What Brand AEG and Why?

[mattaddiction]

Corona Virus boredom question, sitting here browsing AEG's and wondering what differentiates one brand from the next these days, are they all TM clones or are there some inventive features out there?

 

Q. So what brand (and model) have you gone for and why for your AEG (main one you use, not the 10's of others under the bed)? 

(Or more simply, what AEG are you using and why as your main go to one)

 

Personally I'm using an ICS M4, main reason been I like the split gearbox design for ease of maintenance/fixing/tinkering. 

 

 

Matt

[Adolf Hamster]

as a general rule a lot of the attempts to break away from the standard tm pattern box have had problems, and personally i like sticking to ol' reliable.

 

take kwa's blowback mechanism, an absolute nightmare of proprietary parts and extra fiddly bits with springs all for the sake of a rumble pack and stop on empty.

 

or systema's with their extremely limited market, whilst they do perform very well they suffer from the massive diminishing return curve you get in airsoft.

 

mostly what i look for in a gun is external quality, because for the basic tm pattern boxes it might take some work but you can get a pretty even playing field of performance out of them. for example a cyma or jg ak with a bit of tinkering will shoot just as well as an e&l or lct but the latter will "feel" more solid and look nicer doing it.

[BigStew]

model of gun and build quality are my main concern when looking for a gun then price( not too expensive  not too cheap).

[Skara]

I go for whatever is easy to work on and has a decent amount of easy to source spares/upgrades.

 

Currently E&L 74u, G&G ARP-9 are my main AEGs, with an Ares Amoeba Honey Badger thrown in that will be replaced soon with something less annoying (Double Eagle Honey Badger if it ever comes back in stock at TaiwanGun)

[mintsauce5]

I used to be all tm recoil , 416 and scar as they used the same mags , but as I’m getting older I wanted something a bit Lighter so now my main two go to guns are either my little scorpion evo or the bet , both nice and light and reliable , I do also have an hk416(vfc lovely externals) hkm4d and two g&p M4’s , and far to many tm pistols , good job my man cave is in the loft and the wife doesn’t like going up there !

[Davegolf]

2 minutes ago, mintsauce5 said:

I used to be all tm recoil , 416 and scar as they used the same mags , but as I’m getting older I wanted something a bit Lighter so now my main two go to guns are either my little scorpion evo or the bet , both nice and light and reliable , I do also have an hk416(vfc lovely externals) hkm4d and two g&p M4’s , and far to many tm pistols , good job my man cave is in the loft and the wife doesn’t like going up there !

 

Too many spiders? 😁

 

Had many makes over the yaaars.

 

Spent silly hours making RIFs work to my 'standard'.

 

My main gun / most usage is always a TM base.

Why, because accuracy and range are all about hop unit design and gearbox/hop unit/barrel alignment.

For an AEG I think its nigh on impossible to get a better hop unit than the ones fitted to TM Recoil M4s & 416s..

 

Mainly with AEGs it comes down to a preference - externals or performance.

The only unicorns that achieve both are GasGuns.

 

I appreciate that's a broad sweeping statement, there are a few AEGs that come close, Realsword for one

 

My main gun is currently a TM Recoil G36 or TM MWS depending on the field type/opponent pleb level.

If the game is honourable then the MWS gets the greatest play satisfaction, if not the G36 always gets the job done

 

[Shamal]

My main go to is the ares amoeba 013. I have stuck with it over the years because I know what It is capable of and it does it very well.

Good solid design(you could put it in a dulux paint mixing maching and it wouldn't rattle)!and everything falls nicely to hand. Plus by taking front pin out and splitting upper and lower it fits perfectly in my 511 range bag.👍

Regards

[AlphaBear]

I've always run with TM from day one.... Never wanted any other brand...I'm happy taking the gearbox apart and tinkering if needed (and yes I've killed a few TM fairies over the years)... but you know what they are just fun to use... My only other brand of gun is my  Systema PTW... Bought way back in 2010/11 and she's still going strong... A pain in the arse to maintain if you need parts as there's no one mainstream to get parts from other than a very few select places... but you know what she's a keeper!

[mattaddiction]

Probably badly asked, but my questing posed is about what you are using now and why, not what you would go for.

(And not a what first AEG to get question,  just curious what rocks your world and why).

 

m

 

 

 

 

 

[Iceni]

Depends on what you want, and what you want to spend to get there. Brand is generally the least important thing. Especially since so much or airsoft revolves about rebranding it's difficult to tell one brand from another at certain price points and models, since so many come from the same place and have the same internals.

Personally I would never buy a gun based on the gearbox or gearbox features. Gearboxes are simple things, making them more complicated or more accessible isn't worth investing in. A bog standard JG gearbox can have far more done to it, and for far less money than something that has unique parts that are required to make that gearbox work. EBB, QC springs, Split uppers, HC gearboxes are all nice features to have, but they shouldn't bump a gun price by a lot. If you are paying £100+ for those features then mistakes were made IMO.

Externals are far more important, of my 4 main guns 2 are unique. The Augs are externally stock, The M4 is a full magnesium upper and lower and of a design that is not common at all (gr300 shorty). The G3 goes even further than that with real parts and pushes what is possible with airsoft. Don't think that makes me an externals snob, I'll happily play with a £100 gun if it shoots and feels right. Both of my Augs are cheap variants.

 

[Sitting Duck]

4 hours ago, mattaddiction said:

Probably badly asked, but my questing posed is about what you are using now and why, not what you would go for.

(And not a what first AEG to get question,  just curious what rocks your world and why).

 

m

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like asking the same question about what car or GF/Wife

 

Simple answer - what one you get on with - they all need maintaining or they get a bit cranky & stop working

 

 

[Rogerborg]

19 hours ago, Adolf Hamster said:

or systema's with their extremely limited market, whilst they do perform very well they suffer from the massive diminishing return curve you get in airsoft.

 

A very cromulent point.  Airsoft isn't a huge market to begin with, and already saturated with brands at many price points. Breaking into it with something new at this point requires some really unique selling points (which Systemas have) but even then you've got the problem that you don't get economies of scale until you're selling loads, and you won't sell loads until you're cheap.  Getting out of a niche is a big ask.

 

So, me: CYMA, JG and Galaxy, because they're cheap.

 

I'd highlight CYMA in particular as epitomising the principle of economies of scale.  My M4 cost £75 (with battery and charger) and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it out of the box.  Sure, cheap, nasty plastic, and pretty much every part could be better.  But pretty much every part could be worse too (Jesus, Nuprol what the actual...), and they all function with no unpleasant surprises.

 

They can sell so many at this price because they sell so many at this price.

 

 

[AlphaBear]

Quote

 

This whole topic is interesting to say the least from the perspective of what people play with.. I've always believed you get what you pay for, but at the end of the day our hobby is governed by the laws pf physics. A bb of the same weight and pushed out with the same power should in theory if all things being equal travel the same distance that a Cyma will shoot at or at the extreme end a Systema will shoot at. Of course range and accuracy will vary depending upon the brand of gun or the upgrades done to it to achieve the perfect air seal with each shot and to attain almost zero friction down the barrel.. Of course external factors like wind, humidity, indoor vs outdoor all play a key part... Will all these big buck guns make me a better player.... hell no! Does it make me smile each time I use them.... absolutely! Rock with what you're happy with....

[mattaddiction]

10 hours ago, Sitting Duck said:

 

Like asking the same question about what car or GF/Wife

 

Simple answer - what one you get on with - they all need maintaining or they get a bit cranky & stop working

 

 

Car yes, but this is an Airsfot forum...   GF hardly  ( you only have to put up with an AEG on a Sunday and it's a dam sight easier to change it,  if it gets cranky on you... : o p )

 

m

[Sitting Duck]

5 hours ago, mattaddiction said:

 

 

Car yes, but this is an Airsfot forum...   GF hardly  ( you only have to put up with an AEG on a Sunday and it's a dam sight easier to change it,  if it gets cranky on you... : o p )

 

m

 

Think you missed the point...

 

Many people have sunk money into cars, toy guns & perhaps women/relationships and got little to show for it

After say 6~10 various versions you come to realise there are flaws in everything (inc ourselves)

 

So armed with that knowledge/experience perhaps wisdom you adjust your high level of expectations perhaps

and appreciate the item's good points/features and perhaps focus a little less on its flaws

 

If I was asked which gun....

 

G&G FireHawk (launch TopTech ver) as it is much snappier than std FH, perfect for cqb

G&G CM18 - just coz it looks nice

or

Some old cheap Cyma 517/515 M4 or AK 28a

or

perhaps a JG something

 

ICS are ok, their basic motors have a bit more zest than cyma stock G&G or Cyma's, perhaps JG too

But there M4 nozzles are shorter than most other M4's and the hop, especially plastic M4 hop is prone to breaking

(on the arm that applies the pressure to nub), if you have a plastic hop unit replace with a metal version

A std M4 hop needs modding to fit but do-able, though might need to replace the nozzle to a reg M4 one

 

Both G&G & ICS have stopped making their SIG 552 range - basically a tarted up G36 mostly

with most guns being nigh on much the same meat different gravy/receiver/body

 

The small number of unique/bespoke ones are maybe for real enthusiasts perhaps

or people who seek something different to play peew peew with

 

Opinions are like arseholes - everybody has one

& taste or some person's taste in something is subjective as they say

 

I go with the more budget to lower mid range stuff - say £100 to £150

if something is really good I'll praise it, if something is really shit I'll crucify it

There are flaws in everything, especially at my price range - but also at double my budget too

 

Overall, I think the TT FH's has been used the most

other than that whatever I had been tinkering with truth be told

[Nick G]

I've got some JG ones I use fairly often, couple of MP5 's and an AUG all are great and do the job very well. All had replacement hop rubbers and the AUG got a tight bore barrel but that's it. Love my E&L AK but only use it occasionally, same with Minimi and sniper. The ones I use most often by far are ones that I've built from scratch though. No base gun so no manufacturer as such. Most of my pistols are WE , maple leaf hop and crazy jet and they just work so well.

[mattaddiction]

2 hours ago, Sitting Duck said:

 

Think you missed the point...

 

Quote

 

Many people have sunk money into cars, toy guns & perhaps women/relationships and got little to show for it

After say 6~10 various versions you come to realise there are flaws in everything (inc ourselves)

 

So armed with that knowledge/experience perhaps wisdom you adjust your high level of expectations perhaps

and appreciate the item's good points/features and perhaps focus a little less on its flaws

 

 

 

Em,  I think it's you missing the point of this thread by a country mile with most of that....    And what has that ^^^^ got to do with the question I asked?!  

 

If an answer is 'it's my first AEG, and cost was the sole driving factor or it  was the only one in the shop I could afford' that's just as valid and interesting response as 'it's my 110th one and X Y & Z feature made it my choice',  What has a lecture on adjusting expectations and focusing less on flaws got to do with that??

 

Question asked was: What AEG do you use NOW and why, not what would you go for..... (obviously that assumes most people have the one 'go to' AEG they use most often for the one type of game site, be it woodland, or CQB etc).

 

We are all a weird and diverse bunch with vastly differing requirements and I was hoping for some good and interesting thoughts and the reasons behind them from personal perspectives, maybe a bit of discussion and maybe a bit of insight into some of the newer unique features that help differentiate brands off the back of that.  Should I have just asked 'Which is da best gat to buy first' and left it at that (btw I'm not looking  to buy anything, unless the new WE Hi-Power comes out any time soon, just to avoid confusion) ??

 

Thanks to those reply's that are actually on the mark with the question  I asked !

 

m

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Davegolf]

TBH the only 'recent' feature of merit is mag empty / firing stops.

 

Precocking is good but not a standard feature.

 

Split boxes and quick change springs are useful, especially for storage / spring decocking.

 

[Skara]

1 minute ago, Davegolf said:

TBH the only 'recent' feature of merit is mag empty / firing stops.

Which is something that would scare the fuck out of me.

And another thing that can go wrong.

[mattaddiction]

2 hours ago, Sitting Duck said:

Opinions are like arseholes - everybody has one

& taste or some person's taste in something is subjective as they say

 

I go with the more budget to lower mid range stuff - say £100 to £150

if something is really good I'll praise it, if something is really shit I'll crucify it

There are flaws in everything, especially at my price range - but also at double my budget too

 

Overall, I think the TT FH's has been used the most

other than that whatever I had been tinkering with truth be told

 

Almost missed this which is closer the mark, almost.. 

 

Indeed they are and that is what I was hoping would give some interesting points of view (Subjective personal taste, not a$$ holes..).  What's the draw (for you, from your pov) with the Firehawk for regular use?

 

 

On 08/08/2020 at 14:09, Adolf Hamster said:

as a general rule a lot of the attempts to break away from the standard tm pattern box have had problems, and personally i like sticking to ol' reliable.

 

take kwa's blowback mechanism, an absolute nightmare of proprietary parts and extra fiddly bits with springs all for the sake of a rumble pack and stop on empty.

 

or systema's with their extremely limited market, whilst they do perform very well they suffer from the massive diminishing return curve you get in airsoft.

 

mostly what i look for in a gun is external quality, because for the basic tm pattern boxes it might take some work but you can get a pretty even playing field of performance out of them. for example a cyma or jg ak with a bit of tinkering will shoot just as well as an e&l or lct but the latter will "feel" more solid and look nicer doing it.

 

I've not actually come across the KWA Blowback's, beside the nightmare of proprietary parts, do they offer anything new that Bolt or a TM Recoil doesn't offer? 

 

Systema is a bit of a red herring/oddity in that they are not really an Airsoft brand imo, they just happen to use the plastic pea popping tech, they are marketed at government bodies and the like that have decent budgets and are used to the cost of real steel?? So they can develop proprietary tech cost effectively within that market.  If I had the money down the back of the sofa i'd certainly get one, but not to use in a muddy forest..

 

Is that external quality in terms of build quality or quality of the 'look' / ascetics (/trades) i'm guessing the former? You go for?

 

m

 

[Schnakey]

When I started skirmishing it was essentially TM or TM. I still remember the metal classic army guns being something very special when they came out. 

 

Currently I have a cheap king arms and an ICS and the quality of the cheap king arms seems on par with late 90s Marui. For me, they're all fairly decent nowadays and I'm happy with anything that handles well and performs on.

 

 

[Nodnol]

I’ve been pondering the same thing recently when it comes to brands and what toy to buy next. 
 

Currently I have a G&G Raider 2.0 and a TM Hi-Capa.

 

I want to get something different to the Hi-Capa, but that’ll be a TM because TM pistols just seem to be the best option if you don’t mind plastic slides.

 

Next RIF though....I find it frustrating that the industry standard is TM’s original gearbox designs and then it’s a free for all after that. Some brands do this well, some brands do that and so on. Even the top end stuff, the same bits will break eventually. That’s fine, I think I’ve learned to look at these things as model kits rather than the finished product, but I find myself increasingly looking at mid range guns as the next purchase because I just feel a mid-range gun that is aesthetically pleasing that will eventually go to a tech for a Warfet and a slight service will do all I need and want. I have a lot of faith in my G&G, so I’m always looking at their line up and liking their newer stuff. If only they made the SIG 55X’s still, and made a decent mid cap for them...

[Sitting Duck]

1 hour ago, mattaddiction said:

 

Almost missed this which is closer the mark, almost.. 

 

Indeed they are and that is what I was hoping would give some interesting points of view (Subjective personal taste, not a$$ holes..).  What's the draw (for you, from your pov) with the Firehawk for regular use?

 

 

 

I've not actually come across the KWA Blowback's, beside the nightmare of proprietary parts, do they offer anything new that Bolt or a TM Recoil doesn't offer? 

 

Systema is a bit of a red herring/oddity in that they are not really an Airsoft brand imo, they just happen to use the plastic pea popping tech, they are marketed at government bodies and the like that have decent budgets and are used to the cost of real steel?? So they can develop proprietary tech cost effectively within that market.  If I had the money down the back of the sofa i'd certainly get one, but not to use in a muddy forest..

 

Is that external quality in terms of build quality or quality of the 'look' / ascetics (/trades) i'm guessing the former? You go for?

 

m

 

 

m8 - no offense but you take stuff way too seriously perhaps

 

some people will take any gun that works

some will take one they believe is more suited to site

some will pick one they like or matches their loadout - eg Russian bollox or something

 

But I started to explain about the Firehawk because it was one of launch ones

with I believe a high or higher speed gear set in there (at least 16:1, likely 13:1, still not opened it)

with the higher mid range 25k non-neodym blue "Powerful" G&G motor - quite a nice stock motor btw

 

I removed and flogged on the dumb arse buffer tube GOS-V2 stoc

 

 

& stuck a stubby fixed stock on

 

 

that way I can fit cheap 2500mah block lipo's in there without fuss

 

The stubby fixed stock is tricky to easily source now and does not work for all longer M4's

but a titchy M4 FH, is tucked in tight during cqb and is perfectly matched

Also it is as light a heck being polymer than metal receiver, so you can swing it around without sling or stuff all day

way lighter than the AY-A0026 - aka Force-Core stubby M4 - bit qwirky & odd gearbox with weaken top/front area

Why did ForceCore take material out of the front top part, weakening it is beyond me ???

 

 

Also since I changed the bucking a while back it seemed to be pretty damn accurate with good grouping at medium range

so yeah - it is one of my better/more used guns I guess that I haven't altered anything inside the box - no need to

 

After that initial launch of the FH in 2014, subsequent versions had an 8 tooth bevel that really slowed the ratio

placing a reg 18:1 or 18.65:1 at a 22:1 or 22.38:1 so the rof really dropped with the snappy FH become a bit more sluggish than the usual 10 tooth bevel...

 

Vs

 

 

(not a wise move G&G imho - too sluggish now)

(and the HC05 is a pos with no semi, so useless for semi only cqb)

 

BUT it is a bit fucking loud - but I've gotta give credit where credit is due it was/is a damn good gun they initially produced

later models were a bit pants by comparison - so yeah G&G nailed it on that one but fucked it on other models/guns

 

but it is just my opinion on the FH

 

The CM18 - I just liked the look of - it really is a tarted up Raider (inside) - though has the 25k motor not 18k std motor

looks nice imho, I like a gun up to about 300mm barrel & think it is 275mm so that does me also

 

The cyma cheapo's are a bit of fun, trying squeeze a bit of zest out of them for as little as possible

 

but in the end they are all just toy guns/sewing machines - some work better/worse

some just look better in some peoples opinions, some prefer this/that but like I said opinions etc...

 

PS - another reason why I could prefer the FH is coz it was the first IF I bought when I got ukara'd

but truth be told it is one of my better investments and coz it is good little cracker of a gun

(doubt if the sentimental factor being my first IF comes into much at all, it is just nice cqb gun to chuck around)

[mattaddiction]

30 minutes ago, Schnakey said:

When I started skirmishing it was essentially TM or TM. I still remember the metal classic army guns being something very special when they came out. 

 

Currently I have a cheap king arms and an ICS and the quality of the cheap king arms seems on par with late 90s Marui. For me, they're all fairly decent nowadays and I'm happy with anything that handles well and performs on.

 

 

 

I remember back then too,  my first TM M16 didn't even have a hop..... and no GBB pistols either..

 

2 minutes ago, Nodnol said:

I’ve been pondering the same thing recently when it comes to brands and what toy to buy next. 
 

Currently I have a G&G Raider 2.0 and a TM Hi-Capa.

 

I want to get something different to the Hi-Capa, but that’ll be a TM because TM pistols just seem to be the best option if you don’t mind plastic slides.

 

 

So what made you go with the G&G Raider your currently using?

 

m

 

 

  

[Nodnol]

Just now, mattaddiction said:

 

I remember back then too,  my first TM M16 didn't even have a hop..... and no GBB pistols either..

 

 

So what made you go with the G&G Raider your currently using?

 

m

 

 

  

‘Cos everyone regarded Raiders as a great go to for a beginner. I think when I was looking at my first RIF, the Raider 2.0 had just come out, and I loved the M-Lok rail over a standard Picatinny. 
 

So I had a family of guns that were well recommended, almost universally praised, as a good starter gun, with a fresh lick of paint in the form of a more modern rail, AND at a price point that was a good entry point....seemed a no brainer at the time and I don’t regret it one bit. 
 

A bit like anything in life, once you have trust in a brand, you tend to stay with them until proven otherwise. I do that in fishing, and I think I’ll do the same in airsoft too, to be honest. G&G just don’t seem to make BAD guns. Yeah there’s more expensive ones, sexier ones, better trades etc....but in my limited and brief experience, they just seem reliable and do what I want a RIF to do, at a price point that won’t make you wince when it goes wrong.