D,
I have had over 25 various Airsoft rifles in both AEG and Gras/Srping Long Rifles used in a sniper role. I agree that you should at a AEG for your first airsoft Rifle. but on that note, you could look at going with a SPR/A or M25 for an AEG. It will give you a base platform to build a customized AEG for MOC Sniper work, however will also alow you engage against AEG in more heated battles.

To figure out what will be a good role rifle, try going to a field and rent a gun. Get a feel for it. See if it is a role you want. Going out as a long Range Marksman, is going to have everyone looking to put a few rounds off your vest. If you dont have experience on the field, a straight bolt action is going to give you a bad taste for a kick ass sport. However, if you get the AEG you game it as a Rifle man, and you get the option to take your well placed every round counts game to the field.
So go out, might cost you a few dollars to rent a game riffle, but it will be a lot cheaper than the $1600 bolt action that you will never get your money for if you decide to sell it because the game was slow.
Here are some samples of mutli-role AEG That i would recommend.
http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthr...highlight=SR25
http://www.wgcshop.com/pcart/shopper...tm=GP-AEG-SR25
http://www.wgcshop.com/pcart/shopper...tm=GP-AEG-SPRA

Yea, pistol, MP5, whatever. Most people who play the sniper role dedicated actually use their primary -be it a submachinegun or pistol like a Mk23- more than the rifle.

Here is what a typical milsim feel like when you are a sniper.

What you will need to wear to do your job:

- BDU
- Light webbing filled with mags, lots of water, food, compas, map, radio...
- Sniper rifle
- probably a set of binoculars.
- ghillie suit customised for the field.

Now, your mission will probably be doing some interdiction on a trail or doing advanced recon. Sometime they call you up for hard to do shots (that 80% of the time, are impossible to do with your rifle anyway because they are beyond 400fts and people thing you can pull it off)

So, you head off to your assigned zone with your spotter. If you are lucky, he's a fellow experienced sniper. If your not, it's just a dude with an AEG, or worst, a support weapon like a M249.

You arrive in the erea. You get down on all 4 and crawl to your position. 100 meters and 1h later (yes... it's fucking hard and long!) you are in your hiding spot, undetected.

Did I mentionned it's summer, 25 degrees celsius, it has rained all week before and the humidity is suffocating. You crawled trough wet grass in the shades and you are not very hot and wet. You can barely breath close to the ground, because of the close to 100% humidity. Your ghillie suit is trapping all that heat on your body and you can't take it off, because you will be seen.

So, 1h later, you spot some ennemie players going down the trail you are observing. You report it to your HQ. It take you several tries, because the comms are not very well maintaned, players at the HQ are too busy comparing dick sizes and showing off their new AEG parts they ordered last week... You finaly get your info trough and you are ordered not to engage and report if you see any changes.

You spotter is spotted, because he does not have a ghillie and was seen. He get into a firefight and die. He go back to respawn at the base. You are left alone, surrounded. The ennemie is now making a large skirmish line to flush you out of the erea. They fire randomly at all the likely spots you could be hinding in.

You have to carefully and slowly extract from the erea. Doing so in a low crawl. Somebody walk too close for confort to you. He's about 75 feets and he has a LOS on you. You shoot him in the chest. He call HIT and you are now spotted. You have to RUN like hell, while BBs start snowing on you. You die.

That's how a typical sniper mission feel like when you are new. You get close to no kills, you waist a lot of time and energy and you die acheiving little.

If you still think the sniper job sound fun, attend a sniper clinic. You will get lots of info on the job and you will get to do it. After that, you will be able to see if you still like it.

I've seen a lot of people purchase and upgrade sniper rifles. Very very few are still using it, because it's a dedicated role that require a LOT of dedication. Most people just want to move, shoot and play in teams. You can't do that being a sniper.

Please fill out your profile with your location. Because if i'm right you live in or near Red Deer. And if you do Red Deer is a NO GHILLIE SUIT area. That means that you will have to use your BDU's and the foliage to its best. Your primary should be a pistol. I would recommand a TM hicappa or a KSC glock 19 for this job at minimum.. an MP5 or MP5K from TM would be alot better.

Now having said that, there are some great retailers on these forums that once verifed you can get an MP5. Once you have the MP5 you can then assemble your gear, and then..... buy a sniper rifle. That way you have a reliable primary and have your bolt action.

To summarize:
Get Verified
-Buy a MP5 or pistol
-Buy BDU's, webbing or vest, spare battery, extra mags(at least so you have 200rds for mp5 or 100 for a pistol), someway to carry water(camelbacks work great as do canteens), and boots(your feet will thank you)
-Play a couple games if you bought an MP5.
-Assess what you want to do.
-If you still want to buy your sniper rifle do so at this point.

No ghillie area? May I ask why this is?

For the love of god, don't get a sniper rifle for you're first gun! I did the same thing, I got the VSR-10 and It was the biggest mistake I have ever made. If I could go back in time and buy an AEG, I would, but its too late now. A sniper rifle seams great, but has no range at all compared to a real sniper rifle. Also, the ammount of money you need to spend just to make the sniper rifle half decient would be a waist.

Take my word for it, although it isn't the highest in power, buy an AEG first.

Exactly. Stock, an AEG has the same range and pretty close to the same accuracy as a sniper rifle, it's lighter and more mobile, and for every one shot the sniper rifle takes, the guy with the AEG will get off 20 or more.

=0!?

lol WELL sniper rifle as a proper weapon?

makes me laugh, they dont even shoot straight

It sucked really, learning curve of just the first day was brutal, getting pointed in the direction of targets buried in the woods and not knowing where they were or able to find them, hearing an AEG going off and dropping to the ground even if not near me................... was loaned an M4A1 for the second half of the day, got a couple kills, but still, we were playig in really thick brush and short windy trails, so obviously a sniper rifle will suck at first under those conditions. My Mp5 is my primary, my G19 is my secondary, my M24 is my special gun to use when I can get away with it, it's slung on my back 90% of the time. And yes, ALL day long, even if it weighs around 14lbs.

Thanks for all the help. Sorry I haven't been able to respond. (Busy work.)

For the one who said near red deer, as a matter of fact, I live in Calgary. May I ask why this is a no ghili zone?

As an AEG, I would think Electric is the most viable?

I can get a G&G MP5 for around $315.00, after that I would probably go ahead and buy a sniper, even if I don't use it in a war its still fun to shoot random shit.

Hows it like carrying a sniper, mp5, a pistol and some ghili or gear...?

Nah, easy to do with less than $300. Even less if something other than a VSR.

Lot of stuff to carry, I even do the full sniper role in my BDUs, is more about working alone, learning to move from place to place using the camo you are wearing, moving very slowly whe needed, knowing that more players aren't very observant nor quiet............ Get an MPA5, will serve you well during any game, as well as when you move on to sniper related training and duties. I've only ever owned two AEGs in my 6 year airsoft history, an MP5A5 and an MP5SD. Both are still seeing LOTS of use, have outranged even longer barreled guns, and are compact enough for indoor use (I prefer one of my G19s for that, and my KSC Mk23 GBB a my silent 'sniper weapon').

Ultimately helpful, I'll consider picking up an MP5. Thank you :)

Save yourself the money and the time buy an AEG, go from there.
My buddy got a sniper first, and now he's getting an AEG due to the fact he never thought snipping can be boring at some point.

Because its difficult to feel hits if you have a ghillie on.