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Post by Gimpalong on Jul 16, 2013 15:49:56 GMT -5
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.
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.
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Post by slippy on Jul 16, 2013 17:25:02 GMT -5
A buddy of mine bought a Masada, big mistake. First op he fell and the latch for the folding stock said goodbye, and then the second op up until now it has a major motor height problem so it chews through bevel gears like crazy. Maybe he got a lemon, I don't know, but ymmv. Good luck with picking your first blaster and welcome! Any idea what Brand Masada? I've heard good things mostly. A&K. It was just really shoddy. Like I said, he MIGHT have got a lemon but that's just my personal experience on it.
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Post by Phantom Reaper on Jul 16, 2013 17:27:08 GMT -5
Any idea what Brand Masada? I've heard good things mostly. A&K. It was just really shoddy. Like I said, he MIGHT have got a lemon but that's just my personal experience on it. From what I've heard about the A&K Masada's is they're hit or miss.
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Post by slippy on Jul 16, 2013 17:29:53 GMT -5
Yea, he's sorry he bought it. His words are "I should have dropped the extra cash on a KWA".
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Post by Dallas on Jul 16, 2013 19:38:20 GMT -5
My brother owns one (A&K Masada), and it's not a pretty sight. The whole gearbox was a pending disaster after about a year. Also, the mag-well is too big and causes feeding issues with a lot of magazines we've tried. You really should look for something else besides the A&K... I'd personally suggest this fine G&P: www.evike.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_44_219&products_id=37644Plenty of rail space and very aesthetically appealing, not to mention killer performance out of the box.
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Post by Phantom Reaper on Jul 16, 2013 19:56:46 GMT -5
My brother owns one (A&K Masada), and it's not a pretty sight. The whole gearbox was a pending disaster after about a year. Also, the mag-well is too big and causes feeding issues with a lot of magazines we've tried. You really should look for something else besides the A&K... I'd personally suggest this fine G&P: www.evike.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_44_219&products_id=37644Plenty of rail space and very aesthetically appealing, not to mention killer performance out of the box. There are other Masada's, just I think the A&K one is the one closest in his price range.
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Post by Bishop (Task-Force Nightmare) on Jul 16, 2013 21:16:30 GMT -5
Go big or go home, systema ptw all the way.
But on a serious note G&G Combat Machines are nice and will withstand a pretty big beating. I also recommend KWA CQR mod 1 or 2 depending on your barrel length preferences, for $189 not to shabby for a 2GX Gearbox.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards
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Post by sneakytiger on Jul 16, 2013 22:27:08 GMT -5
In all honesty, the easiest solution is find yourself a good gun tech that can rebuild the gun for you. Then get a gun that is what you want in terms of ergonomics, and make sure it has either a version 2 or version 3 gearbox (IMO). Then the internals really don't matter, get a list from your tech of what he thinks needs upgraded, and go to clandestineairsoft.com to buy the parts. It really is the cheapest site to buy airsoft parts from, and I can vouch for the quality of several specific pieces if you need help picking. A rebuilt custom made gearbox will always be better than anything you can buy stock. You could buy a $500 VFC 416, but compared to the $200 gun that someone put $100 worth of upgrades in, its going to be terrible in comparison internally. Just my 2 cents on the matter. Also, before you buy ANYTHING, make sure you head to a game, and ask people if they will let you hold and shoot their guns. If your polite, and explain why it is you would like to hold their gun, most people would love to give it to you if not just to show it off. I know my build gets passed around for quite awhile after every game and I like to believe it helps some newer players out on deciding if they like a certain piece of kit or not.
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Post by Puma1 on Jul 16, 2013 23:04:24 GMT -5
I'm glad your not like me, and thought sniping would be an awesome idea. Snipers are money pits, through and through.
I found that out the hard way at no limits over the weekend, where I saw about 30 combat machines of different ages and styles, all still working nearly flawlessly. As ive never owned one (but will soon!!!!), I can only say that they seem to be the tanks in Airsoft. Masada's look really nice, but as everyone seems to have said, expect it to break. They seem to be really hit or miss. For me, I almost quit Airsoft due to all of the complications I've had with the guns. My first AEG had a wiring problem, and my two snipers broke a sear and tore a bucking. My hard earned money will be going towards a combat machine, simply because I KNOW they work.
MY vote, G&G CM. Reasoning: I'm paying out 150$ for a gun. Your paying 200$ The next 100$ I'll be spending is for a tightbore barrel, silencer, and a new cylinder. Your next 100$: replacing either a motor, some gears, a GB, or any of the other things that could go wrong. Total: 250$ for a great field gun, and standard RIS rails You: 200$ for the gun, 100$ to possibly fix it, and then ~100 to customize it to your liking. Spend 250$ and maybe 45 minutes installing Spend 400$ and upwards of 4 hours fixing.
It's your choice. But I'd have to say the Masada loses
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Post by slippy on Jul 17, 2013 10:47:58 GMT -5
In all honesty at the end of the day it's your money, all we can do is help guide you. IMO I wouldn't even touch the masada. It is a pretty cool looking gun, kind of small for my taste, but when I pick out a new blaster it's for the primary sake of reliability and aesthetics are secondary for me.
My KWA SR-12 has close to 50k rounds through it and still screams while being completely stock aside from the TB I installed. In all honesty the only reasons why I upgraded to a polarstar is ease of tuning, uber reliability and one hell of a warranty.
If you want the masada then I believe Sneakytiger said it best. Find a tech and lay out sort of an upgrade plan.
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Vic (Rattlehead)
New Member
I will strike when the iron is hot, and bend it to my will.
Posts: 332
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Post by Vic (Rattlehead) on Jul 17, 2013 11:40:16 GMT -5
K I appreciate all the responses, so I'll try responding to everyone appropriately. But first, I'd like to let you guys know that after an overwhelming response regarding the Masada and the G&G, I've decided completely against the Masada, and am now looking at the G&G. I guess it grew on me haha @m.S.-ARC I read your advice and I'm actually heading to a rec game on Saturday at Futureball, gonna get a rental there so I'll get to see what everybody's using. If I see something I like I'll definitely ask questions. As so many people have strongly recommended, I am looking into the G&G, but I'm not scared of asking someone if I see something I like. Thanks for the advice! deuce I'll give that one a look, but as I've said, it's hard to think against the G&G now, since it's gotten such a positive vote of confidence. I'll still give it a look over, thanks for the response! Fish I think out of all the advice I've read here, the key words I needed to hear were "when it's your first gun and you don't have a back up, you need something that's going to work". That really made me realize what you were trying to say. Following that, I decided that the Masada was a really bad idea, and I started looking at the G&G Combat Machine. They have a few different models, and I'm trying to stay away from the GBB models, but there's a few different ones. I found a couple really good deals on eBay, one in particular with a Valken 8.4v 1600mAh and a smart charger for under $200. I'm not sure if, when you recommended the G&G, did you mean any G&G CM or just the raider model? Like would this(http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-G-R8-L-Combat-Machine-M4-Airsoft-AEG-B-/360692600790?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53faf44fd6) be a good idea? If not I was looking at this package deal(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Airsoft-G-G-Combat-Machine-CM16-Raider-Valken-Energy-Combo-Black-/161067364634?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25805cf11a), but obviously I want to research it some more, plus I'm gonna go to that rec game before anything. slippy Thanks for the welcome! It's much appreciated! Yeah your comment is basically what made me decide the Masada was too much of a gamble for my first gun. I'd rather have a reliable gun first, and later I can get a project gun that I can upgrade. Thanks for your input! @ogre (Formerly Rabbit) Thanks for the input! I might be trying a rental AK at futureball this Saturday, so I'll see how I like it, however I'm not much of a fan of the G36 platform. The MG36 is pretty sexy looking in a support gunner role, but the standard G36 assault rifle line doesn't really appeal to me. If I see one Saturday, maybe I'll see if I can handle it, and then maybe we'll see. As far as AKs go, my love for them is a closet-affair. I KIND of like them, but I can't admit it to myself haha. I'm not a fan of wood hardware though, so If I was gonna get an AK it'd have to be an AK-74M, those are sexy as hell(Thanks, Battlefield 3). phantom Reaper If I do get to handle one and like it, I'll remember that! That's what appealed to me about the Elite Force M4 CQB, it also has a quick change spring system, which means I could swap in an M120 and play on the field, or go back stock and play CQB. I'm more interested in field play, but I like the compact size of CQB guns. It's so complicated!!! ghost Thanks for the heads up! I'm strongly leaning against the G&G now, but you're the first one to mention a problem with the motor. I'll look that one up! I don't know how much work is involved with replacing a motor, but since I'm studying auto/motorcycle mechanics, I suppose airsoft internals can't be THAT complicated! Thanks to everyone for all the input! I'm most likely gonna be going to Future Ball on Saturday for a rec game, and I'll get a rental there, so I'll see how it works. Hopefully, If I don't forget, I'll let you guys know when I get my primary, and right now, the G&G is looking very good for the position! Of course, if anyone is willing to provide more input, I'd be more than thankful for that! Also, while I'm here, I am still a LITTLE attached to the Elite Force M4 CQB, so if someone could give me some pros and cons on that one, preferably out of experience, I'd appreciate it, but the G&G is definitely in 1st place right now.
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Vic (Rattlehead)
New Member
I will strike when the iron is hot, and bend it to my will.
Posts: 332
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Post by Vic (Rattlehead) on Jul 17, 2013 22:08:29 GMT -5
@everyone I didn't mention in the previous post; Thank you all for the thorough input! I didn't refresh the page and by the time I had posted my reply I realized there had been like 10 more! Anyhow, I guess to wrap it up, I really still do love the Masada, so if next year I'm well established in the sport of airsoft, maybe I'll go the upgrade route. I'll have to see, but for now I think I'll try the G&G Combat Machine. I haven't re-tallied the votes but it seems 9/10 of you guys recommend it, and I do like the look of it now, and if it's half as reliable as you guys claim, I should have no problems with it! Not sure what brand of mags I'll get, but hope to get some midcaps, so long as they feed reliably. I'll keep you guys posted, and I'll try to update here whenever I get it, but for now, I've got a rec game on Saturday at Futureball, I'll have to see how that goes.
Speaking of which, is anybody here attending that rec game at Futureball this Saturday? It'd be cool to see some of you there! And if someone there has a G&G that'd be a plus!
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Post by slippy on Jul 17, 2013 22:33:00 GMT -5
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Post by Ogre on Jul 17, 2013 23:07:17 GMT -5
Not sure if anyone already suggested this but the KWA CQBR? It's going to out preform G&G in aspects of reliability and ROF and is only about 30 dollars more expensive (I think 189 on evike?)
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Vic (Rattlehead)
New Member
I will strike when the iron is hot, and bend it to my will.
Posts: 332
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Post by Vic (Rattlehead) on Jul 17, 2013 23:09:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the link! I'm right about to go to sleep, but I'll check 'em out.
I just wish I had an airsoft store close to here, it'd be cool if I could buy all my gear locally. That way I could support airsoft locally, try out my gear before I get it, AND shop around and make some impulse buys haha
[EDIT]
Actually, I was looking at the Elite Force 10 pack mid caps for like, $60 I think, but I don't know if I need 10 mags haha
Otherwise, I heard EF is a pretty good brand, and well not that this matters to me that much, but their trademarks, especially the shield, look pretty bad-ass! [/EDIT]
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