Came from sup air and have no idea help lol

[Goosebaby]

I have a background in playing semi pro tournament paintball and am looking for something different but along the same lines and also want a more tactical game

 

I don't know where to start I want to get a kit together and don't know what to go for GAS/SPRUNG/ELECTRIC BUT WAS THINKING GAS

 

I want a good gun that' I won't get laughed at with but don't want to pay a fortune but needs to be something highly accurate and reliable as I'm used to having decent equipment from when we were sponsored

 

Any ideas would be helpful also on gear to wear too I'm not sure which makes are good stuff and which are bollocks lol don't want to spend loads only to find out I've got the gola of the air soft world

 

Many thanks in advance Paul

 

Ps I'm up in Cumbria

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Welcome to the forum mate, just depends what exactly you mean by a fortune. I know paintball markers are pretty expensive as well but not sure what kind of budget you'll be looking at. Also are there are particular guns you like the look of? I wanna point out gas isn't the best thing to go for if you are just starting - usually because of people's inexperience and not having the commitment to maintain em all the time, but also cos they are so expensive.

 

From what I know WE are quite a 'go-to' brand for GBBRs as they're probably the most inexpensive, and they do M4s / SCARs / L85A2 etc. PTS just came out with a Magpul Masada for £360 IIRC. Honestly you're looking at least 250 that's basically the cheapest you're gonna get a gas rifle.

 

You might wanna consider a Tippmann M4 as they can be run on HPA like a paintball gun, potentially you could use some of your existing pball gear for that rather than spending £50+ on a new one. They're 400 quid...but it's cheap compared to SMP / P* setups which are drop in replacements for the standard gearbox in an AEG yet cost about as much as the Tippmann alone just for the fusion engine unit.

 

In all I'd say start off with a JG G36 / G&G Combat Machine M4 / CYMA AK (the top three recommended beginner electric guns) to get a feel for it and so you're able to play with your own gun. Then you could move up to something better or upgrade it. Alternatively, go and hire for a few games, you're not gonna have spent a load on your own gun only to find out you don't enjoy it.

 

Spring are worthless (only for backyard plinking) unless you mean sniper rifles, but even they aren't worth the money (you need to spend a lot on upgrades to make them really good, otherwise performance is as same as an AEG but you're limited by mag capacity and rate of fire etc)

 

Hope this helps

[Goosebaby]

That helps cheers mate not used to all the terminology though lol

Don't want to go Bobby basic and was used to maintaining my gas powered paintball marker stripping down etc would go second hand and was thinking g36c m4 or svp to be honest will have 500 as a start but have no combat gear at all so not sure what to do can get more than that but that is what I have physically right now

 

Can you recommend any decent makes of combat gear or any trusted seller selling second hand guns as I don't know who to trust yet

[Goosebaby]

Also is there any licences you need for air soft to own one or to play

[Monty]

Also is there any licences you need for air soft to own one or to play

 

Nope

[Shekmeister]

Hey goosebaby, I've been to several skirmishes already so im fairly new go to airsoft as well.

 

Most people would agree that AEG's (automatic electric gun) are by far the best as they're widely available, consistent shooting (unlike gas blowbacks where shots become weaker due to change in gas pressure) and you can find many good brands out there for aeg's such as g&g.

 

But your choice of gun depends on your play style, for aggressive CQB you'd obviously go for a short barrelled carbine or pdw (mp5 ump etc) general use in all situation you'd want an assault rifle (m4's are the most popular and most available, the components and spare parts can be found easily online). You'd be best with AEG's for these type of weapons.

If you're looking for a sniper rifle, I believe the spring versions are generally more powerful accurate and reliable because of its fairly simple mechanisms.

 

For a beginner rifle, look up the "cm16 raider l" by g&g this comes at around £130 and I've seen many positive reviews on this rifle. It's an m4 variant and comes with RAS (rail adapter system which allows you to customize your weapon with attachments e.g laser sights and optics)

 

One thing to note is that in order to purchase these airsoft weapons in there real colour (black, tan/coyote brown) uk retailers will ask for your UKARA number which is a membership thing that you can get after playing 3 skirmishes within the space of 2 months (don't quote me on that) This membership basically allows retailers to avoid selling realistic weapons to people without a legitimate reason for purchasing. You have to be over 18 to apply. Otherwise you have to purchas in two tone which costs £15 ish and the retailers spry the weapon in a bright colour. This is unavoidable unfortunately.

 

In terms of gear, just where anything that's comfortable. Equipment wise, a decent pair of boots that are comfortable to run in, you may decide to purchase a chest rig but these can be really expensive (over £150) and the cheaper ones are generally less quality knock offs.

 

Though im still fairly new to airsoft, I hope this helps.

[Goosebaby]

Excellent mate thanks what you recon to a ares g36c any good it's either this or a m4 I'm thinking

[Shekmeister]

G36c's are fairly popular as well, just make sure you research into the specific model you're gonna buy, look for reviews, compare with similar ones etc, mostly common sense.

[Lozart]

Excellent mate thanks what you recon to a ares g36c any good it's either this or a m4 I'm thinking

 

JG would be a better bet, they'll be cheaper plus Ares don't have a great reputation for reliability.

[proffrink]

Don't get a GBBR for your first rifle, regardless of previous experience - that would be my advice. Just grab a decent-ish AEG; it'll perform better.

[Tramples]

Same situation but been airsofting 6 months now, came from Sup Air, No Limit Bridgend, into softing because my knees cant take being driven into the floor anymore. Thought I can strip and rebuild an ego right down to the gasket on the regulators how hard can an airsoft gat be. Ummm. 2 hours to strip a G&G M16 5 hours to get it back together and working via youtube. It gets easier but a bit hairy at times.

 

3 site visits in over 2 months for UKARA then you don't have to get something that's coloured like a paintball gat. Plus you get to see what everyone else uses and get some hands on time if your friendly

 

Transfer kit all I still use are my knee pads, sold everything else except for a mask. On field I use balistic glasses and a mesh face guard for close quarter stuff. Lets you breathe and see while being comfortable, games are longer than Sup air. 3 mins vs at least 30 mins upto 2 hours at some sites or 48 hour milsim if you fancy.

 

Load out wise get it as you like. Plenty of army surplus all over the UK. I use an osprey load carrier for my pouches, sling for my M16 and holster for the glock. If I can ever get the Sniper working right then I ditch the vest. Cqb i use a £30 spring shotgun and thats it.

[Guest RektnNekt]

I'm gonna talk about the G36 and the combat machine in this to hopefully give you an idea

Assembly/dis-assembly

I've just sold a G36C and bought a G&G combat machine - both mentioned above as the go to starters. The G36C is incredibly easy to take apart and reassemble, it is either a pin to pop out (for example, popping out one of the pins will let you take the handguard off and replace the battery if it is electric), or maybe a few hex screws. It was my first gun that I had ever taken apart, then I just moved on to disassembling a Tokyo Marui G18C - few more parts, but you get used to it. Anyway, in regards to the G36 vs Combat machine, the G36 is the easier one (in my opinion) to take apart if need be. However, that being said, I like the CM16 more (faster ROF, quite accurate, very customisable due to it being an M4 platform).

 

Performance

Now, obviously you want a nice solid platform to start off with. Both of these hold their own, and comes down to preference. G36 = Slower ROF with quite reliable accuracy. CM16 = Fast ROF, but still retains great accuracy. But you shouldn't be running around going full auto all the time anyway, you'll just eat through the BBs and it is pretty unnecessary. Semi-auto does the job most of the time. I had no problems with the G36 for all the time I had it which suggests it is quite good, and even if there was a problem, it is easy enough to take apart and replace parts if needed. I haven't had much experience with the CM16 (I got it yesterday), but it is second hand and seems to be in great shape.

 

Ergonomics

G36 is quite comfortable and easy to hold. Doesn't feel clunky or anything and has a nicely shaped handguard. Got some RIS rails at the end of it too, if you buy the G36C (shorter one). The grip is just smooth polymer, so it might not be the best to hold, but it doesn't cause a problem. Folding stock is great too, which allows you to adapt depending on your environment. Top rail seems really nicely positioned, and would work great with an added optic. You can get the G36K which has a built in scope, but I've never personally used it. As for the CM16, I have a Knight's Armament quadrail handguard, which isn't the most comfortable to hold - some kind of a foregrip as an accessory would be nice. It has a more ergonomic grip too, which sits nicer in the hand. The stock varies on the model, but I have a G&G GOS V1 retractable stock (comes standard on the G&G GR4, but can be bought separately) which is much more comfortable than the standard one I had. Oh a bonus that the CM16 has is that you can change the stock position to make it shorter or longer, which you can't do with the G36 unless you replace the stock to get one designed for that. Top rails are a little lower than on the G36, which will take me some getting used to, so I can't comment on that yet. For me, the G36C is more comfortable, but the CM16 just feels better to hold (if that makes sense).

 

Customisability

Well, to put it simply, the CM16 has a lot more options than the G36. The M4 is a very popular and widely used platform, and so there is a lot for it. G36 doesn't have as many parts available. Each can hold your standard attachments though, like an EOTech or a foregrip. Also, Pmags for the M4 seem to be everywhere - finding them for a G36 is a different, expensive story.

 

So, if you want an easy to maintain gun which feels quite comfortable, shoots at a decent ROF with good accuracy but doesn't have many customisable options, then the G36 would be a good choice. If you want something highly customisable, maybe a little harder to maintain (for example, taking the barrel out of a G36 is so much easier than a CM16), fast ROF with pretty good accuracy and still quite comfortable yet may require accessories depending on your parts, then the CM16 is a good choice.

 

Personally, I prefer the CM16. Both are inexpensive and great starter choices.

Maybe shop around on these forums or Zeroin and check their classifieds for second hand guns - you can get some amazing deals.

Sorry for the lengthy reply, got a bit carried away.

That is all my personal opinion, some may disagree which is fine, but do not read that as factual - obviously different people have different preferences.

[Oneshotscott]

Hi Paul,

I'm new to airsoft, from Cumbria also. I bought a g&g cm16r8l as it has a long barrell, therefore better range. It fires at 348fps (limits 350) out of box. Comes with a scope and is very reliable and future proof / customisable. I visit Manchester woodland as there site has more to offer to the Annan site. More than happy to car share if you fancy it plus the rental rifle at Manchester woodland is a g36 so I'd recommend you try before you buy.

[Lozart]

I bought a g&g cm16r8l as it has a long barrell, therefore better range.

 

Not strictly true. In real guns, yes but not in airsoft. Potentially better accuracy but range is more a function of the hop up than the length of the barrel.

[Pumak]

Oi mates i'm from Cumbria too, exactly Penrith, i got some experience in airsoft, but i decide now to take it more serious. All my equipment, except gun of course (We love UKARA <3) is already ordered, so looking for mates or any team to join.