another newby question

[strikerkmd]

Hi evey one my name is kevin was wondering what you all would thing would be a good beginner primary/side arm guns to start with i was considering something along the lines of a G&G GR16 A3 or something around those lines. i am open for suggestions and before anyone says is i know im not age verified i plan to make a effort to getage verified soon also if you guys could post some good airsoft events/fields somewhat close to Toronto. Thank you all very much for your time and info to come



Kevin

[Forever_kaos]

Check out the Games and Events section for fields and what not.

As soon as you get Age verified, all the guns you can think of are at your finger tips Just need cash.

FAQS can provide info on almost anything, just peak around get familar with a few people around here, perhaps ask them and such!

Welcome to Airsoft in Canada/AirsoftCanada

[Eeyore]

Hey strikerkmd, yes the G&G is a good starter gun for you, however if you have the cash wait till you are age verified andby a used gun from the classifieds. Most go for just a bit more than a new G&G, plus alot of them are already upgraded. Hope that helps.

[Kuro_Neko]

If you could state how much you're willing to spend on the various parts of kit we would be able to advise you better.

Manufacturer is generally more important then the style. Generally all airsoft aeg's work the same so how it looks like outside is up to you. Though the advice in the Airsoft Newbie Buying Guide about styles is good. Generally ak47, m16/m4 or mp5 are good starter gun styles due to the availability of accessories and upgrades.

For $200, the best you could manage is Aftermath stuff. Both the Broxa (full stock MP5) and the Kraken (AK47) are decent bargain basement guns, about $160 or so each. Stay away from Aftermath's Kirenex or Knight (both M4 variants) and the Lycaon (collapsible stock MP5) though, not a good rep.

If you're willing to go up to $300 you could get a JG. Yeah JG's are China clones but they're getting quite respectable nowadays. JG's M4 runs about $290. You could even get one of the G&G cansoft (clear receiver) M4's for about $340. G&G is the cheapest of the midgrade guns. $400-$450 would get you an ICS which is a higher end midgrade gun. $450-$550 would get you a G&P, there's some debate on whether this is the highest of the midgrade guns or the lowest of the higrade guns. Either way they make nice guns.

If you can afford it highgrade guns such as Tokyo Marui or Classic Army are the way to go. They're going to run you $600-$700. Though if the M4/M16 style is what you want then I'd recommend staying away from stock TM's, the barrel wobble and creaking are pretty bad on the stock TM M4/M16's.

I did extensive research and settled on the Tactical Carbine version of the Classic Army M15A4 as my first gun. If an Armalite is what you're looking for then I think it's the best of all possible versions. You have the shortened M4 carbine barrel, which makes you less likely to smack your barrel off something when turning quickly, combined with the full stock which houses a large battery. Small batteries don't have near the run time of a large battery, not to mention that the reinforced slip ring (the ring that keeps the fore-grip on) is really stong. While this is mostly a good thing and a big step up over CA's previous M15 versions, it makes changing small batteries in the field very difficult if not impossible.

CA's M15A4 series in general is a big step up over their previous versions and as far as stock armalites go they're probably the best. All metal where the real steel version is, the plastic parts where the real steal version is plastic are made of good quality. Classic Army has a deal with Armalite so you get all the proper markings. Plus that deal also goes to show the quality of the manufacture, Armalite wouldn't put their name on a shoddy product.

Internally the gearbox is reinforced metal and all the gears are metal as well. It fires hotter stock then Tokyo Marui's as well, firing at 300-320 fps where your average TM only fires 280-300 fps.

All in all this is a great starter gun if you can afford it. Because it's all metal you don't have to worry nearly as much about breaking it and you won't get any of the wobble or creaking that is infamous in stock TM M4/M16's. Unfortunately affording it is the biggest problem, they're not cheap. For reference I got my CA M15A4 from the classifieds, upgraded with a bunch of Systema internals to fire 390fps, for $600 shipped which was a great price.

One of the perks of going with an M16/M4 variant is that mags are dead easy to come by and dirt cheap. You can get Star brand mags for like $5 a mag or less, plastic yeah but sturdy none the less (Star is also the only brand that makes realcaps too). Metal mags will run you a fair bit more, $15 to $30 a mag. There's no real reason to go with metal over plastic for mags except looks/realism. Though of course if you're going to go hicap then you might as well get metal ones. As to Brands, TM and CA make good mags. I've heard pretty good stuff about MAG brand mags as well. King Arms not so much, especially for M4/M16 mags. Star is always a good affordable fallback too.

Some people say you need to shell out for batteries, mags, camo, chargers and ammo in the begining. Most of that isn't necessary right off the hop. The stock battery will do you for awhile. Most of the guns come with a hicap (high capacity (300-600 rounds)) mag that will also do for awhile. I do agree that a good charger would be a sound initial investment, but not a total requirement, especially if you plan to get a good battery down the road and don't care if the cheap wall charger fries your stock battery. Camo isn't really required in the beginning either, just some dark clothes. Ammo, yeah obviously a requirement but even good ammo (BB Bastard) only costs $10 for two thousand rounds.

So truely, all you really need to start is the gun, a bag or two of ammo and good eye protection (which will run you between $30 and $50). That said, if you can afford it then it all helps. Camo would cost about $100, a chest rig or vest would cost another $100. A good loadout of mags, even the cheap Star mags, are going to cost at least $50. A good charger is at least another $50, with another $50 for a good battery. A sidearm is another thing that people like to have but isn't really necessary. A decent sidearm would cost you between $200 and $350.

Sidearms aren't really required right away so if you're on a limited budget then hold off on the sidearm for now. If you have the budget for it then what you want in a sidearm depends on two factors (besides cost of course) whether or not full metal is a must and exactly what model you're partial to. Certain manufacturers tend to make certain models better then others. If full metal is a must then the best choice that isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg is probably KJW, especially for the M9 which they do very well. You'll see alot of WE's around, they're cheap and full metal but tend to have problems, especially their 1911 models. KJW has a rep of having mag problems, but I have two KJW pistols and I haven't had any trouble with my mags. If full metal isn't a must then WA or TM would be very good choices.

Kuro_Neko

[strikerkmd]

Thanks for the info as in the price for the gun right now im looking at between 300 to 400 no more then 450 that is kind of why i was leaning towards the G&G GR16 A3 i dont know much but by the looks of it it seems like a decent gun i was thinking of just wearing my camo pants/shirt iv had for ever and possibly buying one of the helmets and a set of goggles as for the sidearm i know it isnt a must but would be nice to have was thinking of just getting a cheap spring $50 to $60 dollar pistol for now. thank you once again for the info. just one more question would you recomend the GR16 A3 or suggest i look for something else with in the price range as well if you had some suggestions within the price range then im open for any and all sugestions.


Kevin

[hull_b]

Kuro where can I find g&p AEGs for that cheap?

[kalnaren]

I've never seen a G&P for that cheap.

[Styrak]

G&P's are in the same class as TM and CA, not lower.

[strikerkmd]

one more question what side arm would you recomend for me if i was willing to spend no more then $100

[L473ncy]

Originally Posted by strikerkmd

as for the sidearm i know it isnt a must but would be nice to have was thinking of just getting a cheap spring $50 to $60 dollar pistol for now.

If you're just going to use it to fill up space on a dropleg or something then yeah, it give that badass PMC look but then again you should really pump that money into something else such as eye protection or gloves.

Really you could come to the field in a SARTech jumpsuit, don't know why you would though but you can. It's generally frowned upon to come to more tactical skirmishes with "civvies" unless you're going for that "PMC" look. For regular games though I wouldn't see a problem just going in a dark hoodie and dark jeans or something.

You don't really need a helmet, sure it's badass and makes you look cooler but accessories like that can be saved for later.

As for goggles, check your local field rules first, you don't want to come to a game in ballistics when the field owner requires have paintball rated goggles period (a lot of ballistics aren't rated for paintball although they can withstand a paintball hit, this is moreso for the field owners insurance rather than paintball masks being better than ballistics). A good choice would to be get a paintball mask that you can remove the face shield on so you can use your optics and also get a set of shop glasses if you feel that you like wearing those and if the field allows them.

[Kuro_Neko]

Originally Posted by kalnaren

I've never seen a G&P for that cheap.

All prices I quoted came from retailers here on asc. They may not be selling for that price now, most of that most of that post is recycled from a post I orginally composed in November.

Originally Posted by Styrak

G&P's are in the same class as TM and CA, not lower.

As I said, there's some debate as to where G&P falls in the quality ranking. I've never actually held one, so I place it where I do based on the average price is see them going for, which is usually $50 to $100 cheaper then TM or CA.

Kuro_Neko

[strikerkmd]

i have a pair of my fathers old shooting glasses he used at the police range would they be acceptable for some games or is place by place and probably better off with a paintball mask/pair of goggles ?

[Endymion]

You'll want to pick up a pair of paintball approved goggles if you plan to play at any of the paintball fields. That's most of the more common game sites - highly recommended. Otherwise, full seal ballistic rated goggles are recommended - this is force on force, and regular shooting glasses won't protect you from all sorts of weird angles.

[yuhaoyang]

Okay basically good goggles have all around protection, which means no spaces on the sides for BBs to get through, and an elastic at the back to keep it tight on your head. Think of a very good pair of snowboard goggles, except it's ANSI Z87.1...

[strikerkmd]

Thank you all for your support after i get age verified ... Soon i will browse through the classifieds and if nothing interests me there i will probably pick up the G&G thank you all for the wonderfull help if anything else you think that is inportant and i might not know just let me know once again thank you all very much for the fast and very informed responses.