Whats the point?
 

Hey im looking for ppl's opinions on long arm weapons. I found so far that full size long weapons ie.M14, M15A4/M16A2, G36 etc, dont really have that much advantage over the shorter weapons such as M4A1, M733, CQB, AK. If all of them had the same internals/specs the accuracy isnt that much improved and the range is the same comparing the two... So why haul around a large type of weapon?

What do you guys think?

LCV: Look, cool ,value!

I can't speak for the ACM guns and such, but traditionally (TM, CA, etc guns) there is a difference.

Longer barrels do provide better accuracy. Shorter barrels are usually used with ported cylinders. The intrinsic details are a bit arcane, you probably won't see as much difference using .2g ammo, for example. But when you start tuning stuff, you can get some advantages.

You also get full stocks for battery storage on the full size rifles.

Can you super upgrade a shorty to come to close to matching a full size gun? Sure. But someone who can do that could also upgrade a full size gun to run as a good DMR platform, for example.

I have several AR variants, none are really interchangeable (though I suppose the mid size M4/14.5" is the jack of all trades)

True, ive used my upgraded TM M4, my upgraded TM 14 and a CA MP5. Obviously the mp5 cant compare but i found the only diff between the two was the m14 had long range(shooting higher FPS) but not better accuracy... My M4 shot just as good and was half the size...

People use what they want. For the most part its all about the persons taste, what models of weapons they like.
Just like I wouldn't buy myself a G3 cause I find them ugly and impractical, but thats just me.

RANGE

A M4 and a M16 that are tuned exactly the same, The M16 will preform better.

Dont make the typical mistake of thinking each gun should have vast 100 foot range differences... Thats just not the case, theres positives between different barrel lengths, my 590 Tightbore shoots a good distance farther than a 363, but its not a crazy amount.

As said all comes down to prefference and style of play, if you like to be right up close to the action, get a smaller barreled gun as you wont need to shoot as far, if you like to hang back as support, get some range, longer barrel, ect.

To answer ur OQ, yes there is a point.

Obviously the answer to the problem is that everyone should be using an AUG (or l85, but AUG is sexier ^.^).

Bullpup in airsoft = teh win

I wouldn't mind an L8

Amen to the AUG There soo sexy.

Airsoft is largely about replicating the real world weapon. So sometime, you have to cheat on practicality in order to replicate the real look.

For me, it's all about range and accuracy. That's why I use my M15A4 rifle as my main gun, even though I have shorter AEGs. It will reach out and touch a target farther and more accurately than my shorter barrel guns.

Now, in airsoft, the practical range is usually limited at 125-150 feet for an AEG (maybe a bit more for a finely tuned gun). You have to look at the "extra range" the longer barrels fgive you relative to that short distance.

With .25+ g BBs I can accurately hit a man-size target at up to 150 feet with my M15 with the 20" barrel. After that, accuracy drops significantly. With my JG 416 with the 14.5" barrel, I can hit a man-size relatively accurately out to about 125 and then accuracy drops. That extra 6" barrel only adds about 25 feet, over the 14.5", but that's a 20% increase in effective range, which is pretty significant.

And I agree that bullpup are the shit in airsoft. You get the advantage of a full length rifle barrel in a compact package the size of a carbine.

"One's skill is not measured by how far he could shoot, but how close he could get to the enemy"

although I agree with that statement, I still like my guns with better range and accuracy =\

not sure if longer barrel length helped with accuracy though, for me, the quality of hop up rubber always affected the accuracy much more

Realism, and the fact some guns are easier to upgrade, and some guns perform better with the same upgrades (V3's will do better than V2's with the same parts)
My little HFC M9 has a barrel about as long as my finger, yet it gets better grouping and the same range as my M4.
It really depends on the gun, but sometimes barrel length doesn't matter.

amen