Best out of the box AEG Rifle for <£500?

[Werdna]

Hi all, I am looking for recommendations for the best out of the box AEG Rifle for <£500 ideally M4 Platform, accuracy being more important that rate of fire.  Thanks in advance 👍

[Jacob Wright]

TM Recoil? Might be around the £500 mark ish!

[Werdna]

2 minutes ago, Jacob Wright said:

TM Recoil? Might be around the £500 mark ish!

This one? https://www.defconairsoft.co.uk/product/tokyo-marui-recoil-m4-sopmod/

 

[Impulse]

I'm going to go with any TM recoil under £500, which I think is almost all of them.

[Groot]

Op the best out of the box gun is the one where you spend 2mins removing the upper and swapping out the hop rubber for a maple leaf 50 or 60 and the matching omega nub. 

This can be done by the most noobie of noobies and requires literally no skill or knowledge of AEG's to achieve. 

Remove two bolts, lugs. Gently pull upper forwards. Remove hop from barrel, bish bash bosh. You have the most accurate AEG achievable. 

Personally I would avoid recoils like the plague, they are piss poor power out the box and a whore to work on compared to every other AEG on the market. 

I would look at a https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/specna-arms-daniel-defense-mk18-sa-e19-edge

I got one of these second hand an upgrade the hop and spring in under 5mins. It is as good as my 1k Recoil that I sold because they keep breaking after you up the power and ROF. 

Really any AEG with the hop upgraded is going to more accurate than any out of the box AEG and it is sooooo simple to do. 

SO SIMPLE!

 

Don't drink the TM Recoil coolaid. 

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, Groot said:

I would look at a https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/specna-arms-daniel-defense-mk18-sa-e19-edge

 

At that price, I'd be looking at an Edge 2.0 to get the Aster.  Specnas with rubbery Maple Leaf bits are a decent enough shout though.  You could also throw in a ZCI barrel while you're in there and still come in well under that budget.  At a minimum, clean the barrel and hop.

[Adolf Hamster]

really depends on your definition of best.

 

whilst the tm's reputation is mighty, it's not the only gun on the market that shoots well ootb.

 

however as @Groot and @Rogerborg point out a few minor tweaks to a cheaper guns can get them up to that level, especially when you also give them good food.

[Groot]

Bucking

 

https://www.thecageairsoft.co.uk/maple-leaf-macaron-hop-up-rubber-aeg/

 

Nub

 

https://www.thecageairsoft.co.uk/maple-leaf-omega-hop-up-tensioner-nub/

 

How to

 

 

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, Adolf Hamster said:

especially when you also give them good food

 

True that, 0.28g is the minimum that I use in woodland now.

 

And keep your expectations realistic: no amount of money, or belief, will prevent your BBs being effected by wind, rain, or foliage, and nor will they make your targets just sit still and wait for them.

 

I'm perfectly happy and competitive with AEG toys in the £75-£140 range, plus the aforementioned hop rubbers and barrels.  Aftermarket motors add snappiness and rate of fire. After that it's about BBs, getting the hop dialled in, and where you point it.

 

If I were going to spend £500 on an airsoft toy, and the goal was maximum accuracy, i.e. maximum consistency, I'd forget about AEGs and think about trying-then-buying a used HPA package.

 

[leadly]

There are a few of my friends who won't even change the hop rubber. They have the idea that it should work fine out of the factory and shouldn't have to spend any more money to make it work better.

 

They also moan a lot about people not taking their hits, at 60m, with their totally stock £120 Nuprol M4.

[JVacation]

Did someone say DE M904 and keep the extra £300?

[Fatboy40]

5 minutes ago, leadly said:

There are a few of my friends who won't even change the hop rubber.

 

I think they no longer qualify as "friends" then 😉

[Adolf Hamster]

1 minute ago, Rogerborg said:

And keep your expectations realistic: no amount of money, or belief, will prevent your BBs being effected by wind, rain, or foliage, and nor will they make your targets just sit still and wait for them.

 

tbf, you'd be surprised how often you can tag people who just stand around thinking you can't hit them

 

2 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

If I were going to spend £500 on an airsoft toy, and wanted accuracy, i.e. consistency, I'd forget about AEGs and think about trying-then-buying a used HPA rig, e.g. 

 

whilst i do agree, hpa isn't strictly a magic bullet. it still requires the rest of the system (hop, barrel, ammo, etc) to be of a good standard.

 

it will also need dialed in properly, whilst this is easier to do than aeg's they can also be a lot fussier especially with voluming. certain systems, specifically the polarstar jack/F1 open-bolt systems can have real accuracy issues (as in worse than a decent aeg) due to the way they work, with the likes of the F2/Fusion being a bit higher end (ie over-budget).

 

i can't comment on the wolverine stuff having never used it, but they claim closed bolt operation so probably the better pick for this case.

 

of course that's assuming you're happy to deal with the air line (which isn't so bad), weight of the tank (which can be a pain sometimes), getting air (which can be easy if the site does refills or a real problem if they don't) and more importantly the de-facto hatred from other players.

[Groot]

As HPA is the gayteway drug to speedsofting. 

[shadowfacex]

3 hours ago, Groot said:

Personally I would avoid recoils like the plague, they are piss poor power out the box and a whore to work on compared to every other AEG on the market.

Really any AEG with the hop upgraded is going to more accurate than any out of the box AEG and it is sooooo simple to do. 

Don't drink the TM Recoil coolaid. 

 

You’re missing one big sticking point here about TM RIFs: they’re made for a specific market only (Japan) with super fine tolerances due to the specifics of said market (regulations).

 

Picking up any TM gun with the intent to upgrade it is akin to taking a finely crafted katana and trying to add bits of steel to it “ to improve its performance”: it’s pointless and will ruin the reliability of said weapon.

 

As long as you know what you’re buying and you’re fine with it (out-of-the-box performance and reliability), then TM is a perfectly fine choice. It won’t throw 100m but it’s not exactly why people buy them in the first place.

[Groot]

15 minutes ago, shadowfacex said:

 

You’re missing one big sticking point here about TM RIFs: they’re made for a specific market only (Japan) with super fine tolerances due to the specifics of said market (regulations).

 

Picking up any TM gun with the intent to upgrade it is akin to taking a finely crafted katana and trying to add bits of steel to it “ to improve its performance”: it’s pointless and will ruin the reliability of said weapon.

 

As long as you know what you’re buying and you’re fine with it (out-of-the-box performance and reliability), then TM is a perfectly fine choice. It won’t throw 100m but it’s not exactly why people buy them in the first place.

I don't disagree but in the UK if you are running rental power, you will be out range by everyone else on the field. 

The stock hop on the stock TM is fine but it struggles to lift heavier rounds and even getting to it compared to a normal AEG is a pain in the fucking tit. 

 

Don't get me wrong. I am not against expensive AEG's. I am currently sitting here refurbishing all my PTW Pmags

[BigStew]

9 minutes ago, shadowfacex said:

 

You’re missing one big sticking point here about TM RIFs: they’re made for a specific market only (Japan) with super fine tolerances due to the specifics of said market (regulations).

 

Picking up any TM gun with the intent to upgrade it is akin to taking a finely crafted katana and trying to add bits of steel to it “ to improve its performance”: it’s pointless and will ruin the reliability of said weapon.

 

As long as you know what you’re buying and you’re fine with it (out-of-the-box performance and reliability), then TM is a perfectly fine choice. It won’t throw 100m but it’s not exactly why people buy them in the first place.

airsofters can't tell distances most guns out the box will barely hit 50 metres out the box and that's a torso hit. TM are well designed, well made with decent performance that you don't need to do anything to. best shooting TM in my book is the M14 but then you have the CYMA which shoots just as well a third the price but much greater risk of lemon/ being hot.

Just now, BigStew said:

airsofters can't tell distances most guns out the box will barely hit 50 metres and that's a torso hit. TM are well designed, well made with decent performance that you don't need to do anything to. best shooting TM in my book is the M14 but then you have the CYMA which shoots just as well a third the price but much greater risk of lemon/ being hot.

 

[WarriorTed]

Most AEGs are pretty good overall but after buying a fair few rifles and pistols I have found that the tokyo maruis have a level of quality control and finesse (even the package is nice) that the others dont. The NGRS also has the bolt stop and "recoil" which I find adds a bit of fun factor. 

 

Many guns right from the box are shooting similar to the marui  anyway (300ish) ie VFC, krytac (although the newish nautilus 2 gearboxes are more like 345ish), ASG scorpion etc. So it pretty much depends on what extra features you want.

[Sneaky]

3 hours ago, shadowfacex said:

 

You’re missing one big sticking point here about TM RIFs: they’re made for a specific market only (Japan) with super fine tolerances due to the specifics of said market (regulations).

 

Picking up any TM gun with the intent to upgrade it is akin to taking a finely crafted katana and trying to add bits of steel to it “ to improve its performance”: it’s pointless and will ruin the reliability of said weapon.

 

I would say any TM recoil. 

It also helps to have the skills, patience, experience and time to upgrade it yourself with care and attention. 

I did that with mine, happy days and well worth it to "improve its performance".

That's just me.

[Rogerborg]

"Buy a TM recoil because it's got the best parts, then replace them all with bester parts." has a familiar ring to it. Where have I heard that before? 😕

[Lozart]

31 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

"Buy a TM recoil because it's got the best parts, then replace them all with bester parts." has a familiar ring to it. Where have I heard that before? 😕

I'm sure someone made a video about that...

5 hours ago, Groot said:

I am currently sitting here refurbishing all my PTW Pmags

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

7 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

True that, 0.28g is the minimum that I use in woodland now.

 

And keep your expectations realistic: no amount of money, or belief, will prevent your BBs being effected by wind, rain, or foliage, and nor will they make your targets just sit still and wait for them.

 

I'm perfectly happy and competitive with AEG toys in the £75-£140 range, plus the aforementioned hop rubbers and barrels.  Aftermarket motors add snappiness and rate of fire. After that it's about BBs, getting the hop dialled in, and where you point it.

 

If I were going to spend £500 on an airsoft toy, and the goal was maximum accuracy, i.e. maximum consistency, I'd forget about AEGs and think about trying-then-buying a used HPA package.

 

All really well said.

 

In my very humble opinion that everyone's more than welcome to disagree with there are some fantastic bargain AEGs to be had in the sub-£150 range.

Personally (again, my own view...), I prefer the cheaper guns as they are much lighter (plastic), have less to go wrong (no recoil, MOSFETs, ETUs etc) and many come with a plethora of useful features out the box e.g. rail systems, tightbore barrels, half-decent internal gubbins etc. Plus I can afford them...

Changing BB weight can also improve things in outdoor games, accuracy and consistency for one. I've gone to. 25s recently.

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

If I was spending £500 tomorrow as a newbie, I would get a Cyma M14 and ask a decent tech to fit a simple 'fet, tightbore and Maple Leaf bucking.  IIRC a metal toothed piston is a good idea for one too.   You will have a great shooting rifle for around £230 - £250.   As the man above says, recoil systems etc are a pain in  the nuts.  A simple mosfet to protect the titchy trigger contacts on a CYMA is a good idea though I think.  

 

The rest I'd spend on decent boots, eyepro and a minimal set of webbing etc.  

 

The change I'd spend on satisfying post-game burgers, or possibly Curly Wurlys, with a chance of scotch.   

[Groot]

7 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

If I was spending £500 tomorrow as a newbie, I would get a Cyma M14 and ask a decent tech to fit a simple 'fet, tightbore and Maple Leaf bucking.  IIRC a metal toothed piston is a good idea for one too.   You will have a great shooting rifle for around £230 - £250.   As the man above says, recoil systems etc are a pain in  the nuts.  A simple mosfet to protect the titchy trigger contacts on a CYMA is a good idea though I think.  

 

The rest I'd spend on decent boots, eyepro and a minimal set of webbing etc.  

 

The change I'd spend on satisfying post-game burgers, or possibly Curly Wurlys, with a chance of scotch.   

That said. There is a little known law that states all M14's MUST look like this one

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Groot

[SBoardley]

Best out of the box rif I ever owned was the TM m14.  Decent length inner barrel and great hop set up. Do it. Dooo iiit!