Difference in airsoft weapon types?

[Boosh]

After looking around for a while I can't seem to find information on what the differences are between spring electric and gas powered weapons. (Yes I am a total noob)

 

Aside from the obvious methods of how the gun shoots what are the pros and cons?

 

I know that you have to charge batteries for electric, but do you have to replenish gas systems? And if so how?

 

I would love any information on this at all and if there is already a thread I haven't seen then please do link it

 

Thanks guys

[Fumps]

Hi mate there is lots of info in the new arrivals section to check out. 

 

As a very brief rundown (This info is not 100% perfect but its just to give you a basic rundown): Spring powered needs to be cocked between shots so these are mainly sniper rifles or shotguns, Gas will often have a gas tank in each magazine so you usually top it up when reloading the mag & battery very rarely needs a battery change during a days skirmish (Depending on what battery you are using).

 

If you are going for a aeg (electric which is the most popular & most reliable)  go for a Lipo with a high Mah (milliamp hours) rating and you cant go far wrong. I use an aeg & have never had to change a battery during a days play. just make sure you pick a good battery and look after it well & it will last ages. 

 

None of these systems are perfect, they have advantages over each other. the best thing I can suggest is read through all the info on here & start reading up mate.

 

By the way, welcome to the fun & games 

[Katana]

AEG (electric) - Fairly consistent in terms of fps, run off of batteries, can be built for high speed or high fps but sounds like a dying cat most of the time until upgraded. You swap out batteries when your battery dies on you.

 

HPA (High Pressured Air)- Most consistent and most accurate, requires being run off of a HPA tank which you would store in your backpack and then run a gas line from the tank to your gun, very adjustable in terms of rate of fire and FPS but is very expensive and running a tank is a definite con as well as running a line to your gun. You have to refill your HPA tank from a diving tank that you can get from a diving shop. That is the most preferred method anyway although there are others.

 

GBBR's (Gas Blow Back Rifle's (and Pistols)) - Least consistent in terms of fps and so least accurate, most realistic and best sounding. Functions exactly like a real world firearm would in terms of reloading and using the gun but has many flaws such as cooldown meaning that if you fire too much too quickly in mild to poor temperatured weather, the gun will rapidly drop fps whilst shooting and will slow down on full auto. Each mag holds gas inside of it so you take each magazine and poke it with a bottle of green gas that you can buy from most airsoft shops online or at the site you play if they sell them. You can also HPA tap each magazine but lets not go into that as it's a little more......advanced.

 

When I say consistent, I mean fps or feet per second so the speed at which the gun is firing these bb's. The more consistent this fps or the more that the gun can fire at the same fps because it does bounce around, the more accurate the gun will be. 

 

So if you wanted to say build a DMR or designated marksman rifle which is like a sniper if you want to think of it that way, you couldn't really build it off of a GBBR because it is too inconsistent but a HPA or AEG DMR makes sense.

 

Basically, in my opinion, AEG should be yours and anyone's first gun. It's cheap and works well. Look into the other two platforms when you gain experience and knowledge in the sport

 

G&G do some good AEG's

Krytac if you are willing to spend the money

 

Depends a lot on your budget but there are plenty of posts online that will go into more depth.

[Katana]

7 minutes ago, Fumps said:

If you are going for a aeg (electric which is the most popular & most reliable) 

 

HPA is technically the most reliable platform. It has like 1 or 2 moving parts on most systems and so the chance for failure dramatically reduce. 

[Hangtight]

AEG: pros are that your initial setup costs can be reasonably low, and as long as you don't mess with the internals until you know what makes them tick they are consistent, reliable and fun, especially as a beginner. High capacity magazines (300-400 rounds) mean you can run around gleefully on full auto. As you get more into things they can be upgraded for accuracy, rate of fire etc, or move on to a more expensive base gun and as long as it's the same type (M4, AK etc) some of your accessories (mags, batteries and the like)  will still work. Hugely customisable. Cons, they have a characteristic noise that could never be described as realistic, and unless you get an  EBB (electric blow back) they have no recoil, again detracting from the realism.

 

Gas/ HPA :pros are the realism, from the noise and recoil, to the operation and magazine capacity they are far closer to a real firearm. Cons, considerably more expensive to buy /set up and run (although you can spend as much on a high end AEG initially). Magazine capacity is usually lower (gas in mag) which means you'll need more mags and you'll be reloading a lot more often. Gas in cooler weather has issues with cool down, which can cause inconsistency or even a pressure too low to actually operate. HPA requires a seperate air tank which you'll need to put in a back pack linked to your gun with an air line, but doesn't suffer the same cool down effects as gas. You're also dealing with dangerously high pressures which if mistreated have the potential to cause significant injury, but are completely safe if you follow correct procedure.

[Boosh]

Thanks for all the help, AEG's sound way easier to use and maintain over gas so that's probably the direction I'll head in.

 

 

[Katana]

23 minutes ago, Boosh said:

Thanks for all the help, AEG's sound way easier to use and maintain over gas so that's probably the direction I'll head in.

 

 

May I also recommend an M4 as a first gun. There are a multitude of reasons why but if you want something a little different then by all means go ahead. Have a look around once you've got an idea of budget and post back to the forum with something you think might be alright and there are plenty of people on this forum that will share their 2 cents about it. We just wanna make sure you don't get something crap as a first gun as that'll put you off more than anything.

[Boosh]

16 hours ago, Katana said:

May I also recommend an M4 as a first gun. 

 

Out of interest when you say an M4 is that limited to only the M4/M4A1? Or would that include stuff like 416's and M16's?

 

I quite like the look of the Lvoa type though, are they any good? I'm assuming they are just an extended M4?

[jcheeseright]

when people in airsoft say M4 they basically mean anything that looks like an AR15 in any way.  In airsoft terms they're all the same as they all run a version 2 gearbox (gearbox versions are just different shapes, a V3 isn't necessarily better than a V2) and take STANAG magazines. 

[Boosh]

3 minutes ago, jcheeseright said:

when people in airsoft say M4 they basically mean anything that looks like an AR15 in any way.

 

Ahh ok, thanks

[Sacarathe]

Does the AR57 count?

[jcheeseright]

Nope. Abomination. 

[TheFull9]

Best gun combo:

 

-AR57

-Buy STANAG Adapter for P90

-Feed it with the mags that look like they're for an AK but actually fit an AR

[Hangtight]

Don't go giving the poor bloke ideas...

[Boosh]

I was looking at that wondering what the hell he was talking about...

[Hangtight]

Seeing as we seem to have followed a pro /con  format earlier in the thread...

 

Reasons for getting an M4 as your first gun. Good choice from budget to obscenely expensive with AEG, HPA and gas rifles available. There's a huge range of accessories available for the exterior of the rifle, sights, stocks, fancy receivers, grips, rail systems... In fact if you're inclined you can build a gun completely from scratch (although this way madness and poverty lies).

 

Reasons not to get an M4. Everybody, their friends, their relations, colleagues and that bloke down the pub no one talks to, has got a bloody M4. Which means whatever combination of parts and accessories you come up with means that someone, somewhere has done it before. It's the airsoft equivalent of two women turning up to a wedding wearing the same dress.

At some point you're going to want to establish a bit of a 'look' (face it, most of us are grown men running around in the woods with toy guns that actually pew pew, so dressing up as well...it's a small step) and unless you like being a clone that's always going to be tricky if you've got the same kit as everyone else. But to be honest, if you reach that stage there's no hope for you. The Amazon delivery driver will have worn a groove to your house and will be on first name terms with most of your family and neighbours. A string of credit card companies and the bank will be angrily demanding more than the minimum payment. Any significant other will have either left or developed a resigned, far away look and a good line in eye rolling as she prepares beans on toast for the fourth time that week because it's all you can afford...

 

Hence the AR-57. Take a perfectly good rifle and make it worse and ugly... but at least it's a bit different. Personally I'd rather suck farts out of dead seagulls. Although for some obscure reason you can actually buy an airsoft version.

[TheFull9]

25 minutes ago, Hangtight said:

Which means whatever combination of parts and accessories you come up with means that someone, somewhere has done it before

 

The sheer mathematical odds of that are astounding.  Given the widespread propensity for a large amount of people to copy military styled guns or just use the stock guns that companies sell, the likelihood is that well under 1% of all the possible combinations have actually ever been put together.

 

How 'different' each combination might look is obviously subjective and there are people who think all ARs look the same regardless, but that's all just opinion.

[Boosh]

I'll just have to strip it down to make it look like a pipe with a handle, that will make it look unique

[Hangtight]

Good point, well made. It was a tongue in cheek comment, but the nature of a gun means it can be difficult to change its silhouette, or give it a 'unique'  look and at the end of the day an AR looks like an AR, an AK looks like an AK.

I didn't want an M4, I wanted to be 'different' but when something came up at the right price I bought one, because "it'll do until I get something better". But once you have something in your hands and you start buying bits for it,  it really doesn't matter if it looks like anyone else's because it's yours. You could put it on a rack with a dozen similar ones and pick it out in an instant. And if I run out of mags in a game I can guarantee that I'll be able to borrow one that'll fit and feed.

Basically an M4 makes a great first gun and is a really good introduction to customising just because there are so many parts from doodads that cost a few quid to specialist parts that cost enough to make your eyes water.

[Boosh]

I do quite like the look of some of them and I was quite surprised when I saw how much the price differs for what is basically the same rifle.

I'd be happy to play with the rifle as stock for a while though I think and then get a good idea of what I wanted from it in terms of attachments

[Hangtight]

Just because it looks superficially the same doesn't mean it is the same. As in anything with Airsoft you generally get what you pay for. At the lower end (G&G CM16,  £120 ish) you'll get plastic receiver and furniture, OK but basic internals, OK finish and details. Worth a few upgrades to get better range and accuracy and will always make a good backup gun once you move on, or a loan gun if a mate wants to give it a try.

Once you start spending more you'll get metal receiver, nicer rails and details, usually better internals etc.

When you get to something like a Krytac you're buying really nice externals and very good internals. It will work very well out of the box and be a pleasure to own and use. But put them next to each other and as someone just getting started you'd be unsure as to the differences between them.

[lemon191]

The trick is not to get to hung up on externals early on , it's what inside that counts unless you go really bottom of the barrel like the just bb gun specials lol the plastics are more than durable enough for airsoft as long as you don't use it as a walking stick or a club.

I have a friend who likes the idea of metal because people assume it's better but after holding metal guns he hated the weight as he found it slows him down so plastic is more useful to him.

[Boosh]

Most of the low end guns I have looked at I think had plastic externals and alloy internals

[TheFull9]

There's plastic and there's plastic.  'Alloy' is also about as descriptive a term as 'it's made of stuff'.

 

The ASG Evo is all plastic externals and it's really top notch; PTS plastic accessories are also made of incredibly nice material; plenty of real plastic assault rifles around these days too of course.  Generally an AEG that costs less than ~£120 (i.e. LPEGs) will be made of something nasty that breaks if you breath on it more than likely.

 

I've found the plastic on G&G guns is overall not too bad, a lot of their newer models are noticeably blocky looking in order to thicken the bodies and make them stronger as well.  At least I presume they did that for a sensible technical reason rather than literally just to cater to 'CoD: Whatever the f*ck it's called now' players.