New to Airsoft; what to buy?

[AirsoftRich]

Hey guys I am new to airsoft.

I have played my first skirmishes on rented equipment and I love it.

working towards my UKARA number so I can buy my own.

 

There is so much choice out there!

 

I want to go down the route of an automatic rifle with a side arm.

I have been to several airsoft shops and spoken to seasoned airsofters at the sites and I have conflicting information (I do understand that weapon choice is very much horses for courses).

I love the TM HK416 Devgru and have researched, read reviews and had many conversations with suppliers and airsofters alike about it.

As far as an OOTB rifle goes it’s pretty top notch and other than the battery conversion really doesn’t need to be messed with.
For a first gun I like this idea because I can have great performance for an amateur without having to upgrade apart from batteries.

 

A couple of guys however have said that you can spend much less on a rifle and then spend money on good spring, mosfet, barrel and hop up and have something as good as the TM if not better but spend less.

 

I don’t know which avenue to go down so I thought I would offer the question up to a wider audience.

 

Looking forward to replies and discussion.

 

TIA.

[Stratton Oakmont]

Tm ngrs

Nothing more to say 

 

[Davegolf]

Get the NGRS, you’ll not be disappointed and if you ever want more performance it’s easily done.

 

It takes a lot of experience, time and patience to make a cheaper gun even perform equally to a stock NGRS.

Much easier to cock it up than make it better 😉

PS whenever I see TIA I think of Blood Diamond 😂

[EDcase]

Welcome AirsoftRich,

 

Do a few searches on the forum about first gun. This question has come up a few times.

 

CYMA, JG, G&G, Specna Arms do have some models that perform quite well out of the box and can be improved if you get into tinkering.

It depends how much you want to spend up front and what your expectations are.

[GAMBLE]

Hi @AirsoftRich 👋

Welcome to the forum, full of advice and like minded players! 🔫🤪👍

Good luck sorting your gear out, watch your bank balance! 🤪👍

💷GAMBLE💷

[AirsoftRich]

Thanks for the replies and warm welcomes so far.

 

@Davegolf That’s exactly what I was thinking.

Being a novice I think I would be better with a well performing OOTB to start with and could possibly upgrade that in the future when I know more.

Afterall it’s a minefield trying to navigate all the parts and options while not being really knowledgeable on airsoft weapons.

I certainly wouldn’t want to spend £100’s to brake it or make it worse not knowing what to buy.

 

@EDcase I have looked at other weapons by other brands.

Since renting equipment (GC36) I learned that I would like an adjustable stock.

I would like a ‘clicky’ fire selector as the one on the rented gun was smooth and I kept knocking it to safe.

I am also aware after big days in the field weight can become an issue.

ofcourse a sling can negate some of this but when aiming it’s still an issue to consider.

 

I am aware that an AEG a pistol and several attachments are going to cost me the thick end of a grand and that’s fine.

I would rather buy quality equipment than have to buy it twice.

 

As for my expectations.

I would like to spend said money and have some out of the box well performing equipment that’s reliable and robust.

So I can enjoy the sport and gain much more experience with as little problems and issues as possible while remaining as competetive as I can for an amateur.

[Davegolf]

Yes all the controls are very good on the NGRS AR series, the ambi is great on the 416 specifically.

They also sport the best hop up system of any AR type AEG out there.

 

NGRS + Dean’s connector + 2x quality LiPo and a charger + 0.25g BBs will see you right for years even if you dont get the upgrade itch.

 

[Impulse]

16 minutes ago, Davegolf said:

Yes all the controls are very good on the NGRS AR series, the ambi is great on the 416 specifically.

They also sport the best hop up system of any AR type AEG out there.

 

NGRS + Dean’s connector + 2x quality LiPo and a charger + 0.25g BBs will see you right for years even if you dont get the upgrade itch.

 

 

I'll second this. I've had mine for 2 years now and all I've done (recently) is swap out the hop rubber, nub and barrel (because I like stainless steel barrels for longevity and I love Maple Leaf rubbers). Left the gearbox well alone and I'm feeding .28s through it to outrange most other people's AEGs, despite only shooting at 0.8J.

 

And that's coming from a person who spends hundreds perfecting their gun builds before starting on a new one. I enjoy techning and tuning my guns, but that NGRS I just... haven't needed to or felt like it's worth doing. It shoots so well anyway and is incredibly reliable as my backup rifle now that I've moved almost completely into the scout sniper / reconnaissance roll.

[Shamal]

1 hour ago, Davegolf said:

 0.25g BBs will see you right for years 

 

How many though?

I had a bottle of 0.25 and they only lasted a weekend🤔

🙂

Regards 

[Davegolf]

Clearly not bought a big enough bottle...

 

[EDcase]

Rich, it sounds like you'll be happiest with the NGRS as Dave said.

Its a big outlay but it should keep you happy for a long time and save you from messing around with others to get them shooting well.

[AirsoftRich]

52 minutes ago, EDcase said:

Rich, it sounds like you'll be happiest with the NGRS as Dave said.

Its a big outlay but it should keep you happy for a long time and save you from messing around with others to get them shooting well.

I think this is the route I’m going to go down to be honest.

By the time I have sought out and purchased a different rifle circa £250 and then bought all parts needed to improve it.

I probably wouldn’t be too far shy of the TM price tag.

Except I wouldn’t have to take a chance hoping to buy the right parts until I have a lot more experience.

 

I think it’s the safer more sensible option to give me some great performance and longevity until I’m confident I know where to go with modifications.

 

Right…… Now on to Pistols 😂

Edited August 26, 2021 by AirsoftRich

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Get the NGRS and a TM sidearm.  You only live once. Why fuck about with enjoying yourself?  

 

Since you don't actually need a pistol; choose what the hell TM you like.  I use a 1911, but my lad has a G18C that he neglects horribly and never cleans.  I've scraped the gunk out of it once since 2016, and it still performs spot on.  

 

You can get a £100 rif to perform wonderfully, but you need a real affinity with tinkering, or a good tech.  The CYMA M14 for example can perform magnificently, but the V7 gearbox is horrid.  

[ImTriggerHappy]

The one thing you need to think about is your play style as while everyone here just shouts get a TM that might not be what is best.

 

The correct ergonomics and weight can make the biggest difference to your day and to my mind trump everything as I can still do well with a gun that shoots like shit but is comfortable in the hand but not the other way.

 

From arm length to hand to speed and agility of player all are things to consider. 

Take the glock mentioned above they are great performing pistols but for my hands they are not a good fit and that drops my accuracy especially at speed by half at least.

 

Look at everything and imagine holding it all day, is the grip good does the trigger and guard suit your fingers, safety switch and mag release are they right. All that effects your day as comfort trumps everything.

[AirsoftRich]

This is all great info guys.

Thank you.

 

As for pistols I have considered Urmarex Colt 17 GBB.

Or

TM Hi Capa GBB (not AEP as I have heard not such good things about ANY AEP’s).

 

@ImTriggerHappy I am very conscious of how it feels in my hands/ arms for both the rifle and pistol.

I would like to have hold of and fettle the guns to find out what they would be like in real time in the sport.

My local dealers have everything secured to the shelving/racking (understandably)

I haven’t yet entered a conversation about handling these items before purchase.

I thought it would be good etiquette to wait until I was resaonably sure I would purchase it before asking the supplier to de-mount the items for closer inspection.

[EDcase]

A pistol is not necessary to start out with. 

Perhaps concentrate on the eye protection and boots which are much more important.

Also consider if you need some kind of webbing or vest to carry mags etc.

[AlphaBear]

You are going about this the right way by asking our community for their advice in regards to which ‘first’ AEG you should buy. Funds aside, (circa £550), any AR/HK TM out of the box is superb. You will not be disappointed. The 416 Devgru is a great looking gun too and it has a good weight to it albeit a tad front heavy do to its rail.  The only thing you really need to do to it is the deans connector mod. Ask the retailer to do that for you. And then of course you will need a few more magazines. Don’t bother with hicaps as the the bolt stop will not work with that type. 
 

And here’s a thing, if you have not used a TM recoil before ask someone at your local site if you can have a go on theirs. 99% of the time peeps will be happy to show you  what they have. 
 

And one more thing as Edcase has said above, get proper boots and proper eye pro. 
 

Ah one more thing too. Don’t go cheap on a decent sling, if you think you need one that is. The last thing you want is a sling from failing and your shiny new pew pew hitting a concrete floor. 

[Rogerborg]

 

11 hours ago, Impulse said:

I'm feeding .28s through it to outrange most other people's AEGs, despite only shooting at 0.8J.

 

I agree that consistency is what gets you effective range.

 

But a 0.28g 1.13J BB with sufficient backspin will go further than an 0.28g 0.8J BB with sufficient backspin, because sadly BBs lack the capacity to keep believing in TM magic once they've left the barrel.

 

However, this is a hobby, and it's all about what makes you feel good.  If you do go with the TM, just stay away from marked distance target ranges, and sweary chaps on YouTube.

[Davegolf]

Aye @Rogerborg that is true, which is the main reason a 500 fps sniper shoots farther.

 

For a new player this level of complexity i feel is not needed, plus most indoor sites wont let you play with a 1.13J / 350 fps gun.

If the player decides to focus their gun on field use or a specific game sites fps / joules limits thats fine, but a whole other subject.

 

In the end a 300 fps TM normally out shoots any 350 fps ACM gun - especially OOTB

 

 

Personally its all the cheeky single shot hits and snap shots that make the game fun for me, not raining a BB shower down from above.

[AlphaBear]

TM OOTB…. that should be a patch 😂

[heroshark]

As far as gbbps go you can't go wrong with the newer gen 15mm bbu TM models.

[heroshark]

And as far as ngrs, I hate to say it as it's the only AEG I own but it's boring, I mainly just run my gbbps and mk23 nbb as my long range gun. The mk23 is pretty sterile too but deadly efficient and I prefer to run light. All that said the ngrs is reliable and I prefer it to running any normal AEG. There are other AEG  Training weapons out there but you hear mixed things. Das is probably the ultimate but a friend of mine spent a fortune on his and had no end of issues. Then again he is one of those cursed people.

[AirsoftRich]

Great feedback thanks guys I am taking it all in.

 

@EDcase I already have some gear.

I went for plate carrier but after the amount of sweat that has been coming out of me I might switch to a belt and yoke set up.

I obviously do have eye pro but this is an issue for me so far.

Said sweat coming off my head and really distorting my view through the goggles.

Of course not being able to remove and clean them until safe zone.

I wear prescription glasses but don’t actually need to wear them as a necessity.

I have considered going for the more ‘ski mask’ type and wearing my glasses underneath.

Even without my glasses I feel these would be better as there would be a seal around hopefully stopping sweat covering the inside.

Any thoughts on this or products that would be suggestable for me to try?

 

I am looking at some new boots.

I have been looking on UKMCPRO.

I have been looking at the lightweight selection.

They all seem pretty decent and not too heavy on the bank balance.

[Davegolf]

All of the best performing things in life are boring, quietly jut getting the job done in the background! 😂

[Lozart]

40 minutes ago, AirsoftRich said:

Great feedback thanks guys I am taking it all in.

 

@EDcase I already have some gear.

I went for plate carrier but after the amount of sweat that has been coming out of me I might switch to a belt and yoke set up.

I obviously do have eye pro but this is an issue for me so far.

Said sweat coming off my head and really distorting my view through the goggles.

Of course not being able to remove and clean them until safe zone.

I wear prescription glasses but don’t actually need to wear them as a necessity.

I have considered going for the more ‘ski mask’ type and wearing my glasses underneath.

Even without my glasses I feel these would be better as there would be a seal around hopefully stopping sweat covering the inside.

Any thoughts on this or products that would be suggestable for me to try?

 

I am looking at some new boots.

I have been looking on UKMCPRO.

I have been looking at the lightweight selection.

They all seem pretty decent and not too heavy on the bank balance.

 

 

I sweat like a paedophile in Mothercare so I feel your pain.

 

Full seal goggles won't stop you sweating and you'll still get some fogging inside them if you don't use either forced convection and/or an anti-fog treatment. Or you can go with mesh (I have some @heroshark mesh and they're great).

If there's one other thing I would recommend as a specs wearer myself - contact lenses. Glasses just gives you an extra set of surfaces to fog up.