Your first airsoft gun....

[AngelusNex]

Oh god, My first was a whole string of crappsoft and a BE XM8, then My friend discovered ASC.
My first REAL AEG was a TM AUG, sold it after 2 years of 100% solid performance..... miss that gun.........

[Spike]

AEG: TM m933=PoS, broke within two games, had to dump half the value of cash to fix it (then it worked, but by then I hated it).

Gas: TF11 - still wish I had it.

Spring - noname walmart shotgun (got 2 kills in a game with it when my m933 went down).

NOW:

AEG: CA m15a4
CA AUG a1
GAS: gtfo
SPRING: m3 clone

[Donster]

TM M14. Still have it, just have some final upgrades to put in it after i get some cash. thing rocks out loud. Gamed it stock for a year, was amazing with .25g Bastards

[m102404]

TM M4A1 New Type. It ran stock, it ran upgraded to 380fps....ran perfectly until I tripped and fell on it...breaking the body.

I now have 2 PTW M4's, 1 King Arms Galil and 1 WE M4 AWSS/WETTI gas rifle.

I wish I had started with what I now have instead of cycling through all the dozens of rifles that I bought/sold/traded over the years.

In the long run...you really are better off saving up for the best rifle within your budget. The going rate for a really solid rifle (M-series/armalite variant) is about $600-800.

But...I can completely understand the position of starting out with something to try out the sport...and not wanting to invest that much if you're not going to be into it for the long run.

However...a "cheap" gun will hold little to no resale value. If it's worth anything it'll be significantly less than what you originally paid for it. Higher end guns will retain their value better.

As a bit of an aside...you look and feel like a tool if you head out to a game with a sub-par marginal piece of crap. And then you really look like an idiot when it breaks in the middle of the day and you're left sitting there with your thumb up your ass. Not to say a gun has to be expensive to work...it just has to work well and reliably...and quite often you get what you pay for. That said...you feel just as bad when a $$$$ PTW craps out on you at a game too.

Best of luck,

Tys

[Reckless]

first aeg - crappy tire panther m4/colt package... crap? yup... ended up turning the m4 into a patriot for a friend, I think it finally nuked it's motor though.

first REAL gamed aeg - Kart M14 EBR... really really pretty gun... stupidly heavy.. I miss it but had to sell it.

bought at the same time - cyma G18C AEP ... still going although on a friends vest.. even has kills in woodland gaming

[Able1]

started off with a Broxa.
Ending up getting a JG sig 552
and ended up getting a ICS M4.

[sarosh]

cyma 049j. LOVE it. full metal, electric blow back, and shoots great
decent cyma 028a tactical ak

[Kokanee]

First AEG was a used TM G3SG1 that I converted into a CETME Modello C. Bought it right here on the Buy and Sell.

[Disco_Dante]

TM Mp5k that I bought off of Qlong

[vondnik]

Tm m4a1....

then ended up flying thruw the complete TM line of AEG...

The only one left is my sig 556.... one of the first one's to hit canada if i recal correctly. Bought it in the golden age of TRUMART.

[GSK88]

DBoys Kalash AKS-74 and a Meister G17 popped my cherry. Those two are the only reason I have some faith left in clones.

Very quickly followed by a Classic Army M15A4 SPR off the classifieds.

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by vondnik

Tm m4a1....

then ended up flying thruw the complete TM line of AEG...

The only one left is my sig 556.... one of the first one's to hit canada if i recal correctly. Bought it in the golden age of TRUMART.

TM doesn't make a 556...

You mean 552, or 550?

[gmds44]

Originally Posted by lynx89

would the src m16 a3 serve me good? or should I hold back?

to be the only one in this whole thread to answer to your question (after all, you started it)
YES! SRC Generation 3 guns are high quality and will last you long with proper care.
Just install a metal body

**On a side note, you mentioned you were mostly going to play outdoors, in that case you may want to consider a gun with a V3 Gearbox or higher (if you play during winter) such as : AK's, G36'S, bullpup guns, etc etc.

[Mentosice]

1st airsoft crap tire mini mp5 + shotgun after 1 game they where both broke
2sd gun 1st Gen TM M4A1 bought from rangers airsoft

Then i became a PIMP.

Note: it's all Tru's fault ;P

[Brian McIlmoyle]

My first gun purchase was

4 CSK G19s , and a TM AK and TM MP5 .. the Ak and the MP5 still going 5 years later..

we wore out the G19s

I still have every gun I have ever purchased , except 1 -- I sold a STAR L85 carbine-- because I had 2

I'll echo Tyson's comments above .. buy the very best gun you can afford .. don't cheap out as a sketch gun that craps out on you will turn you off from the whole activity when it goes down in the middle of a game.