"I don't know what I'm doing" thread #2109
 

First post on the forums aside from the introduction. Now, I've already got a general idea of what type of gun to look for*, however I'm at a loss when it comes to apparel. I see a lot of people using full combats while the closest thing I've got is a random camo jacket from the 70's. Is it just a personal preference, or do some events require you to dress to a certain standard?

*By that, I mean manufacturers and such. As far as actually acquiring the weapon... yeah, I've got no idea. From reading the forums a year back, it seems like a good option to get age-verified and purchase a used gun from a local member. Any tips?

Some games are green camo (which include solid clothes of that colour) vs. tan camo, others require specific camo for each side, some have one team that is supposed to wear civilian clothing only.

The More milsim events you plan on attending the larger you're camo closet will grow, I've got so many BDUs I'm actually not entirely sure which camos I own. For gear, it's not always necessary, but after a few games you'll want equipment to assist with carrying ammo/equipment.

For you're gun, get age verified, we can't dirrect you to any retailers till then. But you can get new guns now pretty cheap.

Find this guy on here. baker_Jeff.


He can age verify you and answer your other Q's too.

It depends on the event - whether a skirmish, scenario day, or a full on Milsim event.

For skirmish events - it's generally come as you are - wear darker colored clothing that you don't mind getting grass/paint stained or randomly ripped or torn (potentially), a good pair of ankle supporting boots, along with your required eye-pro/face-protection, and you are generally good to go.
There will be people there with gear, so you can start out by participating, and observing what others are using, to get an idea of what you might wish to purchase in terms of a basic setup.

For scenario type events - you generally want to start to try fitting in - at least a chest-rig type setup, and some sort of camo clothing setup.

Milsim takes it to another level. There will be standards of gear/equipment/BDU involved in terms of a uniform look and functionality, unless you happen to play an insurgent/civilian type role - in which case, there is generally standards for that also.

It's advisable to get at least some sort of chest-rig/vest/plate-carrier from the start, appropriate to the primary weapon that you've chosen. It's no fun carrying, and potentially losing magazines out of pockets on the field, without one.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Looks like I'll have to invest in some new gear after I finish moving.

most games are predominantly tan based vs green based camos, so if you keep that in mind when shopping, you should easily be able to fit into one or the other. When you start getting into more eccentric patterns is when it gets tricky, but to start, just keep it simple.

Also pick a color of rig/vest that suits either tan or green so you don't have to get 2 sets of everything.

Might as well keep the questions in this thread. I was searching around the net and came across this. A "Lancer M4A1 Carbine"... from what I can tell it's made of plastic with the exception of a V2 metal gearbox. I know most people would say to avoid low-priced AEGs like the plague, but for someone like me who's on a budget this kit looks pretty attractive. Is there any reason why I shouldn't start out the hobby with a gun such as this?

Save your money. Buy quality the first time, and avoid repeating the need to buy twice. Airsoft is NOT a cheap hobby by any means. You need to save up your cash, get a reputable, quality brand-name of a weapon as a base, and go from there. If you don't have around $1000.00 for guns, gear/BDU's and protective equipment, to start - then you don't have a good financial base to start off with in this sport.

Duly noted. Guess I'll start looking for a weapon once I get AV'd.

Most people will till you buy cheap, buy twice. Go quality the first time and you will be happy you did so down the road.

I apologize for reviving this thread, but as it turns out I've got another question to ask. Lets say you buy a weapon with clear/smokey plastic, after dissembling the bits is it advisable to do anything before spraying paint on it? I've heard of sanding the pieces down for a "smoother" coat, but I'm not so sure of that.

I wouldn't even disassemble it. Cover the ejection port, tape over the front sight post and the rear peep sight, and then spray light coats of krylon camo on it.

results as shown: http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../IMG_01221.jpg

Takes about 5 minutes. *Note: this is not a clear receiver, the effect is similar, though paint does wear eventually and the clear will start to show through instead of the ultra 1337 black metal bodies... which is what you should be buying anyways.

For not too much more, you can get a quality piece that will at least retain SOME value... that lancer gun is like throwing 150 bucks down the shitter if it doesn't hold up, and if it does, well you got lucky. In reality I think if you buy something like a KA m4 at 300~, you can still likely sell it for 150-200 next year if you decide you don't want to continue playing. Yes you still lose the same cash as the lancer, but it probably won't fail catastrophically between now and next year. :p

Its a preference.
I personally like marpat and multicam. both cool camos. But unless you plan on getting two different kinds of camo, I recommend getting something good for CQB and field.

...which brings me to my next question. :p


I just received a late "graduation present" from a family member, a check for $270. As to be expected, I started looking at the more expensive guns and took a fancy to Cybergun's Galil SAR. Virtually full-metal, good internals, the only issue is that the magazines are apparently rather hard to find. I can probably get, say, a King Arms M4 for the same price, but I absolutely love the design of the IWI weapon. I guess my question is if there are any significant advantages or disadvantages to the M4/AK frames.

I see KA M4 for $250 now and as low as $220, would be a pretty dang good starter that can evolve along with you as you grow in this sport.

The advantage of platform like AK and M4 is the fact that everyone has one. So if it break its easy to find someone who already worked on one and parts are easy to find. But buy a gun that you like, cause if you are to invest 300-400 $ on something , you are better to love it.

Right, one last question. The gun I'm going to order has an average of 380 FPS with .20 BB's, though I would like to use .25s for a little added accuracy. I understand that this will ultimately bring the FPS down, but will it still be able to keep up with the higher FPS AEG's during outdoor games?

Rate of Fire (ROF), and Feet Per Second (FPS) are two separate, individual variables. In this case, one doesn't affect another taking into consideration the .20/.25 weight change variable.

I guess I shouldn't post when I'm tired. Basically, I'm asking if a gun that fires roughly 360-380 FPS will be able to keep up with other AEG's that fire around the 400 FPS mark.

The Rate of Fire isn't a concern. Yet.

The common thing people are concerned about when getting into airsoft is their FPS. A high FPS does you no good if your hop-up is shit. Best thing to do is get a gun that will run a good RoF (if you aren't interested in semi fire or lower capacity mags), and make sure you get a rifle with solid hop-up, because a gun a with a shit hop-up will shoot close to 400fps out of the barrel, but will slow down and drift dramatically after about 50 feet. A gun shooting at 350fps with a great hop-up will be more accurate and will maintain that velocity a much longer distance. A 380fps w/.20gs gun will do you fine. Every .5 grams in weight you increase will bring you down about 15-20fps, but those rounds travel further and maintain a good velocity. I use .28s for outdoor games, and my 385fps rifle w/.20gs still fires over 350fps with the .28s.

Excellent, that's exactly what I needed to find out. Apparently the hop-up system on the CYMA/Cybergun Galil is pretty good, so it looks like I'll be okay on that front.


Thanks for bearing with me everyone. This should be the last of my questions for a long while (or until I get AV'd in Edmonton).

it's always a compromise between fps and BB weight... yes heavier BBs do fly slower, but... it doesn't matter how fast your BBs get to target if you can't hit anything at that range.

I started out using .25s with a 380-400fps... I'm up at .28s right now... they don't get deflected by leaves or grass as much. Soon I'll be trying .3s which will probably put me down to about 310 fps from 400~ But they'll fly so straight :P

You may want to upgrade your hop-up if you're using .30s. And I'm not just talking a new hop-up bucking, I mean a brand new high spin hop-up or else you'll have to keep your current hop-up dialed all the way up to get the range you want. Well worth it though, as they will travel much further and very straight. They cut through all the brush very nicely too.

Gear wise,
1. Eye protection (full face if you like playing CQB)
2. boots(something that will protect your ankle)
3. gun + battery/charger
4. vest (make sure it can hold the magazine of whatever platform you chose for your rifle)
5. BBs (get well known BBs, a lot of AEG malfunctions are due to bad BBs)

Good to go first game :)

Only thing to be concern about is whether or not you're gonna go outdoor or indoor. Shooting at 350+ will keep you out of most indoor arenas. The Ares brand has quick change spring which can be a huge benefit. You can have one rifle that's good for both arenas without spending too much time changing springs.

And a just in case....fields will chrono with .20g bbs so whatever your fps in w/e wait won't matter but that one.

Stock bucking is good but if you want better either get SystemA, Guarder Black, or Prometheus Purple. I'm sure companies like Modify and Madbull make good stuff too but those are the ones I've used.

As far as being disadvantaged; I use .28g BB's in my rifle and I shoot ~395 FPS on .20's so a little under 335 FPS using the .28's. I don't feel I'm at a terrible disadvantage but I do like the increased accuracy of the heavier BB. For the longest time I was using .25g BB's and thought those were great as well and a ~40 FPS drop isn't terrible and you have to keep in mind that paintballers outdoor only play at 330 FPS (because of larger mass of the paintball and safety and such). Either way though .25 or .28, you're not at a disadvantage and most players who know what they're doing will use at least .25 anyways.

I have confidence my hopup is up to the task :)

You could indeed be very right, some stock hop-ups are built for them. The stock one on my WE M4 AEG sends them sky high if cranked all the way whereas I see KingArms M4's used by friends that drop substantially after 100 feet with .25s and their hop-up is dialed up, not maxed, but fairly high. Depends on the gun and parts. Always best to test it out first.