I agree, I don't think you need a 6x scope or greater for Airsoft, but a red dot just makes it easy to acquire your target quickly, and with both eyes open.

I'm pretty sure he's referring to the physical construction of the body, not the performance...

Also where are you seeing full metal guns with plastic gearboxes?

To the OP : You can usually find 5-10 packs of your desired mags on sites like www.wgcshop.com , www.Redwolfairsoft.com , www.airsoftparts.ca , etc. One thing to keep in mind ( applies mostly to P90's and G36's, Magazines cannot contain fake bullets for importation, you would need to buy those in country.

For batteries, by your description, a 9.6v battery would suit your needs. Strong enough to pull most springs, and have a decent ROF. Try to find one that's 1500mAh +, otherwise get two. Running out of power in the middle of the day sucks.

Theres many different configurations of batteries, but you need to decide on a gun before worrying about that. OTo buy batteries: http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/

Ares makes those. I was handling TheNoobLords Ares m60 and had a look at the gearbox by popping the top cover. They seem really sturdy for clear plastic. I think it's some kind of polycarbonate.

Ah, well i stand corrected. But it's safe to say 90% of the airsoft population do not buy Ares M60's, so plastic gearboxes are not much of an issue unless you're buying Aftermath or something along those lines.

I think they use them in more than just the M60 :P It's just that the only ares gun I've handled happened to be that m60

Aftermath guns can get a 6 inch spread at over 240 ft!!! Dont mess with them!
[/Sarcasm]

I know its overkill for a starter, but assuming cost wasn't a concern (the OP does have quite a large amount to work with!), could a Systema PTW be recommended as a newbie option? Or does it complicate stuff?

Well than buy an extra gearbox along with your ARES :D

If the OP likes the M4 series, I would recommend a G&P *insert rifle you like*. They make really well built and solid rifles. Though, I've heard they have one or two problems within the mechbox, but I couldn't say with any kind of certainty.

Im surprised no one mentioned this for his price range... PDW

I'm trying to find the guns I was looking at but I forgot where I saw them.

I've also seen full metal guns with metal gear boxes that are junk as well.

I don't think a PTW would be the best choice for a newbie... For a first AEG I would recommend anything by G&G. That way if you break it or something goes wrong you're not trying to repair anything too expensive.

To answer your question broadly, I would suggest;
-G&G M14 (any variant, if you want rails go with the EBR. heavy as hell though)
-2X 8.4v 3800mah intellect batteries (NiMH)
-Hurricane Holosight (model is personal preference)
-Smart Charger

As for GBB they are much more maintenance intensive. However once you get used to cleaning them and re-lubing them, you will most likely prefer them over your AEG. Not to mention fewer parts to worry about, they can get wet with little to no consequences and they are obviously more realistic.

Those recommendations were not based on your budget though, simply a new airsofter. If you want the high-end right off the bat, go with something like an ARES or Real Sword. Both make beautiful rifles. But if I were you I would stay away from the Systema's for now.

I don't know what you're planning on in terms of gear, but get yourself some good eye protection (I run ESS goggles, they're wonderful) and some kind of BDU and chest rig to carry your real-caps. And with your budget go for some high end tactical boots and gloves.

Cheers

Wow uhh I heard systema was expensive but wow... Wow, thats quite alot. Thats like 3.5x more than other m4s... Ok i guess i could but no i couldn't justify spending that much with so little experince. It'd be like giving me a brand new sports car, things could go very wrong.

But yes M4 seems to be the right track seeing as there is a multitude of parts.

Ok one attractive option for me to buy from is a localish army surplus store
heroarmysurplus dot com (no spaces dot is . (but u can figure that out))


Ok and a g&g question there max series looks cool, but isnt the fps limit for aegs outdoor often 400?

And ive heard of G&G being cheap and having mag compatibilty probs, any truth to said rumors, or am i hearing more bias bullcrap?

YES! Common sense prevails!

Truth be told the SystemA's are nice but they're not for everyone. Basically they're like the Ferrari of the airsoft world. The benefits of the PTW is that it's exactly the same dimensions as it's real steel counterpart, and can take real steel externals, I think the same weight as well, it's also got a kickass hop up system supposedly and a host of other cool benefits that you don't need but are nice to have. Just get a regular AEG as your first.

As for the G&G thing. Yes max outdoor speeds are typically 400 FPS BUT don't buy a gun for it's out of the box speed. You can easily change the speed with a $10 spring up/downgrade. I would highly suggest an M110 spring (typically 360-380 FPS) so that you're safe for all outdoor play. Chronos can be off slightly and read slightly higher or lower, and ambient weather can have an effect on BB speed as well (supposedly). Remember 400 FPS is a LIMIT not a goal. I'm pretty sure that I'm shooting around 380 on my M4.

NB: I also use .25 or .28g BB's for 340 and 320 FPS respectively. The loss in velocity is worth the extra effective range/accuracy gain from a heavier projectile.

I can't tell you if it's truly crap since I've never played with one but yes they are cheap and could potentially have problems with it's internals but I wouldn't worry about it until something breaks. Then take it to a gundoc to upgrade. Truth be told I haven't touched the internals on my M4 at all. I let a gundoc do it for me. (EDIT: Although I am slowly learning the tricks of the trade and am hoping to understand enough to be able to build up a gun from scratch one day)

Ok so I've done a little bit more research, that battery thread really helped. This site has allot of very good info.

So I think I want an 8.4v or 9.6v battery(ies) with allot of Mah. You guys seem to say not to buy them from an Airsoft store, why is that?

Also good M4 brands look to be ICS, G&P, CA, TM, and some people say ARES (but reading earlier post.. crappy internals, but I'll do some more searching)

I like the CA version, seen good reviews.

Do you buy your weekly groceries from the corner store? Chances are you don't. You usually go to Sobeys, Safeway, Superstore, or something like that. You will buy groceries from the cornerstore when you've got people coming over in half an hour and you need a loaf of bread, some milk, eggs, and softdrinks.

It's basically not very economical to buy stuff like that from airsoft stores. They're perfectly fine brands and stuff (nothing wrong with what they stock) but there is a "convenience markup" since you're getting all this stuff from one place instead of driving around the city piecemealing parts and also airsoft shops don't get nearly the same volume and customers as RC shops can so they can't really offer the best prices (compare 1000 chargers from DuraTrax to an RC store vs. 5 or 10 of the same charger at an airsoft store).

Batteries can be highly marked up like Latency said.

Also of those, If you're looking for the best externals : G&P. Can't really comment on the internals of the others.