need some help picking a setup

[boogiebot]

Hi guys,

Im sure this comes as no surprise due to my post count as well as my questions but Im a total noob to the world of airsoft. I use to play paintball a few years ago but typically speedball. Never really got into the scenario stuff since running around the woods with a intimidator alias just didnt seem right.

As of late something has been drawing me to wanting to try out airsoft. I guess watching clips on youtube is what did it. So now I feel like its time to start looking for a gun and picking the right manufacturer is key.

I guess you could say that I am looking for something in that mid range I am willing to spend anywhere from 200 -400 dollars. After some review on this site as well as my own readings from google I seem really drawn to companies like CA and G&G. Not quite sure why maybe it has something to do with the fact that they seem to fit in my range.

Here comes the questions (hahaha)

1) Which manufacturers are the best out of the box?

2) Which guns are the easiest to work on?

3) Which manufacturers have interchangeable internals?

4) is the price difference between models warranted?
- for example a g&g mp5 sds max sells for 519 and a g&g TGM Q6 sells for 349. they both look the same externally but whats the major difference in terms of performance

5) who is the best company to deal with in Canada?

I am also open to suggestions on manufacturers. Thanks in advance to all the members for their knowledge and look forward to chopping it up with you guys.

Cheers

Boogiebot

[lurkingknight]

G&G maxline guns were fully factory upgraded guns meant for the older import regulations. They were made only for the canadian market. As of last year, guns don't need to be as upgraded to be legally importable. You can use the extra money however you like.

Version 3 and version 6 imo are the easiest to work on. V3 guns often just require a couple pins and 1-2 screws to remove the gearbox, motor height is fixed with an attached motor cage, where as the v2 you need to assemble the lower receiver and adjust motor height every time you want to test cycle the gun. v3s are mainly g36s and AKs, there are a few others out there that are v3... some mp5s I think and possibly some of the sigs.

A v6 is only held in by 2 screws but I think only the thompson and the p90 use the v6.

As for compatibility... most guns fit the TM format in parts... it's easier to answer what ISN'T TM compatible

ICS split gearbox guns
Ares
kwa
g&g/CA m14
systema ptw (and all the new ptws clones coming out)
SRC
PTS masada (gearbox by ares)
A&K masada (a few proprietary parts)

TM v6 is v6 specific, but every other p90 is made to use v2/3 gearsets and bushings. Everything else is V6 format.

While most are TM compatible and even some guns from the listed manufacturers have SOME TM compatible parts, they all contain proprietary parts to some extent.


JG g36 has a slightly longer nozzle than other g36s, but otherwise tm compatible I believe you can find replacements if you look though. JG gen4 or CA g36 if you want one.

CYMA makes a solid AK, cheap, well built some are even full wood furniture.

If you want m4s, I would spend more to get a VFC over G&P.

p90s, just avoid the KS/Echo1 version and you'll do fine. The TM actually has the nicest body out of the ones I've held, but the CA gearbox is nicer for compatibility. There's the G&G and KingArms models out now as well which may or may not have proprietary gearbox shells.


It's this forum's policy for members not to divulge locations of vendors to people who have not been verified (by volunteer community staffers) that they are >18 years old. You can google up a storm to find them though. I believe almost all the vendors that advertise here actually have a physical storefront and showroom now. Shop around a lot there's some really bad/overpriced vendors around, especially since the prices dropped by 1/3-1/2 last year due to the regulations changing.

200 is the garbage gun price range, you'd find just about everything you need in the 300-500 range these days, though 500 is really pushing it. CYMA AKs are priced really cheaply and aggressively imo so they're a good choice if you like AKs.

[boogiebot]

lurkingknight thanks so much for the response. I really appreciate your time. I guess my next question is what do I need to do to verify my age?? I turn 35 this year lol.

The breakdown on the motors was very helpful. So from what I can tell the versions of motor are more about fitting into the bodies of the guns as oppose to performance.

Another question I had revolved around FPS and distance. Is it safe to say that a G&G mp5 would shoot the same distance as their m4? I would venture a guess to say that their m4 might be a bit more accurate due to barrel length.

[lurkingknight]

imo a properly tuned gun will shoot the same regardless of the barrel length. my p90 at 247mm barrel shoots just as accurately as my g36 with a 407mm barrel. both are the same bore diameter.

At 1.5J (400fps with .2g BB or 326~ with .3g) the 2 guns will reach out easily to a man sized target 60 meters. At that point I lose sight of the BB. But my guns are not anywhere near off the shelf models.

Barrel width and length are not as important in airsoft ballistics as the consistency of the bore... so a high quality barrel with a super smooth bore will get more accuracy at any length.

Any gun can be tuned to any FPS or rate of fire you desire, so it comes down to which gun do you feel most comfortable lugging around.

[boogiebot]

ok thanks man. if thats the case i think i have narrowed down my search to a colt/m4 or mp5.

im definitely excited to get my age verified and start the shopping process!

[Danneichh]

Of your two choices, I would definitely recommend the M4. AR Style rifles are easy to find, easy to use, and externaly the most customizable, in my opinion. There are parts out the wazoo for AR's. For a manufacturer, the King Arms M4A1 is a great choice. Full metal body, with full trades, and a great performing gearbox, all for around $300.

[nuky]

G&P all the way or VFC

[ThunderCactus]

We should probably make a sticky thread like this lol

[boogiebot]

thanks for the responses guys. had the chance to talk with a local retailer in the lower mainland and at this point they only carry G&G. so it looks like my choices are pretty limited in terms of what I can get around the Vancouver area.

[L473ncy]

Optix at the Airsoft Gear store can do Age Verification for you, same with Kampfer in Richmond and there's also White Knight around Burnaby area.

You'll get way more options once you get it done. TBH Prices and selection in GVRD are kind of meh IMO.

I'd go King Arms, VFC, or G&P for quality (or SystemA if you have the money to dump into that kind of setup). If you're looking for cheap and budget entry level stuff; JG and CYMA can't be beat, they're like the Tippmann 98 of the airsoft world.

I'm kind of tired at the moment so I don't know if your other questions were answered but if not I'll elaborate later when I have some time.

[BennyBoy]

Do you intend on playing indoors or outdoors?
Are you after the mp5 platform only?
Did you put money aside for essentials? Eye protection, face protection, footwear, extra mags


When I was researching for my first rifle, I had originally wanted to go down the mp5 path too and came down to CA MP5 being my choice. Ended impulse buying a Scar H AEG and G36 GBB though. lol

CA mp5 is gonna run you about 400 after taxes

[boogiebot]

thanks for the responses guys. I tried to PM everyone but ended up calling Optix and his colleague told me that he should be in later today. Nice guys over there hope to get AV in the next couple of days as I really would like to see what kind of options there are for me.

@bennyboy - im not totally sold on having to own a mp5 although aesthetically I really do like them. Anything in that m4 range is also cool. After talking with Ivan over at airsoft gear the VFC quake, 105r and 145r are all also considerations.

is VFC really that much better than G&G? I have read arguments for both and for a noob its pretty hard to sift through. from my understanding they are both fairly close but VFC is a step up when it comes to externals.

@L473NCY it would be great if you have a chance to elaborate. its funny that you use the Tippman reference as I use to play paintball a while back. nothing wrong with Tippman pretty relieable. A friend of mine use to have an A-5 with etrigger and flatline barrel and it would sing! out of the King arms, G&P and VFC is one any better than the other?

[lurkingknight]

vfc is usually known as a higher end brand while g&g is somewhere mid to mid upper in terms of quality. G&G also runs an entry level line called combat machine.

Given the choice of quality of manufacture, I would go with a vfc over g&g. I would also choose vfc over g&p.

[Hectic]

To a point yes most aeg's will have around the same effective range a higher fps will let u use heavier bb's and they will be less effected by wind and such.
also with a higher fps and heavier bb u will have a lil better ability to punch through brush and such.
a longer tighter barrel may have a lil beter range but more to the point it will have tighter groupings then a shorter wider barrel ie, a stock mp5k will be out shot by a stock m16 with the same bore of barrel but not by a huge margin, accuracy will be better on the m16 tho cause the bb will have longer
to stabalise its flight path, a good barrel (tight and smooth) and a consistant hop up unit will be a good benifate to any gun regardless of barrel length.
i am an advocate of putting longer tighter barrels in all of my guns but that is because i want to be able to hit smaller targets at longer ranges, im a semi auto dmr kind of guy so it just suits my play style to be able to hit a hand or shoulder at max range with one or two shots if its all i can see as apposed to dumpin a whole mag on full auto while running closer to the target and hoping to hit something.

[lurkingknight]

I can't say that I've observed tighter groupings at 50m with either of my guns. Both using the same ammo... bastard .28s and bioshot .3s and .32s

But to do a scientific test, I would need a gun vise and a 50m indoor range to eliminate wind and human factors. I personally would love to do this test or see someone do this test to provide definitive proof that a longer barrel or a tightbore barrel makes a difference over a standard bore and length barrel.

Unfortunately, the ammo is also not consistent enough to do such a test, of course the law of averages can narrow it down for you but the more consistent the ammo, the lesser margin of error you're going to have.