What I think I know
 

Well I'm sure most of you don't care but I do so bear with me please.

I am a mere 6 months and 7 days (as of this post) from my 18th birthday. So when November 23 comes around I want to be ready and informed. I want to talk with other players and get advice, because I cannot trust retailers to tell me anything but, my product is better buy it.

So airsoft is an expensive hobby and I'm looking to spend around the same as I would on my Ice Hockey Goalie equipment. Which means anywhere from 1000.00 to 3000.00 dollars. I know I could probably spend less but I've done paintball and clearsoft and I really enjoy both but felt it was lacking something. I know it was a realistic feel to the weapons, I find walking outta the bush looking like a priceless painting annoying and I love the more realistic look to Airsoft style Loadouts.

So I want to go through what I'm looking for and read you're replies.

Ok so heres my basic list of what I want to start off with gun-wise.

1. All metal construction, I don't want plastic. No offense to people with Tinted lower receiver but there is a reason you're is less expensive.

2.A weapon that it is fairly easy to find mods and upgrades for.

3. I would perfer a weapon that comes with RIS or some kind of rails.

4. Reliability and solid construction without having to upgrade like hell.

5. Battery, well I don't really know much about them but I don't really want an insane rof (from what I've read it wears out your internals) but more longevity.

6. I want a sight, but won't get one for minimum a few games, try out the iron sights first.

7. I want easy to find mags, i don't wana search. beg and plead just to buy a few mags. Also I'm a real cap fan, but won't start off with them till I get more experience.

8. I'm looking for either an SMG or preferably and assault rifle (carbine or full size) I want to play both CQB and outdoor but not need to expensive guns.


Well thats allot to start with. I also would like to ask a couple of questions.

1. Batteries I know little of nothing about them. Can someone post some facts.

2. I don't want a GBB I hear they are more maintenance intensive than an AEG, but what maintenance does an AEG req.


I'll ask more in a short while. Also I'm hopping to AV'd ASAP after I turn 18, I wana good look at the classifieds. Before purchasing anything, you all seem to hold it with high regard so I figure I'd better listen.

Best way to do this is just find a gun you like. Then come back and maybe someone could suggest which company makes the best version of that gun.

Happy Hunting: http://85.10.199.166/assault-e.html

1. All metal construction, I don't want plastic. No offense to people with Tinted lower receiver but there is a reason you're is less expensive.
Wrong I've seen many guns with tinted lowers that are just as good as a full metal gun full metals can have plastic gear boxes which makes them cheap.
2.A weapon that it is fairly easy to find mods and upgrades for.
What kind of mods are you looking for? only kind I can think of are new springs motors and whatever else they have. Scopes and other sites are there for looks only since airsoft ballistics suck.
3. I would perfer a weapon that comes with RIS or some kind of rails.
Could be good but are not needed. Example airsoft 1911 can have lower rail or none. The real 1911 does not have rails.
4. Reliability and solid construction without having to upgrade like hell.
If you don't plan on leaving it in mud or salt water most are fine.
5. Battery, well I don't really know much about them but I don't really want an insane rof (from what I've read it wears out your internals) but more longevity.
Don't know can't comment.
6. I want a sight, but won't get one for minimum a few games, try out the iron sights first.From my experience the ballistics suck sights are pointless.

7. I want easy to find mags, i don't wana search. beg and plead just to buy a few mags. Also I'm a real cap fan, but won't start off with them till I get more experience.
Don't know not going to venture an opinion.
8. I'm looking for either an SMG or preferably and assault rifle (carbine or full size) I want to play both CQB and outdoor but not need to expensive guns.

No ideas.



Also note most is my personal opinion feel free to disagree.

Ok I will be more specific.

I am a fan of the M4 series, and know that have allot of customization, witch also seems to suit almost all of my needs, but I also like the FN SCAR series, and G36 series is nice... and well I go down hill from there thinking of all the different weapons and me holding them in a game, in full BDU... oops I drooled a little.

My only short point. I detest AK series weapons, just don't like the RS and even though airsoft doesn't fire anywhere near as similar, its deep seated.

And don't worry I want you're opinion, I wouldn't ask otherwise.

The H&K 416 ticks all the boxes.

You can get one from a few makers in both AEG and GBBR flavors.

I know it can be difficult to pick a rifle you like, but the community can literally list dozens of different versions of Scars, Armalites, and G36s. Seriously, find one you like the absolute most, maybe go to a few games and hold some guns, then ask for suggestions for the best manufacturer of that gun.

@Rai, I'm at work right now so I can't really point out all the things that are wrong with what you said(Not to infer that EVERYTHING you said was wrong, but i can strongly disagree on a number of points), but ill summarize and just say that red dots and scopes can be very useful in Airsoft, it must just be that YOUR ballistics suck. Also, I can think of half a dozen 1911s with rails off the top of my head.

Ok I'll do some more looking thank you for the comments!

That website I linked you to is just the best. You'll be distracted for days.

1) Everything you could possibly need to know about batteries: http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=25656

2) Wipe down the barrel of dust/dirt occasionally. Grease/lube gears (even if you get a high quality gun it's advised that you eventually take apart the gearbox, clean up all the grease from the gears and relube with FinishLine Teflon). I guess wiping down the gun after a day of play to get dust/dirt off it and dry it out (if humid/or wet). That's pretty much it. If you don't mess around with it (and it's a high quality gun) then you should be good.

As for entering the sport. $1000 is a good budget and will get you a long way to start. I personally started for around ~$650 but over the next 3 months later I spent another ~$200 and slowly acquired more gear and stuff.

Also, you should note that it will usually take up to 3 weeks (sometimes longer) for AV to go through (this is including meeting up, submission of your info, and then an admin giving you your AV usertag). What you can do for now though is visit surplus shops and stuff and pickup BDU's and other useful gear (ie. PB mask, sealed ballistics, or ballistic glasses depending on the field you play at, batteries, charger (go to RC shop for this), red killrag, good boots etc.).

Check out the the HK416, as mentioned. I'm fond of the SCAR and M4 myself, and the HK416 looks like a nice cross between the two :)

Some good M4/M16 models would be Classic Army, Tokyo Marui, King Arms or Systema PTW (if you can afford it, its probably the best one)

From what I know VFC makes some really good SCAR rifles. They have the Light, Heavy and SSR (Sniper) variants.

For G36s, Classic Army and Ares/Umarex make the whole family of G36 rifles. KWA makes a good G36c as well.

All the ones listed above are AEGs. For gas guns, WE or KJW M4, WE SCAR (latest version only, older ones have some problems) and WE G36 series.

I'd recommend a G36 model. I've handled the C and K models myself, both a Classic Army and Jing Gong (early gen) versions. They have the rails you need included, and fully railed handguards are around. The take-down is simple and you don't have to tear out all the internals to swap out a hop-up or barrel or even the mag well. Due to the design, its rock solid without wobbles. The only thing that will be a mark against it according to your 'wants' is the full metal obviously. The v.3 mechbox makes up for that, in my opinion. A lot of people would call it the best type and I agree.

G&P M4 variant, rear wired to a crane stock.
For mags go MAG brand.

Well when I say full metal, I bear in mind that parts of M4 or otherwise are not metal but a high impact plastic or Nylon Weave like material. I basically mean like parts that should be metal are.

Depends on what he consider accuracy, for me the range of an airsoft does not require anything other than iron sights. Unless you have poor eyesight in which a red dot might help. But me if I can't hit it with iron sights I don't shoot it.

Give you a suggestion that you won't regret

Stop worry about if its metal or plastic, start question the quality the metal/ plastic

Low-grade aluminum are piece of crap, in general Die-cast metal will break on brittle part quite fast -even if its die cast aluminum (and bunch of other crap) like G&P. Typically the 'better' ones are CNC aluminum (t6061 is common one) forged or stamped steel/aluminum. However, those are bloddy expensive
Plastic are known to flex or crack in low temperature, look for fibre reinforced polymer or nylon fibre etc Those are better. Examples of those are CA, ARES, and WE G36

For durability of material I would pick, (given they're all top notch manufacture) [example given in bracket]
Stamp Steel[RS Type 56 or LCT AKs]> Forged Aluminum[RS M16 or Ino GBBR]> CNC Aluminum[Prime Metal body]>Fibre-Reinforced Polymer[RS,ARES,CA polymer gun]>Die Cast Zinc-Aluminum[G&P]>Die Cast Potmetal[KSC,KJW]> Plastic[TM, JG, G36]

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.

Where does Systema fall into the list?

Die cast zinc I think.

Question: I'm a southpaw, wondering do ambidextrous controls really make a difference? I mean I've used a clearsoft M4 and it was fine but real airsoft guns are different (i.e. not cheap and like to brake)

I'm right handed and I like Ambi controls.

Even when my gear is in my right hand I'll be flipping from safe to fire as a mater of habit so I would suspect for someone who is left handed ambidextrous switches would be a real big deal. Otherwise you risk a ND, have to retrain yourself to be right handed, or you have to fumble finger with the safety and mag releases.

Actually disregard my comment, I realized I'm just an inexperienced tool, and mixed up how you tell which hand you are. So I should be fine.

I'm a lefty and I just learned to accept it and figure out a way for me to change mags and all that. So instead of pressing the mag release on an M4 with my right hand, my right hand from the front stock lets go of the fore stock and goes to do a "beer can grip" on the mag in a "thumbs up position", with thumb pressing the mag release then dropping mag into dump pouch and getting fresh mag from vest.

Wait thats lefty, Well then i F***'d up twice... I am a lefty... I should really figure this stuff out before opening my big trap.

Ah well thanks for figuring that out for me. But just incase I'm as much as an idiot as my last 2 posts show... Left hand=trigger right hand=forestock/grip == lefty

Yes that's it. I personally remember it by how the casings are ejected.

Most guns are made for right handers. Keeping that in mind the way the casings are ejected you'd usually want them to be ejected in a "safe" direction. Now to design something for right handers you'd want the casings ejected to the right away from you which is how the M4 works. In the case of a lefty the casings pretty much get ejected into your face.

You may laugh but when I was shooting a .22 once I almost had a hot shell eject into my face. Luckily I was wearing ballistic glasses and the worst that happened was it struck the corner of my safety glasses, and fell onto the shooting mat.

If that doesn't work for you just remember which side you put the rifle on. If it's on your left shoulder you're a lefty shooter, if it's on your right shoulder you're a right handed shooter.

It's a right handed world.....

PS: I also shoot from both sides on occasion as well (ie. when shooting around a corner or popping out on the right side of a bunker but I do tend to prefer shooting from the left side like if I'm advancing or patrolling).

Ya I can shoot with my right too, just find it hard as hell to use sights cause I find my left eye is stronger than my right, dominant I think is the correct term.


EDIT: Seeing as I'm gona buy BDUs, boots etc, before I buy my gun, I hope to get a few games in before my birthday then get AV'd and look at the classified b4 making a purchase from either Retailers or other players. I want to discuss gear.

Personally I like CADPAT, but while peeking around the forums people seem to say it sounds nice and all, but MARPAT woodland is better for blending with cover. Desert obviously seems to be a bad choice (especially in southern Ontario) and Urban seems to have limited use so isn't multi-use practical (I know budget is nice and large for a beginner, buts it is what I can spend NOT what I want to spend). And I see radio's are handy little gadget, recommendations?

I'm cross eye dominant also and have no issues with the rifle in my right hand and sighting with a telescopic sight or irons with the dominant eye closed. With a red dots & Holo sights I keep both eyes open and have no problems. With pistol I have it my right hand and sight with both eyes open but with my left down the sights.

All you have to do is shoot a lot.

Just got new gear! I am now game ready (minus gun OFC) so I hope to soon be out there looking for some games where I can play and rent guns!

A special thanks goes to the staff at Hero Army Surplus Oshawa for taking the time to help me pick out my gear in the right size and figure out what I needed and had all wrong. I'll defiantly come back!

Now I'm really excited lets get fraggin!

Good the hear! I'm not in your neighbourhood, but maybe we'll meet at some larger game (i.e., 24-hr/weekend game) someday.

For lefties, look for a gun with ambi safety, mag release and (maybe) bolt cock. Most modern ARs should have ambi safety & mag release. An ambi cocker is a little harder to come by - the G36 has one, if memory serves. However, for returning the bolt back to ready position, I can't think of an AR that has an ambi bolt release - most of the ones I've seen are on the left side only.

When I shoot offhand with my Real World arms, I have to watch spent casings flying into my face. Fortunately, that's not a problem with airsoft. :)

Righties use that mag swap technique also. I use it on live-fire courses to swap out mags while moving between stations & remaining "hot". Time is a component of your score, and running dry while midway through a course won't help your score.

If you have an ambi mag release, you can do a fast swap - pull your fresh mag and bring it up, grab the spent mag with your spare fingers, release spent mag with opposing index and pull it out, swap spent with fresh then tap your bolt release, dump spent in pouch. This will minimize the time without ammo in your rifle. Also works well with pistols.

+1 I'm a lefty as well and that's exactly how I do it as well.

As to the OP:

First I'd like to say it's nice to see a newbie with a realistic appreciation of what the start up cost of this sport is. $1000 to $3000 is spot on. I spent about $2000 or so getting started myself, more then half of that for the gun and the rest for quality gear.

For a First gun:

Manufacturer is generally more important then the style. Generally all airsoft aeg's work the same so how it looks like outside is up to you. Though the advice in the Airsoft Newbie Buying Guide about styles is good. Generally ak47, m16/m4 or mp5 are good starter gun styles due to the availability of accessories and upgrades.

I'll add my weight to the argument of cheap vs quality. Get the highest quality gun you can afford, you'll thank yourself in the long run. Upgrading a low grade gun to match a high grade gun almost always costs considerably more then simply buying the high grade gun in the first place. Not to mention having your gun break down on you in mid game due to cheap parts sucks rocks.

Another thing to consider is resale value. You don't want to spend too much cause you're not sure you'll stick with it? That's actually a good reason *to* get a high grade gun rather then not to. You spend $600 on a Classic Army gun and, provided you've taken decent care of it, you have a very good chance of recouping most if not all of that $600 back. On the other hand, the classifieds are continuously flooded with people trying to offload Aftermath guns with no luck.

If you can afford it (which it appears from your op you can), 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 (yes the new TM M4/M16's have fixed this problem, but the bulk of the ones in country are the old ones so best to just avoid them for now).

I did extensive research and settled on the Tactical Carbine version of the Classic Army M15A4 (basically a full stock m4 carbine) 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 high quality enhanced nylon fiber rather then abs for great texture and feel. 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.

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of Classic Army. One thing to keep in mind about Classic Army is they now have two lines, a proline and a sportline. Originally they were easy to tell apart because the proline had the metal body and the sportline had a plastic body but recently CA has been releasing their sportlines with metal bodies. The price tag should still allow you to easily tell the difference, the sportline being $300-400ish and the proline never being cheaper then $500, usually more like $600 or more but it's still something to keep in mind. All the pros that I went over above were regarding the proline model. The sportline model has cheaper everything internally and externally.

There's alot of people that will expound the virtues of G&P as well. And I'll admit the externals of G&P are very nice, easily on par with CA, in some cases better. The reason why I don't say G&P over CA though is much the same reason why people weren't big fans of CA up until a few years ago: their quality control for the internals is not the greatest. That means a fair number of lemons. CA got a handle on this a few years ago and they've been making great strides in terms of their rep ever since, but G&P isn't quite there yet. This is simply my personal opinion and there are many people that would likely disagree with me, but it's something to keep in mind. ICS is about a cheap a gun as you can go and still get full metal out of the box. One thing to remember about ICS is they like to go their own way internally, so upgrading them inside will be more difficult then other brands. And needless to say it's not in the same league as CA or G&P. It's what someone on a budget but determined to get full metal would aim for. I should probably give TM some love here as well: Due to Japanese laws TM guns fire alittle cooler then most others and their externals are going to be almost entirely abs plastic. But *nothing* beats TM for internal reliability. You leave a TM stock internally and it will last for literally decades.

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 easiest brand to get 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.

I applaud your sense in not jumping on the GBBR wagon for your first gun. GBBR's have alot of going for them in terms of realism, but they're a fair bit more expensive (especially for mags), require considerably more maintenance, are more sensitive to temperature, and are just generally more finicky then a good AEG.

As to gear: Good eye protection which will run you between $30 and $50 (ESS is a great brand name). 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. Probably another $100-150 for a duty belt, a holster, a sling (get a good three-point, you'll thank yourself later), gloves and a misc pouch or two.

Rails, such as a Z rail (like on my gun in the pic below), or just a straight up carry handle rail are easy to get and are more or less one size fits all. RIS/RAS are alittle more complicated since not all the ones you'll find will fit the guns you have, but provided you do your homework (which you seem sensible enough to do) that shouldn't be a problem. Both CA and G&P have a bunch of different variations on the M4/M16 so if you're willing to go BNIB (brand new in box) then you could easily get one with whatever rail configuration you want.

Sights: I admire your intention to use iron sights for a few games first. It will definitely make you appreciate your optics more when you get them. And it definitely will be 'when' cause they're so much more useful then iron sights. That said, some variation on the unmagnified RDS (red dot sight) is what you're going to want. The range on airsoft rifles isn't enough to make magnification on anything other then a highly upgraded sniper rife anything more then a hindrance. Even with those they usually stay low magnification.

Batteries: Unless the gun is specifically designed or upgraded for 9.6v then you're going to want an 8.4v. Really the only reason to even go to 9.6v is either to pull a really heavy spring (which most fields wouldn't let you use anyway) or get insane rates of fire. Since you mentioned you're a realcap man (good for you, me too) then you're probably not looking for insane rates of fire either, so stick with 8.4v. Now mah is a different story. Mah is basically your staying power, and you want as high a mah as your charger can charge, most mid-range chargers can usually muster no more then 3200mah, which is more then enough for a full day's play even on near constant spray and pray. If you end up getting one of the subguns or a assault rifle with a collapsible or foldible stock then as I mentioned in my praise of the CA M15A4 above, you'll be stuck with small type batteries which have a much lower max mah.

Sidearms aren't really required right away so feel free to hold off on the sidearm for now. For the newcomer, a pistol is good for emergency backup and the occasional pistols only battle, but little else.

That said, if you can afford one and have your heart set on one then what you want in a sidearm depends on two factors (besides cost of course) whether or not full metal is a must and exactly what model you're partial to. Certain manufacturers tend to make certain models better then others. If full metal is a must then the best choice that isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg is probably KJW, especially for the M9 which they do very well. You'll see alot of WE's around, they're cheap and full metal but tend to have problems, especially their 1911 models. KJW has a rep of having mag problems, but I have had two KJW pistols and I haven't had any trouble with my mags. If full metal isn't a must then WA or TM would be very good choices.

If you're planing on using your pistol frequently as a primary or using it for CAPS style target shooting then go with the hicapa. The hicapa is basically a doublestack version of the 1911. If you're interesting in tricking out your pistol then you should definitely go with the hicapa, the bulk of pistol upgrades out there are all for the hicapa. And get a TM hicapa if you do get one, since all the upgrades are for TM. Yeah, other pistols are TM compatible, but that's not quite the same.

Now for some gun pron:

My Classic Army M15A4 Tactical Carbine without external addons:
http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...l-Carbine1.jpg

My baby, CA M15A4 Tactical Carbine with m203 grenade launcher, red dot sight and taclight:
http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...ineextras1.jpg

Me in my full kit:
http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...200912of30.jpg

All my misc gear:
http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/u...softStash1.jpg

actually you had it pretty much right when you talked about hero surplus. they carry the vfc line as well as the WE gbbr line. they are greeting pretty serious about the airsoft market and have lots of the stuff you need to get started. the newer vfc's have gearboxes that are lipo ready. ie. they'll run a standard nimh batt forever without breaking. couple that with metal body and i think you just found your weapon of choice.

Looking through game threads. I've noticed a few things

1. If a game allows someone my age to play does my guardian have to come with me or can I just bring a note saying its ok?

2. I've noticed a lot of different game types. Scenario, Team vs Team etc. And those are simple enough. But Tug of War seems weird. I know what classic tug of war is with a rope and a line if you cross you lose, but I have doubts that is what a tug of war game mode is. So what is a Tug of War game all about?

1) Signatures can easily be forged. But that said you'd kind of need a ride to the field. It really depends on host though. Some will say it's alright but others will require parent/guardian to be on site just for liability reasons if anything. They also don't like being "babysitters" so at least if your parents dropped you off and chatted with them for a bit and stayed for a few gamedays then they might let your parents just drop you off and go shopping or w/e.

2) I suspect it's either a "flag push" type game (push your flag to opponents side of the field) or maybe a "zombie" type game (2 or more teams try to kill players and any players that get hit join the team that shot them and they can go back and forth not like a zombie game where killed players are permanently zombies. ie. 4 teams of 4 players the goal is to kill other teams players to get your team stronger and eliminate all other teams by taking their members). Really I don't know what a "tug of war" game is but I would think it sound like one of the above two game types I've mentioned.... But TBH you'll learn the rules of it on the day of so don't worry.

EDIT: I don't think I said it yet but if you didn't say your age I would have honestly thought you were either a really smart 17 year old (ie. actually listens to advice and doesn't QQ about stuff), or 20+. Good job with that keep it up and I'm sure that your local players will have no problem having you join in their games.

Well a ride isn't a problem, I have my own car & license, my worry is that my rent have no problem with me playing, they just don't want to put any real effort into it.

You can always ask right. Nov isn't that far away although by then the season does start to wind down and your only recourse is to play at indoor fields.

From what I've seen though, if you asked me (and no I'm not an admin or anyone special, I'm just some random player) I would say yes as long as your parents approve and are at least willing to meet once to give them a talk about airsoft and at least get a safety briefing so they know safety is paramount and all that.

Tug of War (ToW) is a skirmish game with only one "flag" that needs to be transported to your homebase. The "flag" is typically a large and/or heavy item that may require the complete focus of a single person to carry, or more than one person to carry. It is typically placed mid-field (or a location equal distance from both homebases). If the person carrying the "flag" is hit, he is dead, must drop the "flag" immediately, and must return to the respawn point before returning to the field. The "flag" can change hands frequently, and skirmishes to control it can get pretty hectic. The game is called ToW because you're trying to "pull" the flag into your homebase.

Field size usually depend on how many are playing per side. The game emphasizes coordinated movement, and offensive/defensive tactics while on the move.

Ok I'm looking closely at the CA M15A4 RIS and wondering what is the largest battery size I could fit into a CA crane stock (which it comes with)