The Big Debate #2

As a bolt action sniper what is better, a gas sniper or a spring sniper. Be sure to post your reasoning. (Please note that I am only referring to single shot gas snipers not the semi auto ones.)

well it depends on your location. near WF i would say Gas because of the easy matainence (sp?) and the fact that there is no bolt resistance so your movement would be alot less noticeable than a spring sniper.

but up here in Ohio its a whole different story. i would highly recommend getting a spring sniper as it is not effected by the changing weather, cold in particular). that is unless you have a spring for winter and a gas for the warmer seasons.

most people will say spring because of the whole consistency thing but believe me its not that big of a difference at 500FPS when you will most likely be shooting someone at 150ft. in Tanaka's the consistency does not affect accuracy at all, i cant vouch for any other gas snipers because i haven't played with any others. the consistancy of a Tanaka gas sniper will effect range when you get out to the 300ft range as sometimes the bb will shoot 290ft and others it will shoot 300ft. not that big of a deal, as most snipers will be shooting people at 150-250 ft.

just my thoughts

sticks

i agree, it all depends where you live, for me around here in P.A, spring is the way, if you go gas, you can only really use it in the summer and mid spring-late spring.. fall is normaly to cold. and winters here are really cold, So i go spring.

i put gas down because i feel in warm weather that they are superior to spring snipers. its one of those things that you have to do before you can comment on it. but i guess in the fall/winter i would say spring snipers.

sticks

Sticks i agree, in summer gas is superior, but in the winter and fall, and early spring, spring is the way to go.. Well around here, if i lived in say cali, i would put down gas.

Ditto... depends on location, for Ohio, I would say spring and I love my spring BAR10.

Gas Guns:
Pros:
Little movement needed to pull bolt.
Easy to obtain high FPS.
Low maintenance.
Fairly quiet.
Cons:
Inconsistency of power (does make a difference)
Need of carrying gas on the field (if you have a gas sidearm, that could mean two diff. types of gas you have to carry = pain)
Gas freezes too easily. This means hard to use in cold weather and if shooting often (not common for sniper, but still).
When firing, gas is often visible as it's exiting barrel. This is sometimes easy to spot.
Some gas guns fire such high fps they're not allowed at fields.

Spring:
Pros:
Very quiet.
Low maintenance.
Consistent FPS.
Availability (more makes/models).
Still achieve high fps.

Cons:
Some bolts require heavy pull. (too much movement)
Heavy pull on bolts means more wear and tear on the action.
*I'm sure there are more, but I'm pulling a blank.

I'd say spring bolt-action rifles are better. They're just more reliable and versatile. They're allowed at more fields, and work well through sunshine, rain, snow, etc. Besides, I hate carrying gas canisters around (even the smaller ones). But that's obviously just my opinion. I still like the gas rifles as well. You can find quality ones for pretty cheap, and they'll give you good stock performance.

Admin the only thing i think could cure your gas bottol problem... cause i sure wouldn't want to carry a small can either... is those 1 to 1 scale flash grenades on WGC and redwofl that you can fill with gas... they will give you like two pistol mags worth i think so for sniping it would be enough, then you just hang em right on your vest.. When called upon, pull the pin and twist the lever off to reviel a nozzel to fill up. they would be handy.

I actually thought about getting some of those for when I use the M203, but decided to make a can holder instead... keeps it hidden, easy access... still gets in the way a bit, but I can live with it. THAT and it saved me about $100 or more from not buying those mock grenades.

gas is cool but soo much $$$$$$$$$ for 300 fps

lol 300 FPS what type of gas snipers were you looking at?

most gas snipers come stock around 400FPS or more, then if necessary (if tanaka) you can increase the gas flow with an allen wrench. if its another sniper system(KJW) then you could increase it the same way as the tanaka but the results wont be as dramatic.

sticks

Yeah, actually I think most Tanaka gas sniper's are capable of about 450fps out of the box... just need to turn an allen wrench a bit.

does anyone know how propane is affected by the cold. im thinking it would be alot less than green gas. it would be nice to know if it would/could expand in the winter. maybe someone should come out with a nitro/HPA mag for some of the gas snipers. i know that Nitro/HPA has ALOT less trouble in the winter.

sticks

Yeah... it actually works in the winter, atleast for paintball guns.

I should try to rig up some sort of remote system to one of my HPA tanks with a good regulator and see if it works in really cold weather... then figure out a way to make a high pressure gas gun... I would corner the gas airsoft market in 1 week.

i know that it could be done, but i wonder how a compatible mag would be made. i mean obviosly the gas capacity would be alot less, considering how the pressure would be much greater. i guess we would have to replace the bolt and the mag for it to be HPA compatible.

anyone know alot about pressure at all? would be much appreciated

sticks