School Me on Airsoft

[Hayata]

Ok folks, son #2 has gone crazy for airsoft. He's only played once and we tried to go again today. We went to Discover Mills (or is it Sugarloaf Mills these days?) and all the rental guns were taken and spoken-for and he ended up not being able to play due to time constraints.

So if he buys his own he won't have to worry about the rentals being all rented-out. I don't know a thing about them. We'd like to get him something reliable and a good value but top-shelf is probably not in the cards.

Who makes a good one? Should we go battery or gas-powered? Any to avoid? Etc, etc. Best place to buy?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and we went to Charlie Elliott on Saturday where he got his fill of the Rossi lever gun, Smith 686 (shooting .38spcl), and 5.56 AR. He likes the 10/22, too, but who doesn't? I'll make sure he gets the firearms part right, just need help with airsoft.

 

[Nonliberal]

I'll buy your Sterling then you can afford to buy your son a top shelf one. Stop being stingy you bastard! It's for the children.

 

[EugenFJR]

Tommy, check w/ DTK Supply he is about ( or has ) gone in to airsoft. I dont know squat about it, but Don is going full on, and doing airsoft at his training center.

 

[hajihunter]

I'm not an airsoft guy however I think an AEG AR would be it. Based on cross training with my son.

 

[Hayata]

I'll buy your Sterling then you can afford to buy your son a top shelf one. Stop being stingy you bastard! It's for the children.

Full auto parts for the Sterling at Apex for like $158 or so.

Yeah, uh, no...

But maybe one day you could cut the barrel and install a silencer for me that fits inside the shroud. That would be cool...WAY cool!

 

[kuduman]

Don't go cheap. A good quality electric costs about what a real gun costs. Though the ammo is much, much cheaper. And you can do all sorts of training with them, though they do hurt. The good ones weigh feel and handle like the real thing.

Cheap electrics-- well, you'll get to know your airgunsmith (and probably will anyway).

I've got an (old, hard to find) Tokyo Marui P90, with upgraded barrel. With good BBs, it'll put half of them on a paper plate at 50 yards, full auto. That's about 20 per second, from a 200 round mag. Still dents plywood at 50 yards. I've yet to see a cheap gun perform like that, but I'm not Mr. Airsoft.

Great for cleaning out wasp nests from the eaves, two stories up.

And it's fun, fun, fun. No tax stamp needed.

 

[alleycat]

You can get a decent entry level ICS battery op version for under 200. Battery and charger for around 65. Dont skimp on safety gear...much greater risk of injury, especially to eyes, than paintball. Buy him a litle first aid kit for cuts from pellets breaking the skin....tell mom to expect some visible bruises on hands and arms.

Upgrades and mods galore available for much more $$ of course. I wouldnt buy into any of that till you see if he sticks with it first. Never let another kid "mod" your son's gun. Probably more youtube airsoft gunsmiths out there han legit ones.

Spring guns are a waste, and try to stay away from single shot snipers and shotguns.....they quickly get tired of them and you've wasted money. Stay away from plastic frames....only go with metal, esecially for pistols. They just dont hold up. Dont let hm buy used mags or 'green gas' operated pistols fom other kids, they quickly get worn and leak at the seams.

If he cant resist having a gas operated pistol, buy a plastic adapter and fill it with a regular coleman propane cook stove tank.....3.88 vs 16.50 for 'green gas'. Almost all indoor fields and some outdoor ones dont allow you to use CO2 driven weapons at all, so say away from walmart guns or nything that uses those little silver CO2 cartridges.

 

[Nonliberal]

Full auto parts for the Sterling at Apex for like $158 or so.

Yeah, uh, no...

But maybe one day you could cut the barrel and install a silencer for me that fits inside the shroud. That would be cool...WAY cool!

Why you been shopping FA parts?

 

[sambo77]

http://www.airsoftatlanta.com, they've got a lot of great stuff from spring single action to gas or battery operated

 

[primebeef]

My son and his buddies go to ss airsoft in Buford. He just got a c02 1911 for his birthday.