, reliable, easy/comfortable to use etc...

Deffo try out a few guns first if buying higher end stuff to ensure you really do like that gun & can get on with it

(amount of people that bought snipers thinking they could do that but found out it is not really for them)

Don't rush out and buy any higher priced gun thinking it must be good coz its £xxx - yes often they are but not always

 

[Baz JJ]

Unless Patrol Base are local to you and you plan to buy in person, there are lots of good dealers.

My go-to dealers for distance buying are Land Warrior or Airsoft Zone and there are lots more.

I think you have to weigh up what you are looking for.

Unless you enjoy tinkering with electric guns and plan to upgrade, I would look at solid reliable stock guns, You shouldnt have to tinker with springs straight out.

For an M4 variant, I would at least look at the G&G range, They have a budget range which uses a lot of plastic in the build but are great starter guns or an advanced range which are a bit nearer to real steel heft. They also have blowback, but imho this is just a clunk and nothing like real action. All AEG sound like sewing machines to me lol

When you are budgetting, remember that as soon as you get your rifle, you will no doubt start wanting to accessorize.

Optics, spare mags, maybe a sling, Its very easy to overspend.

 

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Agreed with the other guys actually, I've bought like 5,guns from Patrol Base but I should've actually shopped around more.

Was my mistakes but I don't think Patrol Base has the best range of stuff, they don't seem to stock a lot of guns (although there are more in store than online)

If you really want one of those then I'd narrow it down to the King Arms and VFC...heard the CAA isn't great.

 

[mcduff1979]

I'd get a gas gun but as a noob I'm a little unsure of the stripping cleaning and maintaining needed. So I have opted for an electric to start the gas is an option.

I don't have a budget, as came into some money. Looking for a good gun is all.

Tried a g36 and a l85, didn't like either of them.

I'm just looking for a well built mechanically sound gun where it's not going to wear out quickly specially motor and gears.

I'd get a gas gun but patrol Base only has very few options and I'm very unsure from buying from an Internet only retailer.

Style of play I prefer is running and gunning/cqb, not interested in snipers or support weapons.

 

[Baz JJ]

AEG makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons. Despite what the blurb says, gas guns arent designed to be stripped down regularly like real steel and they are temperamental on cold days.

I have a 416 AEG and love it.

My advice would be to get a shortish barrel M4 variant to give you flexibility for CQB and running and gunning.

 

[mcduff1979]

That's fine mate thanks, are there any brands to steer clear of, I think I'm set on

King Arms Voltr CASV-EL M4 CQB Airsoft Rifle - Black

I have to replace spring to lower fps for my airsoft club limits, they also suggested changing hop up and rubbers, is it worth replacing barrel also?

As i said earlier money not a problem and will be my only gun for a while, so want it to be as good as it can be.

 

[Baz JJ]

I dont have any Kings Arms in the stable so cant comment, Im sure there will be KA owners on here who can.

Ive never felt the need to change any of these things on a new rifle. If youre running and gunning, its pretty academic.

Dont get lured early on, into the trap that you need to replace bits to keep up with the others.Also, if you buy a "Ford" gun rather than an Alfa Romeo, its always easier to get bits and work done.

PS no dissing of Alfa owners intended - my son swears by them

 

[mcduff1979]

yeah i can understand not getting lured but if it makes the stock internals just better quality and more durable then ill probably do it as i dont want parts wearing out in the first 6 months of use.

 

[Sitting Duck]

I was determined to see if I could post without my usual

G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G G&G.......

but I can't take it no more - G&G, budget (maybe long & short M4 types so you got spare)

or

G&G higher end Top Tech

yup they may be like the Fords of airsoft but they do hold up well indeed

 

[Baz JJ]

If you buy a decent make, they wont.

Dont get sucked in by all the machismo upgrade talk.

yeah i can understand not getting lured but if it makes the stock internals just better quality and more durable then ill probably do it as i dont want parts wearing out in the first 6 months of use.

 

[Baz JJ]

Im reading a lot about gearbox problems. Might be worth checking it out,

 

[mcduff1979]

i have not found anything relating to gearbox problems, im also looking at a Tokyo Marui Pro Line AEG M4 CQB-R (Black), as far as i know and have read the tokyo are very well made.

@bazJJ who makes your HK 416 D14.5RS?

on a side note does the Tokyo Marui GBB Sig p226 e2 have a small 20mm rail on the front of it? it looks like it in the pictures

 

[Baz JJ]

Theres a bit on Facebook about Kings Arms gearboxes at present.

My 416 is G&G Top Tech (T4-18)

Marui are good - I have a couple of their weapons. They use a lot of plastic though due to Japanese regs. Not sure about their assault rifles. My WE SIG 226 has a rail.