How to get started in Airsoft, Ogre's Advice

[Ogre]

I've thought about doing this thread for awhile do to the recent "how do I get started in Airsoft/what guns should I get" threads we've had in the past few months. While I am no expert by far, I am going to share my own experiences as well as stuff that a lot of the forum has generally stated when it comes to picking up your first AEG.

I've owned a lot of AEG's over the years, Echo1. JG, CYMA, G&G and KWA to be exact. By far what I have found to be the most bang for your buck is the G&G Combat machines, and a lot of forum members seem to agree. I don't mean to be a G&G fanboy here, but I am. They are an excellent choice for a starter for these reasons.

1) The Combat Machine line are all well constructed replicas, made of strong ABS plastic with metal internals. Although the body is plastic, it can survive quite a beating, I took a fall on mine and I am 230lbs and mine was unscathed, your mileage may vary however.

2) G&G are known for the reliability of their gearboxes, many people on this forum can vouch for that. I have played roughly 6 ops with mine, no upgrades other than an H nub and a tightbore barrel, and countless other private games. I have put a good two years worth of stress on the gun with no issues yet, again your mileage may vary.

3) The price point is fairly reasonable. $150 gets you the gun if you shop right, you can have a smart charger and a 9.6V 1600mah battery for another 30, I have found the best deals on amazon, you may find better deasl by shopping around or buying used.

4) G&G Combat Machines chrono under 350 fps, which means you will be able to play both field and CQB, this is the main reason I love my Combat Machine.

Don't fall for the tricks some of the clone companies try to pull you in with. They may advertise the replicas as "ready to play" but they are far from it. Lets take CYMA for example. My very first AEG was an AK I got for $200 from Gander Mountain. (Was really only worth $120 on evike) The gun came with a battery, a wall charger and a high cap. Ready to play right? Wrong. What they don't tell you is that little 8.4v 1000 mah battery they send you is ONLY meant for testing, and will not last you more than an hour and a half of play, you never want to charge your batteries on a wall charger. The reason being is that wall chargers can possibly overcharge your batteries if you are not careful, which will reduce your battery life. Smartchargers will tell when your battery is at it's limit and stop charging. Smart chargers will also charge your battery fast. For me to charge an 9.6v 1600mah battery it only takes me about 45-60mins as opposed to a wall charger taking 6 hours.

Another trick I've seen clone companies use is that they will chrono there replicas with .12s. So while you think that awesome AK you just picked up is shooting 460 fps (which is way to hot for any event unless it is semi auto with a 50ft engagement distance), is actually shooting around 380fps with .20s. High FPS is a trick companies often use as a selling point Stick with the stock FPS for a while since it's all you need at this time. FPS does not outright equal range, so focus on your barrel and hop system since it will give you better range and accuracy than more FPS. Working on the hop up is easier than opening the gear box so it is a good place to get started. Besides with R-hop on the market, that kind of FPS is uneaded in AEG's unless you are filling the role of a Sniper or a DMR.

Which brings me to the my next point. You've now spent $180 on a decent replica, mag, battery and charger. Now you need to get eye pro. Here on MiA we only use FUll Seal eye protection, So those run of the mill shooting glasses you have, won't cut it anymore. A good pair of Eye Pro, shouldn't set you back more than $50. I recommend Flak Jaks, but I know their are better googles out there so any of MiA players feel free to chime in. I will be updating this thread in the next few days as I am strapped for time right now.

So now you have spent a total of $230, Now what? Say your budget is $300, spend that extra 70 on a camo of your choosing and you are all set. Protip, order from the same website to save on shipping costs. Now you are all set up the next Airsoft game you would like to attend for a minimum amount of money. See you on the field.

You can find everything you need to get started at these links

Combat Machine: www.amazon.com/Airsoft-Machine-High-Performance-Gearbox-Integrated/dp/B005CBQISA

Battery: www.amazon.com/1600mAh-Butterfly-Battery-Connector-11423/dp/B001LGW32A/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_y

Charger: www.amazon.com/Tenergy-Universal-Smart-Charger-Battery/dp/B003MXMJX8/ref=pd_sim_sg_2

Eye Pro: www.amazon.com/ESS-Profile-Issue-Foliage-Green/dp/B005KGRIH2/ref=sr_1_7?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1391791272&sr=1-7&keywords=ess+goggles

Camo: You can find anything on Amazon or Ebay. I prefer Marpat, which can be found cheaply on amazon or ebay. However most people will recommend M81 woodland as it is cheap and abundant, and blends fairly well in michigan.

EDIT: this is far from finished

[Snarf]

This is great. I too have noticed the mass of "what gun should I get threads" and over and over people recommend the CM overall. You also linked to the ESS goggles which are always good deals on ebay.

There's obviously a ton of information that could potentially be added, but personally I would just like to say that for your first gun, don't get a rare/unique model. By this I mean don't get something with a lot of proprietary parts (it makes it hard to upgrade/fix) and it's also good to stick with something that uses STANAG magazines (my first AEG was a SCAR that requires using $30 proprietary VFC mags). That's going to save you a bit of money, and tons of people have experience with these gun models (cough cough AR variants). That's just my two cents; I'm sure the more experienced members will have good stuff to add as well.

[X]

I feel like you're attempting to recreate the newbie stickies that we already have in this section. Instead of starting from scratch I would just work on updating what we already have.

Also,

The reason being is that wall chargers will overcharge your batteries if you are not careful

That is not true. Wall chargers charge at such a slow rate that when the battery is full it's able to dissipate the extra energy in the form of heat (that's why your battery gets hot when its done). So long as the charger is charging at 0.1C or less then it should not cause any damage. If the charger charges too fast and does not stop then the battery could get too hot, but the wall chargers that get shipped with cheap guns are slow chargers.

[Ogre]

Feb 7, 2014 17:18:25 GMT -5 X said:

I feel like you're attempting to recreate the newbie stickies that we already have in this thread.

Yes and no. I am focusing specifically on G&G since they are the most recommended replica on this forum for beginners. I'm using information from several stickied and non stickied threads. I'm trying to offer a quick cheap setup for beginners while trying not to overwhelm them with details.

Parts are similar but I think this is different enough to warrant a thread. I'm actually hoping this does get stickied and we see some more G&Gs on the field, because they are nice replicas.

[TheEnd]

Feb 7, 2014 8:27:37 GMT -5 Ogre said:

High fps doesn't help a stock gun much anyways. Because of poor barrel quality, a gun with high fps will actually be less accurate due to the bb bouncing around in the barrel as it travels. The fps will increase your range but decrease your over all grouping, which translates directly to less accuracy.

You can't make a blanket statement about this. First, you imply stock replicas all come with poor quality barrels. I'm sure there is a large difference in barrel quality from a Double Eagle UMP to something like a G&P. While I wouldn't call any stock barrel I've come across high quality I definitely wouldn't call them all poor quality. Stock replicas come with a variety of barrel diameters such as 6.08 and 6.04 and different build materials such as coated aluminum, brass, and stainless steel. There are far too many variables here to just say all stock barrels are poor quality.

To make it more difficult not all bb's are the same size. Some mic out at 5.95 and others 5.97. The issue is using a 5.95bb in a 6.08 barrel will give you different tolerances than 5.97bb in a 6.04 barrel. This is why you can't just say a 6.03 is better than a 6.01. You can say something like given the same size bb 6.03 is better than 6.01.

Unless I missed a really good discussion we still haven't proved how a bb travels down a barrel. I've seen barrel pressure testing simulations but still no evidence of how it all works together. Some think there is an air pocket surrounding the bb, others think the hop up effect causes it to ride the top of the barrel. I still believe the bb rides the top of the barrel with an air cushion below it of varying size depending on the bb to barrel tolerences. I believe this because of classic airsoft long range barrels (LRB) having a curved bore. While I understand the BV system does have a moving barrel, I still think that if the bb wasn't riding the top of the barrel the LRB would have no effect. I have a lot more to say, but seeing as this is aimed an newer players they are probably already lost.

Lastly, I would suggest against saying that FPS increases your range. Given the same hop up chamber a rifle shooting hotter may shoot further but there isn't a solid way to quantify it due to the variations in said hop up system. It could lead to those people who feel 398 isn't as good as 400 because they get a little more range (I've dealt with that guy before). I also object to the increase in FPS equals a decrease in grouping statement. My NPAS equipped GBBR was just as accurate at 450 as it was at 350. Again, a whole lot more to be said, but this is a new person friendly thread.


To be blunt, blanket statements are what cause so many misconceptions in airsoft. I understand that this is a new person friendly thread which is aiming to stay at a new person level. The issue is you are giving a brief and misleading statement about a huge area of the mechanics. I would re write this area in a way that states

"Hey you're new here, stick with the stock FPS for a while since it's all you need at this time. FPS does not outright equal range, so focus on your barrel and hop system since it will give you better range and accuracy than more FPS. Working on the hop up is easier than opening the gear box so it is a good place to get started."

Really drive home that they will get more from simple easy stuff and that high FPS doesn't scare or impress people. Sprinkle in some advice about higher FPS wearing on your trigger contacts, piston rack, sector gear, and such. Maybe a line suggesting that too high FPS won't let you play (I was worried in my first game that my rifle would shoot hot and I wouldn't be able to play). I like that you stated the 350 fps is good for CQB and outdoors and that you hinted to high FPS being rated with .12's. I would tie these areas together and explain that 350 is a good amount to start with since it is versatile, will get you in at any game, and during your first games won't hinder you at all. That way you don't need a section detailing the theory of hop up and barrel diameters and such. Keep it simple, keep it light.

I don't mean to be hard on you. When I worked as a tech I dealt with people wanting all sorts of stupid things done. Guy dropped off a JG G36C, a Systema M170, a JBU 650mm 6.01 tight bore, and what looked like a giant piece of PVC pipe painted black for a DRM (not misspelled) build. I didn't even know where to begin to explain how wrong it was. Any article that helps the newer people get started down an easy path is worth writing in my opinion. If this clashes with the new player stickies, maybe retitle it as how you got started in the sport? Hell, maybe having an easy to find area or section devoted to how people got started and what mistakes they made would be fun to read and help new people? I remember a post like that but I think it is buried now.

/Gigantic post

[Snarf]

What makes this thread different though is that it states a specific "gun to get." MIA's other noob advice threads are really good, but they are just helpful guides to picking your own gun. While some people do have the patience to do research and put in the leg work to get a good gun, many are just too lazy or ignorant and they inevitably create a "what gun" thread. This thread hopefully will reduce that because it flat out says what gun to get. You guys can go ahead and debate the reasoning behind Ogre's recommendations but in all honesty, a lot of people won't read it. I think you should just state which gun/what gear to get, and be done with it. You can link to the other newbie advice threads, for the benefit of the people who actually read the stuff. All of the extra information, while valuable, probably will just overwhelm some people initially. So basically just appeal to the lower common denominator in this thread, because people who want deeper information can easily find it in the other threads.

[marine121496]

Feb 7, 2014 8:27:37 GMT -5 Ogre said:

Because of poor barrel quality, a gun with high fps will actually be less accurate due to the bb bouncing around in the barrel as it travels. The fps will increase your range but decrease your over all grouping, which translates directly to less accuracy. Besides with R-hop on the market, that kind of FPS is uneaded in AEG's unless you are filling the role of a Sniper or a DMR.

If you don't mind me pointing out somewhat ironically, G&G CMs have the worst stock barrels I have seen in an AEG.

[slippy]

The things that bothers me quite a bit is that there is no single right item to buy in almost any situation. The great and confusing thing for new players is that there are so many options. We can recommend what to stay away from but at the end of the day what they want is what they are going to get. When I first got into airsoft all I saw was G&G G&G G&G. However my starting budget for a blaster wasn't that low so I jumped right into a KWA SR-12.

Being specific is good. A CM is a great little starter gun. But there are much better guns to be had.

[Ogre]

Edit made, threw in what the TheEnd said about sticking to the stock FPS fps for awhile, removed some sketchy information and changed the part about wall chargers to they can overcharge your battery depending on the quality of the charger.

[kleaner]

Hi all, so I got my gun (elite force CQC M4) but no where to play. If I'm just getting in to the sport is it wise to jump in to a small backyard shoot my kids type game? Or right in to a full out scenario large scale game?

[Ogre]

Find a recreational game and attended. It's not Backyard but it isn't a full blown scenario either. Meet up with a few forum members at a game and play with them. After you attend a few recs and learn how we do things around here. Get some more gear and attend one of the major OPs.

Welcome to the forum's brother, enjoy your stay.