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I just created my account and now cannot wait for the age verification process so I can start shopping. I am surprised to see you can't even windowshop here until you are verified, but I suppose it is for the best.

I'm just putting together a budget here to get started, but for now I'm looking to spend around $600 for a starter rifle. I have no idea what the market value is for a decent gun, but I don't want to spend too much at the start in case I lose interest in the sport sooner then expected.

I dabbled in paintball years ago, and then in real firearms, but the concept of airsoft always interested me. I don't get enough exercise shooting from a bench at a rifle range...

600 will get you a basic setup (including basic gear), though it gets much more interesting at the 1000$ mark and downright delicious past 1500$, including gear.

we all start saying we will spend such and such amount.... it never happens!

i said about 500 when i started.... 4 months later, im almost 2.5K into it, and that's not even close to what some people spend.

I've almost got my full set-up, and I'm well under $1000, although it's mostly basics. Guns like JG, CYMA, some G&G's are on the cheaper side but good enough to compete with the higher end guns, so if your not looking into spending a lot of money, I'd look into those brands. Good Luck, and welcome to ASC

Welcome, and fill out your profile. :)
600$ can even get you a basic rifle and GBB pistol too.

That's wicked! I was wondering something along the same lines as the OP myself but this post answers my question basically. How much do you think a jg g36c or a jg m4 would go for here?

As low as $300 - $400 without shipping.

JG's M4 runs about $290. You could 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 or a G&P which are higher end midgrade 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 and a bag or two of ammo. 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 $250 and $350.

Hope this helps you. If you have any other questions I'd be happy to pass on my (admittedly limited) experience. Feel free to PM me.

Kuro_Neko

I said the same thing. i wanted to only spend about 400 on my first ak-47.
well almost 6 months later.
ive run about 1000-1300 on upgrades parts and repairs(missing parts)

My JG MP5SD5 was 300$, including shipping, and is a great gun, a M4 is around $300-350 and is as well a great gun, any JG is well worth its price in my opinion.

And I disagree with Kuro_Neko with the sidearm, i have a clearsoft Co2 nbb sig p022 and it is pretty good, although i have never handled a hi-grade one. My pistol was about 80$ for the pistol itself, and i got a holster at walmart for 5$, good to go =)

A JG is generally worth it's price. But so is a Classic Army. And if they're both worth their price and a CA costs twice as much as a JG then logically that makes a CA twice as good as a JG. It's all about what you can afford.

Kuro_Neko

Yet in the states both brands are three times less...Sniff:(

Thanks a lot for the info Kuro_Neko and Erennert. I believe CA will be the way I go when I decide to get a higher quality gun. However it all depends on what I see available and how much I have available to spend at the time i get av'd (600 would be doable but so would 3-400). For a first gun 400 or so seems more feasible but then again quality usually does = money

I like the idea of quality externals AND internals, however, I don't mind upgrading or learning to upgrade as I am new to aegs only ever shot crapsoft. This might be a reason to go with CA haha. Thanks for the bit(s) about the mags as well. I tried finding a magazine compatibility thread with not too much luck. Seeing the price for a g&p makes me think that might be a good route to take also.

Those g&g's are still looking fairly good but knowing a non-clear gun is just a month and a bit away and 100-150 dollars more than a g&g makes it seem like a better option. Although some of the g&g's seem like great starter guns. Hmm

One of the greatest draws of the CA guns is their externals are gorgeous, solid as a rock and full metal. There's pretty much no other guns that have all three of those things (unless you go to the extremegrade guns like the ptw, but you don't want a ptw as a first gun). Some guns are pretty, some are solid, some are metal, but none other Classic Army are all three. It's the primary reason why so many people are going CA over TM now-a-days. In the past CA's internals were what was keeping them back but they've stepped up their QC in the last few years to the point where they're nearly as solid as TM. TM's QC might still be superior but considering the state of airsoft in Canada now-a-days, internals are a hellofa lot easier and cheaper to obtain then externals.

Kuro_Neko

G&P has feelings too.

The problem is I can't get too carried away (yet) so $600 is my soft limit for now.

I kind of need to balance my spending between hobbies. I am looking for some ARMS #22 scope rings for one of my rifles, and a few other bits and pieces here and there. I can see myself getting carried away with a decent TM or CA down the road, but I kind of overspent on other firearms this winter.

There is two ways you could do this, considering he is just starting out and doesn't know 100% that he will even continue playing, it may not be the best choice to buy the most expensive gun your can afford. The second is to buy a cheaper, quality gun that will allow you to experience the real airsoft, but at the same time not putting yourself in the situation that you have to continue playing because you spent all that money. That being said, I'm not saying a TM or CA is not worth it, but may not be the best choice to start off with.

CA seem nice, but what about that "real sword" brand? They have a nice looking SVD and their type 97 looks good as well.

Why not? A TM/CA isn't exactly hard to flip on the classifieds here and holds it's value much better than a clone.

If $600 is your limit, forget about a Real Sword.

That is true, although that is more hassle if you have no interest in the sport anymore. Although TM/CA's would be "easier" to resell, many people are looking into clones as such like JG are rising in quality, and some people just are looking for a project gun. As for Trouts other question, a Real Sword AK-47, I believe runs for about $800. the reason for the price is that Real Sword, in my opinion, makes the most realistic Airsoft weapons in the market.

Ahh I had never checked real swords prices before. I saw they were Chinese and assumed they would be affordable. Guess not.. lol.

I only paid $850 for a real type 97. I couldn't justify spending more then that on an airsoft type 97 clone...

Except you can't shoot people with the real one :D

Yea Trout, so in the end it's your decision in what you want to spend, but hopefully our information has helped you. Once again, welcome to ASC.

Ohh definately, thanks.

I was worried I would be stuck with junk at $600, but from what people here describe it sounds about right to get my foot in the door and see if I like it.

Lol I know... It is just a matter of principle. I promised myself I would not spend more on an airsoft version of a firearm then it would cost to buy the real deal. Thankfully only a few rifles like the type 97 fall into that category.

Real Sword is really nice if you want an AK variant but as serveral have already stated not cheap. CA is probably the best for Armalites and possibly mp5's (though some might debate that). Various other brands, notably TM and Star, are good for other models. It all depends on what you want and how much you're willing to spend.

If $600 is your limit for airsoft period then maybe you might want to consider one of the midgrade guns, G&G, G&P or ICS. That will allow you to get some other gear as well, namely mags, ammo, battery and charger and a chest rig or vest. If $600 is simply all you're willing to spend until you make sure you want to continue with the sport then go with a higrade gun and then buy the rest if you like the sport. That's what I did, then I fell in love with the sport (and the guns) and I'm over $2000 now, got an m4, an m203, an ak47, a gp-25, an mp5k, an m9 and a 1911 so far.

Kuro_Neko

I don't know what guns you've been looking at, but G&P nor ICS are "mid grade." G&P is considered above CA and ICS is about on par for quality.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And I'll admit I've never handled a G&P or ICS. I'm only going by what I've seen in the classifieds. G&P and ICS guns consistently go for one to two hundred dollars cheaper then CA guns average for. I just went through the classifieds again just to make sure I was remembering correctly and I was. I'd quote examples but of course that's against the rules.

Kuro_Neko