Taking recommendations for my first gun/s :)

[PureSilver]

I don't think I've said anything wrong except for the goggles part.

 

Fair enough; we don't all have the same experiences. Over here (the UK, that is) ARES' guns are widely considered externally attractive but internally both fragile and poorly-designed, as well as using unnecessary proprietary parts. That means they break often and when they break it's a complete nightmare to get the parts to repair them. The only ARES guns I'd buy are ones where I don't have any other options - i.e. replicas that aren't made by anyone else. As to the DBoys SCAR, in my admittedly limited experience they're not well made out of not very good materials. It seems to be very common in North America to buy a gun and then completely gut it for upgrades; if you're going to do that, then I can understand why the dirt-cheap DBoys would be attractive - otherwise, I'm afraid I don't see the attraction. I think a Europe vs. North America thing may be going on with your colleague's dislike of G&G, too - in Europe, where muzzle energy is strictly limited, the G&Gs are more than tough enough. In North America, where skirmishes routinely play at 125% of UK power limits, they might not be as reliable.

 

Anyway, to a complete beginner, a gun that is reliable out of the box (e.g. a G&G CM16) is a better idea than a cheaper gun that could be good if upgraded - because upgrades take some practice and experience and that's not the sort of thing beginners have a lot of.

[Takoyaki]

Dude look everyone is allowed their opinion but when yours is the opposite of everyone elses and the experience of so so many and so many years then what do you expect but for people to "oppose" your supreme knowledge and thats not even mentioning the glasses thing........

 

I'm sure he'll be really impressed that you can automatically know his questions that he'll ask before he does but when there are so many legitimate arguements and cases/threads showing how awful the guns you advise are and the money pits they become, hopefully he'll choose to listen to the masses.

I mean I was in the same situation and I was shown and advised what guns were awful like the ARES (everything they make) so did my reasearch and was advised back and forth thereafter

I never said my knowledge was supreme. If you read what I originally said, I specifically claimed I'm not knowledgeable enough, but I know a thing or two about Airsoft that I learned from my co-workers. The part about the glasses is my fault, so I highly apologize on that matter. I think the reason why my store sells knock-offs is probably because bulk-ordering them is cheaper than bulk ordering authentic ones. Who knows!

 

What ARES makes is totally fine in my opinion. I reclarified the situation with my boss, my coworkers, and random people that came into my store. They told me the Dboys SCAR is very good for its price, and ARES Amoeba is very good for its price.

 

One of the customers who didn't have a Dboys SCAR did tell me the internals aren't good, but he did say it's good enough for its price. However, every other customer, my coworker, and Boss did tell me it's very good because of the price and it's accurate. I then went on to our website and read all 5 reviews for the gun and they all mentioned the following: excellent accuracy and cheap. Others mentioned good ROF with 11.1v Lipo. Also, during my 1 year in the store, I have never seen a single SCAR returned nor did I see anyone come to repair it. I've seen customers come to repair their crappy APS guns or A&K Masadas, but never their Dboys SCAR. There's a reason why we've sold more than 10 per month and why my boss bought 20+ more of them for this month's shipment. BTW, they shoot 380-400FPS out of the box. You dare say they aren't good? Maybe Dboys hates the UK and loves Canada instead! Maybe this is a conspiracy where Dboys continues on selling "lemons" to UKers and "apples" to Canada!

 

As for the ARES G36. My Coworker told me the Cyma G36 is better based on internals, but my other co-worker said ARES' one is better. I talked to a couple of customers and they told me the ARES G36 is solid.

 

As for the Amoeba line of weapons. We sold out every single of them and the popular ones were the Amoeba 007, 008, and 009. Again, not a single one of them came back to our store and only one "lemon" was fixed. One came for upgrades and that's all I remember. I talked to one customer and he claimed the ARES Amoeba he owned was very reliable and great!

 

 

Fair enough; we don't all have the same experiences. Over here (the UK, that is) ARES' guns are widely considered externally attractive but internally both fragile and poorly-designed, as well as using unnecessary proprietary parts. That means they break often and when they break it's a complete nightmare to get the parts to repair them. The only ARES guns I'd buy are ones where I don't have any other options - i.e. replicas that aren't made by anyone else. As to the DBoys SCAR, in my admittedly limited experience they're not well made out of not very good materials. It seems to be very common in North America to buy a gun and then completely gut it for upgrades; if you're going to do that, then I can understand why the dirt-cheap DBoys would be attractive - otherwise, I'm afraid I don't see the attraction. I think a Europe vs. North America thing may be going on with your colleague's dislike of G&G, too - in Europe, where muzzle energy is strictly limited, the G&Gs are more than tough enough. In North America, where skirmishes routinely play at 125% of UK power limits, they might not be as reliable.

 

Anyway, to a complete beginner, a gun that is reliable out of the box (e.g. a G&G CM16) is a better idea than a cheaper gun that could be good if upgraded - because upgrades take some practice and experience and that's not the sort of thing beginners have a lot of.

I just remembered there's a Canadian ARES branch here in Canada. Better yet, it's not far from where I live. Therefore, we can easily aquire assistance from ARES and obtain parts when we need to (I think). They even come to big game events too! So to me, all the negativity on ARES is quite strange.

 

Here in Canada, G&G is a terrible gun because the price of their guns reflects on the quality of the gun. If you buy a F2000 from them, it's sure going to last you long. But if you buy a Combat Machine, it's going to break on you due to bad metal or cheap plastic. This is the reason my Boss and coworkers told me. This is also the reason why we don't carry APS. At the store I work at, I've seen people bring in G&G or APS to fix (which are bought from other stores.) more often than any other brand out there (fix my English plz). This is a fact. The next one is probably WE from our store, and maybe A&K. I honestly don't remember, but WE guns often come in for repairs.

 

And here in Canada, $200-$300 is regarded as "cheap." Anywhere below that is a bloody lemon/possible lemon.

 

Well, let me know if I'm wrong on my info, Daca-chan and Pure-chan. I'm simply relaying what I learned off my bad memory.

[Moneyshot]

 

 

generally speaking , this is not *suitcasey* guns as long as you are willing to dump your money in the pit, with enough funds you can turn the most hopeless piece of into some High spead blingbling, so do you have the money?

[JediArron]

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

I am definately leaning towards an M4/M16 design, but I'll play with a few rental guns first, so I don't have to buy the coloured s**t.  No offense.

 

I will post a question thread in the New players section regarding camo and other equiptment.  As for the goggles recommended, I'll have blind faith and order them (the anti-fog £11 ones that the kitten cutie posted)

 

 

See you in the next thread if you make it!

[FireKnife]

but I'll play with a few rental guns first, so I don't have to buy the coloured s**t.  No offense.

 

I think that is the least offensive thing you could say on here. No-one 'wants' the brightly coloured *suitcase* but it is their none the less.

 

'FireKnife'

[Hardcore1-6]

If your *suitcase* is brightly coloured, see a doctor.

[Skarclaw]

 

Finally, you shall not insult my ship girls. Especially the 4 lolis in my sig who are all Imperial Japanese Navy warships. They are currently high profile characters in Japan.

 

This the best thing I have ever read, I think. Its like reading from the mind of a modern day Ignatius from A Confederacy of Dunces!!

[L4byr1nth]

Erm... Have we forgotten where we all started? Follow the time-honoured tradition detailed here.

 

There are three simple steps you need to follow before you start splurging on gucci kit;

 

Step 1: Go to airsoft site on a skirmish day. Pay the green fee plus the rental fee. Turn up in what you want, but DPM jacket, trousers and issue boots is the most traditional method.

 

Receive your rental gun. Ignore how knackered and inadequate it looks, and appreciate it for what it is... Awesome. One hicap goes in the gun when you leave the safezone, the other is stuffed into your DPM jacket or trouser pocket.

 

Bonus points may be obtained here for authenticity if your rental gun is a TM FAMAS.

 

Try not to vomit as you realise the wetness you felt on the strap of your full face mesh mask when you were excitedly putting it on is actually two week old sweat from the previous user.

 

Forget about this as you're called together for the safety briefing.

 

Step 2: As you listen to the briefing (and do please listen, seriously now), assume a dumbstruck-with-awe expression while gawping at the assembled group of Airsoftus Walkonus. The vast array of gear, from the gucci to the ridiculous, will be an excellent introduction into the infinite possible loadout combinations you may wish to pursue.

 

We're a friendly bunch for the most part. If you see a gun you like the look of, introduce yourself, explain that you are new and you don't necessarily know what you're looking at, but by god, do you like it. What brand is it? Where did you get it? Any issues? Same applies to gear and clothing - airsofters can be fashionistas too, especially if they dropped a buttload of cash on their kit, and they love the attention (you know you do).

 

Enjoy the skirmish, take direction and tips from other players, get along and try not to anyone off too much.

 

Go back to the safezone for lunch, continuing to interrogate people about their equipment. Make a list of stuff you like.

 

Bonus points here if you have already managed to lose your spare hicap magazine/broken your rental gun.

 

Rinse and repeat until the end of the day.

 

Step 3: Take the list of stuff you saw that you liked. Write down a clear budget.

 

You definitely don't want to wear the BO rental mask ever again. Buy eye protection. Real men wear mesh.

 

Bet you got blisters after your skirmish, right? You need a decent pair of boots if you did. Gloves are a plus, not 100% necessary.

 

Lose that hicap, did you? Maybe a cheap chest rig or vest would stop that happening again... Aeg should take budget priority, but plenty of stuff can be had for cheap that would work for a beginner and probably in the style of what you want, too.

 

Let us know what you went for in the end!

 

Ben.

[scorch]

Everything he said.

[bankz5152]

+1

 

On my phone my spelling will suck

[Dacascos]

Well I got my first guns finally, oh and some kit.........

 

Thanks for all the advice, now should you not hear for me for some time chances are the woman has walked into our spare room seen all this and burried me in the garden!!

[Dacascos]

Erm... Have we forgotten where we all started? Follow the time-honoured tradition detailed here.

 

There are three simple steps you need to follow before you start splurging on gucci kit;

 

Step 1: Go to airsoft site on a skirmish day. Pay the green fee plus the rental fee. Turn up in what you want, but DPM jacket, trousers and issue boots is the most traditional method.

 

Receive your rental gun. Ignore how knackered and inadequate it looks, and appreciate it for what it is... Awesome. One hicap goes in the gun when you leave the safezone, the other is stuffed into your DPM jacket or trouser pocket.

 

Bonus points may be obtained here for authenticity if your rental gun is a TM FAMAS.

 

Try not to vomit as you realise the wetness you felt on the strap of your full face mesh mask when you were excitedly putting it on is actually two week old sweat from the previous user.

 

Forget about this as you're called together for the safety briefing.

 

Step 2: As you listen to the briefing (and do please listen, seriously now), assume a dumbstruck-with-awe expression while gawping at the assembled group of Airsoftus Walkonus. The vast array of gear, from the gucci to the ridiculous, will be an excellent introduction into the infinite possible loadout combinations you may wish to pursue.

 

We're a friendly bunch for the most part. If you see a gun you like the look of, introduce yourself, explain that you are new and you don't necessarily know what you're looking at, but by god, do you like it. What brand is it? Where did you get it? Any issues? Same applies to gear and clothing - airsofters can be fashionistas too, especially if they dropped a buttload of cash on their kit, and they love the attention (you know you do).

 

Enjoy the skirmish, take direction and tips from other players, get along and try not to ###### anyone off too much.

 

Go back to the safezone for lunch, continuing to interrogate people about their equipment. Make a list of stuff you like.

 

Bonus points here if you have already managed to lose your spare hicap magazine/broken your rental gun.

 

Rinse and repeat until the end of the day.

 

Step 3: Take the list of stuff you saw that you liked. Write down a clear budget.

 

You definitely don't want to wear the BO rental mask ever again. Buy eye protection. Real men wear mesh.

 

Bet you got blisters after your skirmish, right? You need a decent pair of boots if you did. Gloves are a plus, not 100% necessary.

 

Lose that hicap, did you? Maybe a cheap chest rig or vest would stop that happening again... Aeg should take budget priority, but plenty of stuff can be had for cheap that would work for a beginner and probably in the style of what you want, too.

 

Let us know what you went for in the end!

 

Ben.

Out of all the advice I have received since getting into this game this by far has to be the best and well written explanation ever!!

 

***bows***

 

It literally coves every angle without any personal feelings on this gun or that load out, its just straight up and realistic. Hats off to you dude, I may even quote you elsewhere! 

[Hardcore1-6]

Five Six? loadouts?

By the gods..

EDIT: Can't count.

[scorch]

Out of all the advice I have received since getting into this game this by far has to be the best and well written explanation ever!!

 

***bows***

 

It literally coves every angle without any personal feelings on this gun or that load out, its just straight up and realistic. Hats off to you dude, I may even quote you elsewhere! 

 

He's always been one for good advice since back when I started.

 

 

Bold choice with the set of ABU there. I like it.

[Dacascos]

Yup 6 full loadouts and rigs, slings, holsters etc etc 

 

ABU's arent so bold when your jobs to train the guys that wear them lol

[Dacascos]

Just need 4 more rifles and 5 more sidearms, them peoples to fill my militia haha 

[Gigueand]

I wrote this post a while back and break it out from time to time to answer questions like these:

 

 

 
It's hard to go wrong selecting a gun provided you buy a reasonably priced AEG from a mainstream company.

For example,

Tokyo Marui
Classic Army
G&P
G&G
VFC
King Arms
Ares
KWA
ICS

Guns from the above companies should work well straight out of the box and shouldn't require any fixes.

Other "clone," "All China Made" (ACM) or low-price companies like

JG
Dboys
Cyma
A&K

make products that range vastly in quality and may often need a tune-up straight out of the box. I wouldn't recommend them for a first gun unless you're willing to do some work to get them skirmish worthy. I'm not saying these guns are terrible; they're not, but they are, generally, of lesser quality than the AEGs produced by the "mainstream" companies.

Now you'll probably get a lot of opinions about which companies are best/worst, which companies build the most reliable rifles, etc. That said, what you should do is settle on a particular rifle model (M4, M16, AK, G36, P90, etc) and then conduct some research to determine which company makes a reliable version of that model at a price point that you can afford.

For example, if you're interested in a G36, then you've got a variety of companies that you can look at including:

Tokyo Marui
Classic Army
Ares
JG
SRC

These companies produce G36s of varying quality at different price points and with different features.

So you've got to take some time and look at each company's G36 offering and determine which is best for you based on how much money you've got and other considerations like reliability.

 

 

You will learn a huge amount by actually going to a site and playing with a variety of different guns. Despite doing some research into a particular rifle, there's nothing like actually hold a given AEG to provide you with a "feel" for that gun. Try to play with the guns that you are interested in before putting down cash. Most airsofters are decent folks and will be happy to give you a fondle of their AEG or even let you play a round or two with it.


In addition, as you delve into the gun buying process, you'll soon be overtaken by the urge to buy extra magazines and some sort of loading bearing kit or plate carrier.

RESIST this urge.

Remember, all you need to play is GOOD EYE PROTECTION, a gun, a high capacity magazine, batteries, batter charger and decent footwear.

Once you've got a gun, play a few games and figure out what works for you before making a big investment.

In my opinion, if you've got a $400 budget, it's far better to spend the majority of that money on a rifle, spare batteries and eye protection than dilute it in order to buy extra magazines and the equipment to carry it.

 

 

As regards the Dboys SCAR-H, it is possibly the worst engineered AEG I've ever laid my hands on. Simply the way it all fits together and the way the hop-up unit is held in place makes it difficult to get back together correctly if, God help you, you've disassembled it.

[Dacascos]

hahaha I think the same of the version 3 gearbox!

[hudsons89]

Keep in mind that you'll change your mind about what you want a few times. I have about 3 half load outs because I keep seeing new shiny things. 

 

My new technique is to make a wish list, play for a couple of games and see if you will actually use the item in mind.

 

That being said, its pretty easy to sell and reinvest in Airsoft. 

[JackofBlades2448]

God yeah, Ive gone from 1980's HRT to chinese PLA honour guard to west german secret police...

 

The only thing thats never changed is my obbsession with AK varients and early AR15's.