first purchase woes
 

my friends who have alot more airsoft knowledge than me have got me at a stand still, im looking for a gbb and from what im hearing the ksc gun i would like mk23 socom and just there guns in general break down easy. im told i should get the full tm socom kid instead. is this my friends being tm whores or do they have a valid point??? cheers
quiggers

TM has the best reputation , KSC isn't bad at all , though. If you run GBBs on propane without a metal slide , it tends to break more easily , TM or not.

You also have to take in to affect that the MK23 SOCOM FULL KIT my TM is not a GBB, its a GNBB (gas non blowback) and in my experience it is perfectly safe to run on propane.

oh yeah , forgot about that. Since there's no blow back of the slide , you can run propane easily , it probably won't break.

TM Socom is a NBB (Non Blow Back), so running it on propane isn't a problem as the slide doesn't move when you fire it. It's insanely quiet, especially with the silencer on it. Also very accurate and shoots hard on propane, mine chrono's at 340fps, stock.

Hyperion is quite correct about the GBB's though. Sooner or later, you'll break a plastic slide if you run it on propane.

Since when do silencers really work ?

In GBBS they do. Depends on the GBB of course, but for a NBB they work REALLY well, for a GBB they don't work as well but still have an effect. The M11A1 is a good example, most of the noise comes out the muzzle (fires from an open bolt, when gas is released the bolt is full forward). I made a custom supressor for my M11A1 that has perforated inner barrel and foam baffles inside the housing, all you hear when it fires is really the clacking of the botl back & forth. Also adds another 30-60fps on top of it (wasn't intentional, but cool none-the-less).

thanks for the non-baised insight, i guess there is alot to study up on before you buy your first gun.....well first gun other than a springer, thanks for the help cheers
quiggers

Just know that a LOT of people will buy a gun, play with it a bit, then sell it to buy another, use it a bit, sell it to buy another............. don't think that choosing a gun is like choosing a wife and then getting married, there isn't any waste of money if you find you want to try something new.

Just go Western Arms and get a flow restrictor, not only is it a top of the line gun but it can also take propane with a plastic slide (assuming you have the AI flow restrictor properly installed.)

Them glocks they always be a'jammin! (had a KSC G19 double feed and jam and got me killed last game, isolated incident, any GBB can double feed and jam, just thought it was funny because I have a friend thats always saying that phrase when he sees me.)

thanks stalker ill keep that in mind

Silencers work on most gas guns and it does a very good job on P90 AEG.
You have to know the difference between the musle report and the noise from the gun working...
Silencer play on the musle report.

correct me if I'm wrong but even NBBs require a lot of maintenance. pistols in airsoft are beautiful but you have to take care of them like if it was a baby

Have you signed up on the Manitoba Airsoft Association forums? (www.mb-airsoft.com) Or been down to Xtreme Tactics? (www.xtreme-tactics.com) they have a socom I'm sure they'd let you fondle and take on the range, considering you're of age of course :D

Other than putting silicone in the propane/duster (if you're not using green gas and, uh, airsoft duster) I have given my pistols very little maintenance. One or twice a year, I strip the slide & barrel off, clean them with a soft cloth, relube the rails with superlube, brush off the internals of any grit with a soft brush, put a drop or two of silicone oil on the internal parts and reassemble. Takes all of 5 minutes. And thats for my TM Glock 26 Advance and my KSC USP Compact, and they both work just fine. Hell, I can damn near snipe with my Glock. It consistantly out ranges (and is more accurate than) most stock TM AEG's. My TM Socom NBB, has been apart twice, once to check the hopup assembly, then again to install a tight bore and also works like a charm.

Of course, if you play in a dusty environment or just drop the guns more, you have to clean them more often. If you use them a lot, you'll have to check them more often. Over lubing will attract dust & grit and cause as many problems as under lubing. Yes then need to be maintained, so do AEG's. Yes, if you mistreat them, they'll break, just like AEG's. Learn the limitations of the guns and work within them. Research the gun you like, if it seems to break more than others, perhaps look at another gun, maybe it's just that particular brand that has a problem and another brand is fairly trouble free.

I have seen some pistols that seem to need more maintenance than others. On the other hand, I've seen pistols that certainly look like they've never seen maintance and they work fine. If you have a pistol that spends most of it's time in the shop or, even worse, is a closet queen (because of maintenance) then you either have bad luck or made a bad choice. IMO.

The NBB Socom that Darklen has is ridiculous it is scary when its silenced. You could be five feet away and not hear it. And also like Darklen said research thats why in the end I went with a p90 I found the things I would need to make a functional kit with it. Back to the point though, if you like a gun sometimes performence isnt what is what your looking for and its about how you think the gun grows on you. my 2 cents thats all.

yeah im signed up in the maa and ive been to xt numerous times, ill definatly ask next time im there

I have to second that, SockMonkey, at a local game, picked me off with his MK23 NBB, had the silencer on it, he was about......6ft away I'd guess, didnt even hear the shots fired, just felt the bb's impact.

For sure a well worthy sidearm, you may notice, unlike the rest of gbb/ect, on retailers websites it doesnt have a ton of replacement parts for it, meaning IT DOESNT BREAK!

Just be sure to lube up your magazines with silicone oil when using propane aka green gas. It will keep your seals in your magazine squishy so they dont crack or dry out, so you wont get magazine leakage.

Thats about all you really need to know about that.

Oh on top of that, if you want a truely evil pistol, get the 200mm tightbore for the MK23 NBB and high flow valves for your magazine. ;)

My first purchace will probably be the TM M3 Super 90. It's cheap and cost effective. This saves me money by not having to buy a charger or battery. My second gun will be a AEG of course.
Not only am I getting the Super 90 for the price but it will teach me to pick my shots and not "newb spray". It will also help me to learn how to be tactical when under fire.

Plus.. I love shotguns and I am big enough to use them.

Keep in mind those things have a certain "design flaw" after a while that a stray BB won't make it into the breech, and will jam in between the tri-nozzle and deform them if you ram it forward hard enough or frequently. Net result, might only get two BBs coming out, might get three with one not going as far as the other two............. worst is it won't go full forward into battery, and there is no easy fix considering the gun is difficult to take apart, and preventing the stray BB jamming in the tri-nozzle isn't avoidable (like I said, design flaw). I worked on a team mates M3 and fixed it (was only shooting 2 BBs per shot), got it to fire three shots for a few hundred shots, then the problem happened again. Got it to shoot another hundred shots or so, then all thre hop up rubbers went, causing the BBs to roll out the barrels right after you cocked it. It's a permanent wall hanger now. Some people either get lemons, or there are tricks to learn to keep the shotty running all the time without problems. I can't say what works to extend the life of the gun.

I also thought about buying a Super 90 but the nozzle breaks often from what I've heard and the tri-nozzle isn't available as a replacment part.

you should save a bit more and buy a TM AEG

Looking to buy a TM Desert Eagle when I turn 18 in five months. Can anybody tell me a way I could test-fire one? I'd like to know what I'm in for when I pull the trigger on my first gun.

well if there is an airsoft arena/range near your area im pretty sure with parental consent you can go an test fire guns paying per mag, thats how it is at the arena in winnipeg

If your planning on getting a GBB for your first gun, I assume your not going to be gaming for a wile. If thats the case I wouldnt go for a NBB, theyre no fun to shoot! TM's latest three pistols seem to be the cream of the airsoft pistol crop. Hicapa (5.1 and 4.3), P226r and the latest 1911 all operate on the same general system and offer outstanding proformance and feel. I would stay away from WA for a first gun... too pretty and too expensive. KSC makes some great guns aswell, the G19 is the worlds best selling pistol at the moment. On the other hand, the only time I've heard of the KSC Mk23's is when they brake...

As for the TM shotties, buy new and it will last you more than long enough for you to 'outgrow' it. They have great accuracy aswell

I personally would also stay away from WE guns. Three friends of mine all bought High cappas and Dragons made by WE and they all broke( the hammer won't cock and the bb feeder broke).

I run with a TM Tac Master Beretta and I am happy with it. If you want a good NBB hand gun go with the SOCOM. Personally I don't like the SOCOM cause it feels cheapy plasticy and it's too big but don't get me wrong it's a good gun for the price around 250 and you get around 150 shots out of 1 mag fill with most NBB guns.
Most people say that with a plastic slide on a GBB running propane you run a risk of breaking the gun slide which is true so be careful and run duster
( R134a )if you can't afford the high cost of major maintenance.

Your best bet is to check the shops when you are of age. I don't recomend buying a used first gun cause you may not know what to look for broken and such. And if it does break it might discourage you in any way.

Just my 2 and a half cents bud.
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