Thinking about trying this out.

[pippocola]

Hi, I'm Gerald.
I ETS from the Army in a month and I'm moving back to Michigan to school and stuff. I do not own an airsoft gun, but I have a whole lot of multi cam stuff just laying around now. Airsoft seems like something I could get into, or at least try it out. Any advice on where to start or how to get myself involved in the community?

If the mags are the same size I can use my tactical tailor rack I suppose. If anyone could help me out on what kind of PPE I should be using and where to shop around for a gun, it would be most appreciated. I was an airborne infantryman for 4 years and deployed to Afghanistan twice so I shouldn't be that bad at first. At least I hope. From what I've seen it looks like Airsoft can be really fast paced.

V/R
Gerald

[Tank]

The mags I use, MAG brand, are a little shorter than a PMAG and a little wider. The dimensions are not different enough to make them not fit a standard pouch.

As for a primary, if your on a budget, the standard weapon of choice is going to be a G&G Combat Machine. This is an M4 style gun. Sticking to the M4 platform is going to be your best bet for your first gun due to availability of parts, and variety of accessories.

If you have more money to work with, you have to decide what is most important to you. If realism is most important, than I'm told you can't go wrong with a gun made by G&P. From what I understand you will have to mess with and tune the inner workings of the gun fairly early on though. The outside detail is worth it however if realism is most important to you. If performance/reliability is most important to you, personally I don't think you can go wrong with a full metal gun made by KWA. There will be others that will steer you to a Tokyo Marui (these guns have a plastic receiver, but are awesome performers) as well as back to a G&G with a full metal receiver. The Combat Machine mentioned earlier had a plastic receiver, but is still solid.

There are many other brands out there, and everyone has their favorite. I only touched on a very small sample, but I feel they are some of the best choices.

As for where to shop, your best bet is online. I usually start my searching for product in stock at Airsoft GI and Evike. I them move on to Airsoft Extreme and Airsoft Atlanta next, if I can't find what I want. Some new favorites of mine are now Crazy Cromags and Amped Airsoft. These two are closer to Michigan so your package will get here sooner and they see great guys. I met them at the last game I attended and was very happy with their service. There are many other places out there to shop, we have a vendor section, on this forum, that has some reviews of the various stores.

The only place I don't recommend is Airsplat. I have purchased stuff from them twice, and both times the product was used. The second time it was not functional, without repair, and they wanted to make me pay for return shipping. I will never do business with them again.

Welcome to the forum, sorry I didn't get to this part sooner. Make sure to check out the event threads to find games in whatever area you will be living. Read through our stickies, if you haven't already, they will help you immensely. We even have one to help you pick your first gun. It is generally preferred that you do your own research and decide for yourself, but I thought I would just give you a head start. I would still recommend that research, before you buy.

[Crapshoot]

Another local website is Airsoft Smith, they are in Columbus, so your order will get to you in 1-2 days.

And welcome to the forums.

[Tank]

Aug 3, 2012 10:00:00 GMT -5 Crapshoot said:

Another local website is Airsoft Smith, they are in Columbus, so your order will get to you in 1-2 days.

And welcome to the forums.

I knew I forgot one! Yes this place will get your stuff to you super quick. I ordered a couple of supressors from them, UPS ground, and they got here the next day.

[M.S.-ARC]

What part of the state are you located at? If you're closer to the east side, I'd be more than happy to loan you out some stuff for a game so you can get a feel for it without having to spend a lot of money.

[pippocola]

Wow. Thanks for all the info guys. I guess its time for me to start shopping around. And I'm going to be around the Novi/Northville area when I first get back to Michigan. I probably won't be there till mid September, because I'm driving home from Alaska. Thank you again for all the info and for welcoming me.

[M.S.-ARC]

Cool. So you'll be in the area then. Get a hold of me when you arrive and I'll show you around whenever there's a game so you can get to know the MIA community.

[Fear Roback]

Welcome Brother

[alexbuechel]

Hey pippocola.

First off I want to say thank you. Thank you for what you did and signed up to do with a large part of your life for our families and nation.

OK, my two cents.

I'm fairly new as well. The first thing I would recommend honestly is be realistic about your expectations and what you want. What I'm saying is, if you want to be all decked our or just want to pick up a rifle and shoot with some friends try and prep for that. Go out a couple times and figure our how far you want to take it. You might love it and play every weekend, or you might just enjoy it and want to play a couple times a year. That should have a lot to do with all decisions you make. I do encourage you to skip shipping at walmart or dicks for your gear.

Tank poster a really nice breakdown for you. I will second the G&G Combat Machines. Although it is not what I run, I do own one and could not tell you enough great stuff about it. There are a few different models and sizes, colors and versions. I would strongly recommend this one: www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?products_id=7285 It;s pretty great. Although almost entirely plastic the punch it has is pretty solid. It shoots well and is very user friendly. The price is more than right for what you get. It's an amazing starter gun with good resale value. So should you find you didn't like the sport it would not be long before you can get rid of it.

I myself am a masada and scar fan. I have a VFC Scar which is a little more expensive. I would not recommend a purchase like this if you have any doubts about playing for a while. They are a bit harder to sell and the up front cost is way higher.

I strongly agree with sticking to the M4 type. Mostly because or the accessories. Should you chose something like a scar or masada you will find that they use most m4 parts, mags, rails, accessories so that is not a bad way to go either. Also by the sound of it you will likely already be geared for it so all you'll need is a rifle

As you would know, investing in a good pair of boots when you are out there can make or break a day for you. Airsoft is pretty much the same way but has a lot more leeway. There are many levels and qualities, so in the end it all depends on what you want, how you want to look, and how you want to play.

If you can, before you purchase I would recommend going out to a game and see if you can borrow a friends gun. Or go to an indoor facility and rent one.

I like to use:
Airsoft GI
Evike
Airsoft Depot.ca - but shipping sux. I go out to Toronto frequently to visit my brother so that is usually not an issue for me
DragonRedAirsoft was awesome to me when I got my helmet. It's the only time I got anything there but it left a good feeling with me.


edit. forgot to mention stores