New to the site - sniper not for new players

[JohnDMarshall]

Hello my name is John and I live in Guildford Surrey and I am 54 years old.

 

Notes: I am slightly overweight and suffer from Tinnitus & Agorophobia. I am 5' 3" and not athletic in anyway apart from walking the dog.

 

My question is why are most people convinced that a new player should not start with a sniper rifle, I fully understand the realities of Airsoft having read and watched so much over the years.

 

As a "prospective new airsoft potential player" my age and physical capabilities (see notes above) means that I probably would more than likely be more suited to a snipers' role/gameplay. This therefore requires me ask others the best way to start into the game in this role and suggest reasonable weapons that are suited to old gits like me

 

The reason I consider the sniper role as suitable is that I (1) would not be able to keep up with younger players (2) enter into a CQB situation (3) dont need to be competitive as far as K:D is concerned ( a good tactical shot is satisfactory above numbers ).

 

Since I was 15 I have been a wildlife stalker/photographer so patience is a big part of my life and there is no rush for me to achieve a goal.

 

I enjoy long walks in the country but hate Golf

 

My basic shopping list would read as follows:

 

TM VSR G-Spec - Silenced (Upgrades as required to achieve site FPS and effectiveness)

3.5-10x50 Scope
Ghillie ( as expected )

Various Tactical Clothing items

MK23 sidearm or Small AEG (see question below)

 

I am sure my bank balance will suffer but my wife really doesnt need more shoes....

 

Most sniper rifles are not to be fired at targets closer than 25m however does this apply to AEG's ?

[Okto Eight Milsim]

Theres no reason why you shouldn't be a sniper.

 

Younger newbies are usually advised against a sniper role from the get go because its nothing like video games, players normally buy starter sniper rifles which breed dissatisfaction pretty quickly and the lack of action normally means players get bored before they learn to appreciate the many facets of airsoft.

 

Things to consider are that it usually takes a lot of expense or effort or both to get an airsoft sniper rifle shooting accurately and consistently and the fact that you will need to move locations on a regular basis otherwise your position will be quickly compromised and you will get rinsed.

 

Its your game - play it how you want.

[proffrink]

Hey John. Welcome to the site.

 

The main reason for the 'don't go for a sniper rifle' is threefold:

 

Firstly, (and surprisingly more than you'd expect) a lot of people get the impression that snipers are taking people out from hundreds of metres away in airsoft - that's just not the case. Minimum engagement distances on most sites for sniper rifles firing around the 400-500fps mark is 15m, but rarely will you see someone being hit over 50m. Basically most 'kills' happy between 15 and 40 metres, and this is well within the scope of a lot of mid-range AEGs. For this reason, the gun alone is rarely competitive. This brings me onto point two.

 

Secondly, it's a different play style that not a great deal of players are actually suited to. You need to be very patient and you need to show up with the knowledge that you might well just be properly outgunned and outmanouvred and may walk away from that day with only a handful of kills. Many new players get turned off after their first or second game using just a sniper rifle and can't justify forking out more money for a different gun and lose interest.

 

Thirdly is the money. You can't really show up with an out-of-the-box sniper rifle and expect it to out-compete everything else. You can turn up with an out-of-the-box AEG and be on par with some of the very expensive stuff most of the time. Expect to spend upwards of £450 on a sniper rifle (if you include the stock gun) on upgrades before it can consistently be hitting those further ranges, have a decent trigger break and a clear scope. Conversely, there are some good entry-level AEGs that you can get for £150 with everything that you need to get started.

 

That said, if you want to snipe then go for it. There are plenty of videos out there that may give you a feel for what you might be in for (just remember they tend to edit most of the boring waiting around out).

 

I don't think your situation means you can't go the usual route. I joke about a lot of people just standing by trees and popping off shots but that's genuinely what a good portion of players do throughout the day when they're tired of running or just not really wanting to get too muddy - I get it. I feel you'd be fine with an AEG and not moving fast a whole lot - most woodland games a medium sized sites tend to have one or two large firefights and not much else, so excessive moment to push up or fall back generally isn't required. There are quite a few older players who simply use decent knowledge of the site and good cover to score their kills so there's no reason you couldn't do that as well over time.

[Okto Eight Milsim]

Its interesting but we have quite a lot of older players in our milsim games and one theme we hear from them is that they like playing milsim because they can fight without having to run around a lot. They do walk a fair way in a day, especially when they are out on patrol or have to come back to regen, but the fighting positions tend to rely more on teamwork, so the advances and withdrawals are slower paced than say a skirmish when you have a limited time to achieve an objective and you see all the young things sprinting as soon as the whistle is blown.

 

All we're saying is that there are plenty of older players out there at different levels of fitness and playing a sniper is only one solution to not having to sprint everywhere at the double.

[Esoterick]

Welcome to the forum, it's up to you if you want to go down the sniper route or not. One of the chaps I play Airsoft with regularly is 48 and has back problems so he isn't exactly the sprinting about kind. What he does is plays like a sneaky bastard and does it incredibly well, so that's always an option and means you could use pretty much any gun type you fancy.

 

Whilst i've never used a sniper rifle I do wonder if learning to be sneaky could put you on the right track and you wouldn't have to be limited by the fire rate and minimum engagement distances of a sniper rifle.

 

I'd recommend you get some games in using hire guns before you spend loads of money, but it's your choice at the end of the day. Woodland sites are always going to be more suitable for longer range guns and sneaky plays.

[K@rl]

Welcome. A lot of the time it's the player that moves slowly and with direction that is able to get the most "kills"

By advancing slowly you are able to assess your next move. It's very hard to run, look, shoot, plan and survey the area all at the same time.

Get a good aeg (£150-£250) that is made by a recognised brand g&g, etc. it will easily shoot far enough and will do full auto so u can cover ur own ass.

All IMHO of cause

[Sitting Duck]

Yup 48yrs young, smoker so I fully understand about fitness etc....

 

First thing forget ya K D bollox

 

I'll gladly let the younger lot go sprinting off all guns ablazing

I'll hold base, or try a sneaky road less travelled route to get a few kills before I'm taken out

Failing that I'll go for a decoy or diversion mode of play

Hopefully my younger or the more professional players will seize the moment to gain ground whilst my hairy ol'ar$e is being shot to bits.....

 

I know I'm never gonna own or dominate but I play for fun or $hits n giggles that is all....

 

By all means go for a sniper role, but you can have a great time if you don't take it all too serious and try to play above your level and be something you are not.

 

No offense meant, give it a go but by all means try a few different styles of play without the stress if you succeed or not.

 

You could very well make a good sniper but above all don't get too stressed if things don't always work out.

Learn your own strengths n weaknesses but above all enjoy being an unfit saddo with you guns

 

Well it works for me

[Colonel Kurtz]

Pretty much what people said above, new players discouraged from sniping because it usually doesn't live up to the common expectations of being a sniper (usually inherited from computer games/films). However, this response is given mostly because people don't mention their expectations, usually just 'wahts the bestest snipa' or similar.

 

You however have clearly readup & thought about the realities and your expectations, so there's nothing to stop you. It's a game and you can take whatever fun out of it you choose

 

How practical a sniper is often depends on the site, there might not be many spots where you can see the enemy but remain behind the front lines. Being a sniper can often take more running around to find good spots to shoot from, so something to bear in mind.

 

I'd advise going to your local sites and hiring a standard AEG a few times first, just to get a feel for the place and see how the game scenarios are. if you think there's opportunity to sit back and snipe in the manner you'd like, whether you'll get enough action/shot opportunity to make it worthwhile.

 

Only thing I'd advise against entirely is the ghillie suit. Unless you buy a proper one (basically just a net) and spend an hour before each game attaching bits of the native plant life to it. The commonly found 'ready made' suits are usually shiny plastic materials, and certainly not the same look as any uk woodland, so usually have the opposite effect and make you stand out more as one big continuous object that doesn't blend in to the background

 

As for the AEG backup, as long as it's under the site FPS limits (usually 350), there's no MED for it, can blast someone from a meter away if you have to.

 

I have a MK23, and would say it might not be very good for a backup. Its size means it's bit cumbersome to draw, and it having no blow-back/recoil means the trigger pull is a bit long. Essentially it's not a very good quick-draw weapon, but is very accurate and very quiet...

[Lozart]

Hello my name is John and I live in Guildford Surrey and I am 54 years old.

 

Notes: I am slightly overweight and suffer from Tinnitus & Agorophobia. I am 5' 3" and not athletic in anyway apart from walking the dog.

 

My question is why are most people convinced that a new player should not start with a sniper rifle, I fully understand the realities of Airsoft having read and watched so much over the years.

 

As a "prospective new airsoft potential player" my age and physical capabilities (see notes above) means that I probably would more than likely be more suited to a snipers' role/gameplay. This therefore requires me ask others the best way to start into the game in this role and suggest reasonable weapons that are suited to old gits like me

 

The reason I consider the sniper role as suitable is that I (1) would not be able to keep up with younger players (2) enter into a CQB situation (3) dont need to be competitive as far as K:D is concerned ( a good tactical shot is satisfactory above numbers ).

 

Since I was 15 I have been a wildlife stalker/photographer so patience is a big part of my life and there is no rush for me to achieve a goal.

 

I enjoy long walks in the country but hate Golf

 

My basic shopping list would read as follows:

 

TM VSR G-Spec - Silenced (Upgrades as required to achieve site FPS and effectiveness)

3.5-10x50 Scope

Ghillie ( as expected )

Various Tactical Clothing items

MK23 sidearm or Small AEG (see question below)

 

I am sure my bank balance will suffer but my wife really doesnt need more shoes....

 

Most sniper rifles are not to be fired at targets closer than 25m however does this apply to AEG's ?

 

Welcome!

 

I am no more athletic than you for sure (a little younger at 45 granted but the only real exercise I get is walking the dog at the weekend - and airsoft once a month). I too suffer from tinnitus but did you mean Agoraphobia or claustrophobia? I would have thought being agoraphobic would have stopped you being a wildlife photographer?

 

Anyhow, it sounds like you've made an informed decision regarding sniping which is the polar opposite of how most new (younger) players come to the long guns. The reason we try and discourage them is because they don't realise that they can't hit someone on the other side of game area or "no-scope" with an airsoft rifle and just how expensive sniping can get in terms of upgrades and the law of ever diminishing returns.

 

One word of warning though - sneaking about in the bushes bent double to hide from view wreaks havoc on your knees!

 

Have at it though, I'm sure you're going to enjoy yourself!