Sniper, what would you buy?

[Andy123]

Hi, 

New to all this, hoping to buy a sniper rifle. 
 

Looking for something reliable and accurate. 
 

My budget is £300-350. 
 

Hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction.

thanks 

Andy

 

[Tackle]

Hey Andy, welcome, exactly how "new" to airsoft are you ?, played many games ?, own any guns yet ?

The reason I ask is many people like the idea of being a sniper, fueled by movies, YouTube, or video games, but the airsoft reality is very different. 

For starters, while the fps limits at most sites for snipers are a bit higher than those of regular aeg's, up to 50%, that's not guaranteed out of the box, nor is accuracy & range, sometimes even a reasonable brand needs a bit of time & money invested in it to be worth using.

Then there's the style of play, a mix of fieldcraft, patience, & a particular mindset will decide whether sniping is for you.

& then, even if you've ticked all those boxes, does where you play lend itself to sniping, plenty of cover with long sight lines etc.

All things to consider ?

EDIT: in case your not aware, fps in airsoft is a bit like hp in cars, a 50% increase in power doesn't equate to the same percentage increase in performance,far from it, even when harnessed properly.

 

[MrTea]

New to all this, hoping to buy a sniper rifle. 

If you're new to airsoft (meaning you've not really played much before), i'd recommend not buying a sniper as the videos online you've likely seen are of players with lots of experience and lots of money invested into their rifles - most of the videos i've seen have their snipers running on HPA too. Snipers, especially spring rifles, are 'built not bought' unless you're going to buy someones already built rifle that they're selling on but even then, there's no guarantee of it working as it should <- found this one out from personal experience Turns out the guy had spent ~£40 on a hop unit that just didn't work well with the rifle.

It's my understanding that most snipers, out of the box, require extensive upgrades to make them viable (some more than others) and AFAIK they're often sold with a spring inside that only outputs 1 joule. Additionally, accuracy and range on the stock hop units and hop rubbers is poor to questionable. AirsoftCamMan has a good video where he uses a stock CYMA VSR and a stock SSG10A1. This will give you an idea of how they are without upgrades. It's not totally clear if he's put 500fps springs into these guns so take it with a grain of salt.

Even when you get to the point of having a well built & tuned sniper rifle, it's still airsoft and you're still shooting plastic BBs that will skew off at times and miss the target even if you do everything right.

To answer your question about rifles: the most recommended i've seen is the Tac-41 Lite Sport then the Novritsch offerings.

 

[Impulse]

Asking "what would you buy" is a very subjective question, but I'll answer in the spirit of it (my own answer would be "another KJW m700 because I'm a weirdo who loves gas bolt actions")

To answer your question in the spirit that I think you want it answered, I'd go with a Silverback TAC-41 Lite Sport for about £200 and then a stronger spring (maybe a 120nm one? I don't know what would bring it closest to 2.3J) and one or two of the 110rd magazines. Spend the rest on a semi-decent scope like a Victoptics S6 LPVO and some Vector Optics 30mm rings for it. That's probably about £300 - £350 and will probably shoot pretty well, but it's far from perfect.

If that isn't to your liking, I'd get a Novritsch SSG10. I think they're about £300 and they're adequate out of the box. Again, won't shoot as well as a properly tuned rifle, but it'll get the job done.

Though I will also echo Mr @Tackle. Airsoft sniping is a very different way of playing and it's not always the most interesting and can be really frustrating at times. Often, bolt actions are bought and then people realise that it's really not for them after they get outgunned by AEGs, however that's not all the time. My first airsoft gun was a Well L96 (well, it was a Warrior L96, but they've rebranded since then) and it was awful, however about 19 years later and my collection of airsoft guns is mostly bolt actions and DMRs because I knew what I wanted.

The thing I would add to what Tackle said above, is that while a well tuned bolt action at 2.3J will be able to hit 75m accurately, a well tuned 1.14J AEG can also hit 75m, just... not accurately and it'll require a bit of angled shooting (essentially shooting it above the target so the BBs drop down onto it). Sniping in airsoft is mostly about stealth and the precision shooting serves to assist the stealth; if you only have one shot, you want it to hit or they'll know there's a sniper somewhere shooting at them and may be able to deduce roughly where you are and then spray full auto on your position; they may not actually know you're there, but a hit is a hit and I've seen people get lucky by just spraying where they think a sniper is hiding.

 

[ParHunter]

If you start with Airsoft I would recommend to start with a normal AEG. Probably best to hire one the first few games and see if you really like it. You see too many ‘for sale’ posts here where people bought rifs straight away and then decided airsoft wasn’t for them. If you are over 18 you want to get your UKARA number first anyway.

I thought I want to do ‘sniping’ at first as well but I started with an AEG and only after 1  1/2 years decided to get a cheap TAC 41 LS (£200) sniper and I think that was the right decision.  

 

[Tackle]

To echo the man above, start with a reasonable brand aeg, but maybe try to be a sniper, limit yourself to single shot with no secondary shots for 5 to 10 seconds, work on utilising cover & concealment.

If you find yourself double tapping people & feeling the urge to move up to stay in the fight, then sniping may not be ideal for you, so consider the dmr role which is good compromise between sniping & the assault role, but with the ability to up your fps a wee bit at most sites, as long as your rifle cannot fire full auto.

 

[ruskitseller]

The lads chiming in are right... We see it a lot on site where new guys buy all the new sniper gucci gear - 2 weeks later it is all sold and replaced by a TM M4. 

But we have all done it with other RIFs so its probably more of a "do as we say and not as we do" sort of thing haha! ?

It is a totally different type of playstyle and nothing like that level in COD really. Also, it can be quite frustrating with non hit taking where you see the round hit someone's noggin and he won't take it and merely bugs out.  

Maybe watch some of Kicking Mustangs vids if you haven't already, they are quite entertaining and informative of the issues you may face...or maybe you have been watching too many of these vids...? No dramas haha! But if you must - the Tac 41 lite is a really good one for the price and probably the best out of box budget option. 

Cheers

 

[Rogerborg]

Maybe watch some of Kicking Mustangs vids if you haven't

View attachment 142442

So, don't buy a sniper rifle as your first airsoft gun - for one thing, you'll need a secondary as well.

But if you do, I agree with SSG10, or any TAC-41 variant that you like plus a ~105N spring.

Don't though. Really, really, don't. Rent for a while, buy an AEG rifle, see if you can have a play with some bolt-actions to find out if it's really for you.

 

[Andy123]

Hi all,

Firstly, thanks for the all the responses, was hoping for just one comment to point me in the right direction.

The advice is pretty consistent and I get it. 
 

For me I am just target shooting right now. So the sniper will be my preference. 
 
Thanks again, look forward to seeing you in my sights. 

 

[Tackle]

The lads chiming in are right... We see it a lot on site where new guys buy all the new sniper gucci gear - 2 weeks later it is all sold and replaced by a TM M4. 

But we have all done it with other RIFs so its probably more of a "do as we say and not as we do" sort of thing haha! ?

It is a totally different type of playstyle and nothing like that level in COD really. Also, it can be quite frustrating with non hit taking where you see the round hit someone's noggin and he won't take it and merely bugs out.  

Maybe watch some of Kicking Mustangs vids if you haven't already, they are quite entertaining and informative of the issues you may face...or maybe you have been watching too many of these vids...? No dramas haha! But if you must - the Tac 41 lite is a really good one for the price and probably the best out of box budget option. 

Cheers

You were doing so well Josh, great advice, right up until you mentioned Licking Cumstain, that guys an embarrassment to everything airsoft, probably the worst advert for us.

 

[Colin Allen]

You were doing so well Josh, great advice, right up until you mentioned Licking Cumstain, that guys an embarrassment to everything airsoft, probably the worst advert for us.

Indeed; Mr Bailey encapsulates all of the worst aspects of airsoft players.  He is a piece of shit.

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

I bought a cheapo Rossi VSR clone for £100 off a boneyard sale.  I've had some good fun with that.  It's definitely more accurate than all but one of my AEGs so if you want to do some garden target shooting, then something similar should do you well.

When I took it to the field i got 3 kills with my first 3 shots!   The ratio fell away quite spectacularly after that, but i still got quite a bit of enjoyment from it, it's only at the lower end of the power range, so the only real thing in it favour is the extra accuracy at 50m over an AEG, and the inherent stealthier aspect of a single shot rifle.

On the downside, it's easy to fall foul of the minimum engagement distance as the enemy closes in, and end up with a pistol in your hand.  Adds to the adrenaline though!

 

[Barry Sayer]

Airsoft CamMan is much better viewing than he who shall not be named.

As everyone says, aeg?..... even plonk a big scope on it, buy a cheap ghillie suit of amazon, stick loads of vegetation in it from your game site, sit in a bush awaiting your prey, job done.....how hard can it be ?

 

[Anonymoose]

Hi, 

New to all this, hoping to buy a sniper rifle. 
 

Looking for something reliable and accurate. 
 

My budget is £300-350. 
 

Hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction.

thanks 

Andy

What kind of sniper play style are you interested in? Full ghillie'd up hiding in a bush? DMR, more mobile and in more action?  Lightweight rifle and highly mobile?

Many (all?) sites will require you have a sidearm due to the minimum engagement distance for sniper/DMR rifles, so factor that into your budget too.

I bought a cheap used JG BAR-10 off the classified. Previous owner upgraded it, its capability exceeds my shooting ability and it's very light. Worth having a look in there for used ones, often upgraded already and cheaper than retail.

 

[ruskitseller]

You were doing so well Josh, great advice, right up until you mentioned Licking Cumstain, that guys an embarrassment to everything airsoft, probably the worst advert for us.

Haha! Story of my life Mark- "I was doing so well up until" ? He is a bit of a cringey drama queen from what I have seen, but I have only watched around 5 of his vids. It seems he has done something terrible that I don't know about, I am going to google him now. It is a game full of a variety of different players and I have seen some very concerning behaviour and extremely angry outbursts over the years from plenty of different people that makes me question what I am doing running around in the woods pretending to be action man with dodgy knees, bruised ego and back haha. I did watch one of his vids (the last one I ever watched about 9 months ago) and thought - just that. I do like CamMan and also Names Nico who is a vet, but also I really liked Georaga who is also a really top bloke and a gentleman, but I think he has stopped content.  

I think the moral of the story for my comment is that...Airsoft has a way of bringing out the very worst of people and this gets shown on camera for likes and it is not always a realistic representation of what a normal game day is like...bullseye after bullseye...screaming "take your hits mate" ad nauseum. It doesn't give the game a great image and the reality is, for the most part - I think those situations are few and far between thankfully although that is anecdotal. 

Anyway, back on subject eh! 

Hi all,

Firstly, thanks for the all the responses, was hoping for just one comment to point me in the right direction.

The advice is pretty consistent and I get it. 
 

For me I am just target shooting right now. So the sniper will be my preference. 
 
Thanks again, look forward to seeing you in my sights. 

Hi Andy,

Fair enough mate. The thing is, the brain actually makes its mind up way before we consciously realise in some cases. Finding your own way is fine, you never know - you might get a sniper and be set. Now...which gun shall I get next only to sell on in a few months? ?

Cheers

 

[Anonymoose]

The thing is, the brain actually makes its mind up way before we consciously realise in some cases.

That's so true.

 

[ruskitseller]

That's so true.

Yes mate, it is a very well known phenomena in the psycho-social sphere. The realisation can be used as a model in order to discuss things like trauma and also linked to the great existential questions surrounding free will versus that of determinism. The truth is, we all make up our minds, normally before we seek opinion. We tend to just look for confirmation bias to help us feel more ok with our decision, of course this isn't always the case - but with passions of buying new kit I think it probably is haha. Perfectly normal behaviours by the way - we all do it.   

 

[Tackle]

Yes mate, it is a very well known phenomena in the psycho-social sphere. The realisation can be used as a model in order to discuss things like trauma and also linked to the great existential questions surrounding free will versus that of determinism. The truth is, we all make up our minds, normally before we seek opinion. We tend to just look for confirmation bias to help us feel more ok with our decision. Perfectly normal behaviours by the way - we all do it.   

I never make up my mind before I do or buy anything...............

I have a wife that does that for me ?

 

[ruskitseller]

I never make up my mind before I do or buy anything...............

I have a wife that does that for me ?

Haha that made me lol. I believe you have just, as the yout say, "won the intranet" old chap. 

I googled Kicking Mustang and some of his "popular" vids on the Ytube- I get it now. Is it me or are a lot of airsoft vids in general now merely about clickbait that just promotes dramas rather than just a calm day of play in the spirit of good sportsmanship... I suppose controversy and arguments over daft things gets clicks and actually generates money. Odd world.

Totally off topic (sorry, well sort of on topic regarding wives) but my wife likes watching that "Married at first site" and all it seems to be is arguments, conflict and drama non stop. It is a very popular programme so I am told. ?

Anyway, I may have done (I have) exactly what OP has done myself where I have asked for advice but already committed to doing the thing I want to do anyway, so I do get it, but all of this thread is actually really good advice for anyone considering getting into sniping. I have recently been thinking about getting back into it myself along with getting an SMG as a side arm, the last time I did it lasted 4 games with this custom made VSS where it was an SVD cut down and a really long suppressor fitted over the barrel...but that was 10 years ago. 

I am very tempted by one of the tac-41 lite's...

 

[Anonymoose]

Anyway, I may have done (I have) exactly what OP has done myself where I have asked for advice but already committed to doing the thing I want to do anyway, so I do get it.

The real question is do/did you regret it?

I've done it many times, usually without regret. As said earlier, once you've decided, you want affirmation, not advice.