Newbie needs help

[Leor]

Hi, I'm completely new to airsofting and it's roughly 3 months before my 18th birthday. I've been looking forward to start airsofting.

I want a recommendation from the community:

Should I get a sniper rifle as a new player or should I stick with a auto?
How much should I be paying for my first gun. Would 250$ cover it?
I know some may not answer this because of my age but would this be a decent starting rifle?

http://www.cabelas.ca/index.cfm?page...=1387&ID=22200

[AoiShikaku]

Well since you'll be 18 soon least you'll have something lined up for you

Sniping isn't for everyone. In fact you'll almost feel left out in games using a sniper rifle especially in the fields available during the winter it's pretty much pointless for now. Nearly all the winter fields you'll be close quarters in most games.
I'd start with an AEG (Sub-machinegun/Assault Rifle) since you can play close quarters and a variation of out door fields around Toronto.

For about $250 you might be able to get yourself a semi decent gun, but consider it something to start with for now.

I know someone who picked up an Aftermath gun and it pretty much broke before he could even use it. When you are 18, get age verified and you'll have access to a lot of the better quality stuff.

There are quite a lot of AV Reps that can verify you around Toronto so you shouldn't have any issue there.

Hope this helps out.

[Redzephyr]

Hey there,

Almost everyone says NOT to get a sniping platform for your first gun. I have no experience with them, but am inclined to take their word for it. I would recommend an AEG as well. I personally started with an MP5.

How much you should pay for your first gun depends on what you want. $250 could get you a good deal on the classifieds if you're lucky, they show up in that range sometimes.
Upgrade it to $400 and you'll be able to find a good AEG, probably with a battery and some mags and other things, if you're lucky, and probably full metal if that's what you're after (and why wouldn't it be?).

You're eighteen soon... wait for the classifieds and the retailers. If you MUST get an Aftermath for whatever reason, get a Kraken. I've never heard anyone say a single good thing about the Knight. Again, I'd still say wait for your AV tag and what comes with it; a full metal CYMA or DBoys is not out of your price range if you look, and it's not uncommon for higher end brands to show up at lower price ranges, either.

As Aoi said, you're in Toronto... you'll have no trouble finding an AV rep. There are a couple of retailers in the area who could do it for you, even...

Best of luck.

[Leor]

Excellent guys! Thanks a bunch.
Strange though, so many people that "bought" the Knight on that site say it's a good gun...then again, trust the pros :P.

I won't be participating in any matches before 18 though, I know people say some area's you can be like 16 or 17 but you need a waiver form, yeah...I don't feel like getting one.

Sadly I can't blow 400$, plus I don't know if I'll really get into it or end up dropping it so I really don't want to spend anymore then 250$.

Oh yeah, on that same site there are Krakens for under 100$...http://www.cabelas.ca/store/?section...#productanchor.

Should I get one of those instead of the Knight?

[CDN_Stalker]

While you technically *can* get a sniper rifle as your first gaming gun (I did, then I got an MP5), consider why it's not recommended for a new player. Learning curve, situation overload, etc. will happen your first few games. You won't be able to think clearly, you'll be nervous and totally unsure of the ballistics of an airsoft gun, how to focus what's going on, etc. My first game I used my M24, M11 (with a single mag) and an Omega 93R. I only got one kill at the beginning noob break in session which was just a small 4v4 skirmish, then later played the rest of the morning with my 24, couldn't even see guys pointed out to me, never really got a shot off. Afternoon I was loaned an M4 and at least got one kill, but kept getting shot over and over.

Nutshell, you can start really hard (sniper rifle, spring shotgun like the one sold at Canadian Tire, recommended actually, or just a pistol) and adapt to it, it'll be frustrating for the first bunch of games, but you will learn your place in the sport and will benefit greatly from it. Or you can go a bit easier with an AEG, will still be frustrating but will be more fun, but will detract from skills learned due to full auto ability and ammo amounts.

Sniping isn't for everyone, but those that get good with it stick with it, even if just being like a DMR within a squad.

For $250 price range, I'd suggest you get the Crosman shotgun for $100, and a bunch of shells, camo, etc. and go with that for a while til you can afford to spend $400+ on a decent AEG. It'll give you a bit of an idea how to be sneaky, how to make shots count without relying on fast follow up shots or tonnes of ammo at hand. Get good with a shotty, you'll be great with pretty much any gun type out there.

[L473ncy]

Originally Posted by Leor

Oh yeah, on that same site there are Krakens for under 100$...http://www.cabelas.ca/store/?section...#productanchor.

Should I get one of those instead of the Knight?

Yep the kraken for $99 is the one. NEVER pay full retail for it though, if the price on the Kraken goes back up to $180-200 it'll come down again to like $100-120 eventually, they come on sale semi regularly.

Also the reason to get the Kraken is two fold. First it uses the V3 gearbox which is a slightly better design than the V2 and is "sturdier" in cold weather than the V2. Second, the OEM for the Kraken is CYMA, so basically you're getting a CYMA except it's not metal.

If you're not sure if you're going to stick with airsoft, it might be worth it to get a $400 gun since those tend to hold their value better if you decide the sport isn't for you and want to sell your gun. Think about it, if you wanted to get into biking lets say, would you buy a used CCM bike for $100 (that you paid $200 for) or for $150 more get a used Raleigh for $250 (that you originally paid $300 for). (Those are made up numbers but I hope you get the idea).

That said the cheapo $100 guns have their place otherwise they wouldn't sell. Usually this is with people who don't know better (ie. would anyone who's done a bit of background research buy a $50 snowboard) or are using it as a base for a project gun (the Kraken has been likened to a "3D instruction manual" for project guns and are great learning platforms for learning to do your own gundoc work).

Good luck, I hope you have fun in the airsoft community. We're great people and do other things outside airsoft and quite a tight knit community. There's people from totally different backgrounds here from teachers, lawyers, and engineers to oil workers, machinists and contractors. Not only that we like other things too like video games, biking, snowboarding, knife making. Hell I went snowboarding with another member on these forums during Christmas break..... in Austria! And we have some legendary stories to tell.

[Specs]

He pretty much hit the nail on the head. Sniping is very difficult until you get the hang of it. Browse the classifieds and the FAQs so you can get an idea of what Airsofting is all about and then make your decision. If you educate yourself on the sport, you will be better equipped to make the choice.

It is a bit more complicated that what you would imagine at first glance, spend some time looking around the forum, and use the search engine built into the website because chances are if you are about to ask a question someone else has probably already asked it.

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

While you technically *can* get a sniper rifle as your first gaming gun (I did, then I got an MP5), consider why it's not recommended for a new player. Learning curve, situation overload, etc. will happen your first few games. You won't be able to think clearly, you'll be nervous and totally unsure of the ballistics of an airsoft gun, how to focus what's going on, etc. My first game I used my M24, M11 (with a single mag) and an Omega 93R. I only got one kill at the beginning noob break in session which was just a small 4v4 skirmish, then later played the rest of the morning with my 24, couldn't even see guys pointed out to me, never really got a shot off. Afternoon I was loaned an M4 and at least got one kill, but kept getting shot over and over.

Nutshell, you can start really hard (sniper rifle, spring shotgun like the one sold at Canadian Tire, recommended actually, or just a pistol) and adapt to it, it'll be frustrating for the first bunch of games, but you will learn your place in the sport and will benefit greatly from it. Or you can go a bit easier with an AEG, will still be frustrating but will be more fun, but will detract from skills learned due to full auto ability and ammo amounts.

Sniping isn't for everyone, but those that get good with it stick with it, even if just being like a DMR within a squad.

For $250 price range, I'd suggest you get the Crosman shotgun for $100, and a bunch of shells, camo, etc. and go with that for a while til you can afford to spend $400+ on a decent AEG. It'll give you a bit of an idea how to be sneaky, how to make shots count without relying on fast follow up shots or tonnes of ammo at hand. Get good with a shotty, you'll be great with pretty much any gun type out there.

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by Specs

He pretty much hit the nail on the head. Sniping is very difficult until you get the hang of it. Browse the classifieds and the FAQs so you can get an idea of what Airsofting is all about and then make your decision. If you educate yourself on the sport, you will be better equipped to make the choice.

It is a bit more complicated that what you would imagine at first glance, spend some time looking around the forum, and use the search engine built into the website because chances are if you are about to ask a question someone else has probably already asked it.

I decided to do something different for a change as opposed to the usual "Don't get a sniper rifle as your first gun!" spew that is almost a copy & paste from past lectures. Maybe sticky this thread just so I don't have to copy & paste that again in upcoming weeks/months. Lol

[Specs]

agreed

[Leor]

Thanks a lot guys!
I really appreciate the help and I hope that I can spend sometime airsofting
I found a UTG l96 on craigslist in Toronto for 200$ hopefully I can get it, if not I found a M3 also by UTG. Comes with a bipod and a scope for 250$.

Hopefully it all goes well and I'll have my first sniper rifle by the end of next week.

[SniperSam]

UTG is not known for quality, prone to being lemons, but Ive seen a jewel or two in my airsoft career, it's a risk though

[Forever_kaos]

For the quality, that's a rip off...

Save your money, buy something better such as the Crosman shotgun as mentioned.
I have one for shits 'n giggles, fun to toy around with it.

[Leor]

I heard they were okay...
I didn't know they were bad, I heard the quality isn't the best but oh well.
I know I should listen but I really wanted this sniper.
If this screws up that'll teach me xD

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by Leor

I heard they were okay...
I didn't know they were bad, I heard the quality isn't the best but oh well.
I know I should listen but I really wanted this sniper.
If this screws up that'll teach me xD

Generally the problem with clones it that there is poor quality control, this can mean that a part that is suppose to be exactly a certain dimention to smoothly operate iin concert with other might be mis cast. And because of the poor quality control the manufacturer might not notice or even care. Sniper rifles in airsoft acheive their superiour results because of the way the parts are made to perform flawlessly with one another. If you take away that quality you remove the superior results of the gun. So you end up with a bolt action rifle that will be out shot and out distanced by all other guns on the field.

[SniperSam]

Well, I know for a fact that there is fully upgraded sniper rifle for about twice you'll pay for the clone gun stock in the classifieds. Stock, the gun is about 400 + 300$ upgrades = 500$ can't beat that