Sniper Recommendations

[TheMilkyBarKid]

So I’m tempted to dip my foot into sniping, but I have no clue which sniper to go for an wether I should upgrade it straight away. I don’t want to break the bank an get a £500 SRS and not be able to afford anything else. I’m probably looking at spending no more than £400 for a gun, upgrades and mags. So if anyone could offer some suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it? Also would it be worth looking for pre-owned snipers?

[BigStew]

firstly have you played before do you have an aeg, because if you jump into sniping with no previous game experience you will have a miserable time . secondly please use the forum search function you are not the 1st person to ask this and there are countless posts on this question.

[Tackle]

Definitely consider pre-owned kit, in the case of snipers it can often mean the usual much needed tweaks have already been done for you 😁.

 

BUT as BigStew has rightly pointed out, if you've not played before, or very little ?, your not likely to enjoy sniping as much as you'd expect, I'd be inclined to suggest you try a dmr role first, while working on your fieldcraft etc.

[EDcase]

Sniping is the hardest and one of the most expensive things you can do in airsoft.   As has been said,  you'll likely be disappointed with the results.

£400 may get you there with the gun and upgrades but it will need a lot of trial and error to dial it in and plenty of practice...

 

Do you have a long distance in the garden to test?

[TheMilkyBarKid]

1 hour ago, BigStew said:

firstly have you played before do you have an aeg, because if you jump into sniping with no previous game experience you will have a miserable time . secondly please use the forum search function you are not the 1st person to ask this and there are countless posts on this question.

Yes I’ve played for nearly 2 years now. I tried searching it to avail unfortunately, could not find this question asked elsewhere which is why I made this post

26 minutes ago, Tackle said:

Definitely consider pre-owned kit, in the case of snipers it can often mean the usual much needed tweaks have already been done for you 😁.

 

BUT as BigStew has rightly pointed out, if you've not played before, or very little ?, your not likely to enjoy sniping as much as you'd expect, I'd be inclined to suggest you try a dmr role first, while working on your fieldcraft etc.

Cheers for the response! That was the main attraction of buying pre owned for me was that I could focus more on using the gun and enjoying it rather than spending loads of time an money sweating it😂I have been playing for just under 2 years, so I think I’d like to switch things up a bit and try something new!

6 minutes ago, EDcase said:

Sniping is the hardest and one of the most expensive things you can do in airsoft.   As has been said,  you'll likely be disappointed with the results.

£400 may get you there with the gun and upgrades but it will need a lot of trial and error to dial it in and plenty of practice...

 

Do you have a long distance in the garden to test?

Yeah I was sort of expecting it to cost a fair bit, I was hoping to offset some of the costs and time with buying preowned. Unfortunately I don’t however my mates got a long garden an the airsoft sight I go to has a long range I could use to test things

[EDcase]

Second hand can be a way to get a good rifle but most likely it'll be from someone who tried it and failed.

[alxndrhll]

As others have stated taking the jump into sniping is a big ol’ risk. It’s generally expensive to get into, and in my experience unlike many other platforms/styles of play you want that RIF to be well tuned to get a decent sense of whether you’re ‘into it’. That tends to come at a financial cost, which you don’t tend to get much back on if you find the style isn’t for you. Borrowing a decent rifle for a few sessions would be my default advice, but I’m aware that isn’t always an option... and we have no idea when we’re going to be able to play again.

I’m all for any sort of budget build, there are absolutely instances where you can get a RIF shooting amazingly on a small budget. When it comes to bolt action rifles and the power you’re dealing with parts tend to give way quicker than they would in an AEG. Though aftermarket parts and modifications like 90 degree triggers/pistons, hop chambers, TDC (top dead centre) mods and tighter barrels certainly can improve performance but a lot of what you end up paying for is durability coming from better quality materials. There is little more frustrating than getting everything set just as you like it, for a part to break and never quite getting it back where it was.

 

If you’re only planning on ‘sniping’ from time to time it’s worth considering picking up a VSR clone and doing some cost effective mods to improve the consistency. For me personally the correct powered spring for your limits, a decent hop bucking and a TDC would be the minimum I’d pop in a ‘sniper rifle’. You need that hop to be performing as consistently as possible. Perhaps stretching to an aftermarket barrel if the stock one is a bit ropey.

 

Pre-owned is a decent option, but as with any second hand purchase there is an element of risk. Whichever route you take it’s worth learning your rifle inside and out. Knowing how it all comes apart, goes together, and ‘what does what’ will serve you well as you change/replace parts and generally fettle to get things how you want them.

 

Apologies for the essay.

[EDcase]

Just get a base sniper rifle and have fun at your friends place (when covid allows)

 

[Skara]

7 hours ago, EDcase said:

Sniping is the hardest and one of the most expensive things you can do in airsoft.

Bollocks.

 

Sniping is just as expensive as any other "role".

It's not harder, it's not easier, it's just different.

[Tackle]

Hence why my recommendation for considering a dmr or electric sniper, psg1/sl9 etc, easier to make the transition without the commitment that a Springer requires to get anything near perfect (or even mildly ok lol)

[EDcase]

26 minutes ago, Skara said:

Bollocks.

 

Sniping is just as expensive as any other "role".

It's not harder, it's not easier, it's just different.

I strongly disagree 😛

With any other role a cheap JG or CYMA will do fine and you don't have to upgrade them.

At the sites I play a sniper has to have a secondary.

You also need a ghillie to be a successful sniper.

You have to use more expensive heavier weight BB's

etc...

 

[Skara]

2 minutes ago, EDcase said:

I strongly disagree 😛

With any other role a cheap JG or CYMA will do fine and you don't have to upgrade them.

At the sites I play a sniper has to have a secondary.

You also need a ghillie to be a successful sniper.

 

Even more bollocks.

Whoever told you that sniper rifles have to be expensive should be thrown down a cliff.

They actually require very little to perform and most of the mods are DIY jobbies.

"you need an expensive barrel" no you don't, as long as the stock one is straight, clean and seals well with the hop rubber, it's good.

"you need a r-hop" no you don't, a maple leaf rubber does the same shit but costs €10

"you need a big ass spring" no you don't, if you know how to work with Joule Creep, also FPS means fuck all if the rifle isn't consistent.

"you need a SRS" absolutely not, you don't need to drop €500 on that shit. It's good, but a cheap cyma VSR with some upgrades and tweaks will do the same, for less than half the price.

 

Do you need a fancy expensive KMCS? no, you just need a BDU in a pattern that blends in well with the environment, and a couple cans of spray paint to adjust the colours. Fuck leaf suits btw, they're shit.

In case nobody told you, home made ghillies are dirt cheap.

 

 

As for sidearms, a STTI MK23 with a couple of DIY mods and €20 worth of Hadron parts is the way to go.

 

Also, you upgrade as you play. No need to dish out serious amounts of money right at the start.

 

[EDcase]

Then why do so many give up on it 😝

[Tackle]

Cos their like CoD players who don't think camping should be allowed, don't have the patience (or fieldcraft skills) to wait for the enemy to come to them, would rather charge in with a flurry of 360 no scoping lol😜

[Skara]

11 minutes ago, EDcase said:

Then why do so many give up on it 😝

 

1 minute ago, Tackle said:

Cos their like CoD players who don't think camping should be allowed, don't have the patience (or fieldcraft skills) to wait for the enemy to come to them, would rather charge in with a flurry of 360 no scoping lol😜

^this is why they give up.

And because they want to be Novritsch (who, by the way, is the complete opposite of a sniper, if you haven't noticed already)

[Shaydee]

10 minutes ago, EDcase said:

Then why do so many give up on it 😝

Not because of cost, but because of patience.

Tinkering takes time and people are lazy fuckers. I know as usually I am one of these people, but I don't mind working on my guns, my springer especially.

[EvilMonkee]

I would add that if you are 'inspired' by any of the YT airsoft 'celebrity' snipers such as Nov or Wicking C*ntstain (trademark pending) that all their footage is stitched together from across a game day.  Aforementioned twat Licking Bogbrush I know for a fact, used shots from two different spots on our local site at two different times of the day to show 1 'kill'.  Anyway, the point is don't be fooled by all that balls if that is what you are aiming for.

[TheMilkyBarKid]

8 hours ago, alxndrhll said:

As others have stated taking the jump into sniping is a big ol’ risk. It’s generally expensive to get into, and in my experience unlike many other platforms/styles of play you want that RIF to be well tuned to get a decent sense of whether you’re ‘into it’. That tends to come at a financial cost, which you don’t tend to get much back on if you find the style isn’t for you. Borrowing a decent rifle for a few sessions would be my default advice, but I’m aware that isn’t always an option... and we have no idea when we’re going to be able to play again.

I’m all for any sort of budget build, there are absolutely instances where you can get a RIF shooting amazingly on a small budget. When it comes to bolt action rifles and the power you’re dealing with parts tend to give way quicker than they would in an AEG. Though aftermarket parts and modifications like 90 degree triggers/pistons, hop chambers, TDC (top dead centre) mods and tighter barrels certainly can improve performance but a lot of what you end up paying for is durability coming from better quality materials. There is little more frustrating than getting everything set just as you like it, for a part to break and never quite getting it back where it was.

 

If you’re only planning on ‘sniping’ from time to time it’s worth considering picking up a VSR clone and doing some cost effective mods to improve the consistency. For me personally the correct powered spring for your limits, a decent hop bucking and a TDC would be the minimum I’d pop in a ‘sniper rifle’. You need that hop to be performing as consistently as possible. Perhaps stretching to an aftermarket barrel if the stock one is a bit ropey.

 

Pre-owned is a decent option, but as with any second hand purchase there is an element of risk. Whichever route you take it’s worth learning your rifle inside and out. Knowing how it all comes apart, goes together, and ‘what does what’ will serve you well as you change/replace parts and generally fettle to get things how you want them.

 

Apologies for the essay.

Thank you for taking the time to write all of that, you have been incredibly helpful!

[Adolf Hamster]

1 hour ago, EDcase said:

You also need a ghillie to be a successful sniper.

 

i do feel the need to weigh in here, it is entirely possible to have a successful day's running a bolt-gun without a ghillie.

 

hell i've even done it myself with a stock mosin nagant and i'll self admit to having pretty poor concealment skills and i've never worn a ghillie or any kind of leafy stuff for airsoft.

 

what you do need to do is to know how to position yourself, how to pick your battles (if the other guy has an aeg and is in-range then you're screwed the moment he knows where you are), and how to use concealment to your advantage, a ghillie isn't going to make you any harder to see if all the enemy has to work with is a 2" hole in a bush with the tip of your barrel just inside.

[EDcase]

I didn't say it was only about cost.

 

[Impulse]

Time to throw my thoughts into the mix. I won't echo the "sniping is hard" arguments that others have pointed out, as it's already been said and argued. I wouldn't say it's "hard" but it's definitely a different way of playing.

 

You can make a perfectly good rifle for your budget.

 

JG BAR10 or cyma cm701 ~ £100

AA hop unit ~ £50

Maple Leaf MR hop or new Decepticon bucking ~ £10

Maple Leaf Omega tensioner ~ £2

Crazy Jet barrel ~ £50

Some sort of cheap, but decent scope ~ £50

Spare mags ~ £10 each

 

Hey would you look at that, I built a rifle with spare mags that will perform pretty damn well for under £300 and likely out-shoot a lot of your local site's "snipers". Honestly, the JG and cyma VSRs come at a decent enough power where you don't have to worry about replacing the trigger, spring, spring guide etc until they break. This is the build I did, minus the super expensive HPA bits, and it shoots stupidly well, especially considering the price tag. Now, I would probably use a PDI or Edgi barrel myself (they're more £100 - £150) instead of Crazy Jet because I've gone off Crazy Jets recently, but they're perfectly decent barrels and I am currently running one in my current build (read: I'm too poor at the moment to afford to replace it)

 

Firing at about the same power as my spring VSR (2.2J in both), which has a professionally installed r-hop, edgi barrel and laylax/springer custom works internals, my cheapo mostly maple leaf build actually shoots further and more accurately. You absolutely can build a sniper rifle on a budget.

 

Also, do you need a ghillie? Not at all. I spent the entire summer in a short sleeve OD t-shirt and pair of OD trousers, with a scrim net draped over my OD boonie once I got into my hide position. Yes, all OD, no camo patterns. People looked directly at me and didn't see me because I stayed perfectly still and didn't silhouette myself.

 

If you want a cheap, lightweight ghillie I swear by my Webtex Concealment Vest (~£50) that I've tied a bunch of artificial ghillie strands to (~£12) and just load it up with natural foliage on the day using the elastic loops. My last game day had me using this and lying down in the middle of the enemy team for about 15 minutes because they're respawn was 5m in front of me for a bunch of the game. You don't need one of these all over super-pricey KMCS suits that you then have to put a bunch more stuff on to have an effective ghillie.

 

So, for a rifle + ghillie, I've outlined it above for ~£354 (I assumed 3 extra mags). Yes, you could argue "but what about load bearing?" but you can pick up cheapo belt kits for peanuts these days that you could also put some ghillie material and natural foliage on, but I just wear mine under my ghillie. My rifle wrap is scrim net and cable ties, which are also peanuts. I also only use my belt for pistol and pistol mags. All my VSR mags are in a stock pouch (which cost me about £10 from Taiwangun and I'm thoroughly impressed with it)

 

Sorry if my post came across as snarky. I'm just the guy who thinks "sniping is expensive" is a myth that dissuades people from doing what they want. I'm also the guy whose first RIF was a Well L96 about 14 years ago because I'm a massive hypocrite when I echo the "don't get a sniper rifle as your first gun" argument

[alxndrhll]

'Expensive' is such a hard word to throw around because it's a relative term. What is cheap to me may well be very expensive to others. Though I agree that the 'price of entry' does often get inflated I'd argue that it usually works out costing more than an equivalent AEG setup (though this largely down to the excellent budget AEG choices available nowadays). Combine that with the increased chances of not having as much fun doing it as you'd hoped you might, leading to wanting to sell it on at a significant lost. That is the recipe that I believe leads to general phrasing of 'sniping is expensive'. Returns on investment for airsoft kit is generally not great, 'upgraded' bolt action rifles crank that to 11.

 

Well that and the cost of decent ammo. Even though I've found it lasts significantly longer than your average bag of 3000 0.2-0.32s it still stings everytime I top up the supply.

[Samurai]

22 hours ago, Impulse said:

JG BAR10 or cyma cm701 ~ £100

AA hop unit ~ £50

Maple Leaf MR hop or new Decepticon bucking ~ £10

Maple Leaf Omega tensioner ~ £2

Crazy Jet barrel ~ £50

Some sort of cheap, but decent scope ~ £50

Spare mags ~ £10 each

Forget the AA unit, You'll get better results with a proper hop arm.

Cheap scope is a fixed 4x40 one. I used mine for years and I got it for £6 new. Now I'm using the same brand 6x40 that costed £12. They have better picture than any variable scope I tried, including expensive ones.

 

I'd agree with @Skara about sniping is not (much) harder but very different, but he said leaf suits are shit so he is my enemy now.

Success is measured with different metrics in sniping. If you count the kills then it's "harder" to snipe than AEGing. Different mindset, different goals.