For beginers

There is some argument as to what a beginer should start with as their first gun. Whats your opinion.

Mine is that they should start with Walmart pistols, then a guy gets a rifle so the rest do. Then one gets a JG and rest do catch my drift. Cause belive it or not ive learned a "Watch your language" load of stuff from the plinker field and look how i turned out. Yes sir that is one beautiful avatar. Ok im rambling whats your opinion.

honestly walmart pistols, cause IMHO people think airsoft doesn't hurt, but when they experience it with KWAs + lipoly, "Watch your language".

And also, walmart pistols to see if they really like airsoft..

I've seen people go both ways from Wally World guns. Myself, I started with Crossman and some cheap (yes, cheaper than Crossman) junk from a local wholesale shop. I graduated up to Echo1 now. Others I know became frustrated when their cheap stuff broke and gave up, not wanting to pay the $$$. Heck, most players I know still use hunting camo from Wally World.

I still keep my old crosman night prowler and a crossman CO2 pistol around...the pistol isn't really all that bad. Overall, I think dept store stuff is OK to start since the cost of the "good stuff" will turn most beginners off. Just one reason I get irritated when folks go off on an anti-crossman diatribe. Insisting on high end stuff for beginners kills the hobby in my view.

Painkiller wrote:

I've seen people go both ways from Wally World guns. Myself, I started with Crossman and some cheap (yes, cheaper than Crossman) junk from a local wholesale shop. I graduated up to Echo1 now. Others I know became frustrated when their cheap stuff broke and gave up, not wanting to pay the $$$. Heck, most players I know still use hunting camo from Wally World.

I still keep my old crosman night prowler and a crossman CO2 pistol around...the pistol isn't really all that bad. Overall, I think dept store stuff is OK to start since the cost of the "good stuff" will turn most beginners off. Just one reason I get irritated when folks go off on an anti-crossman diatribe. Insisting on high end stuff for beginners kills the hobby in my view.

Crosman airmag c11 by any chance?

Personally if you know you'll like AS i'd go straight to E1 or something of the sort. If someone just wants to give it a try before buying something nice a cheap CO2 pistol from Wal-Mart would do the trick. I'd stay away from the cheap stuff since they can very easily ruin your image of airsoft, they did for me.

Go for a good brand first like Echo 1 - KWA if your willing to take the gamble

Most people who buy the shitty guns at walmart usually end up dropping the hobby because that is all they think it is. Very mistaken.

But it is a hobby. It is a hobby that acctracs(sp) an honorable and dedicated group of people the most. I voted a Walmart pistol because if they want to like it and they use the cheap berretas or whatever it leaves em wanting more.

Yep, my pistol is a C11. I've got a KWC Smith & Wesson also, and the C11 is easily as good.

I've got to agree with going for a higher level gun like Echo1 if you know you'll like AS, but I feel that cheap guns like Crosman do "wet the appetite" for airsoft. It's up to the rest of us to "evangelize" and spread the word about the rest of the greater airsoft world.

Discussions like this are the reason I like this site. Other sites clearly state that if you are not hard core milsim you don't need to be playing. If I wanted to be a re-enactor, I would be doing living history, not airsoft. Good discussion.

Painkiller wrote:

I've got to agree with going for a higher level gun like Echo1 if you know you'll like AS, but I feel that cheap guns like Crosman do "wet the appetite" for airsoft.

Their pistols certainly but they're actual AEG line is questionable doing that. When you look at the prices their AEG's that are actually decent cost almost as much as an E1. I paid about $115 for my AK from Crosman and while it works ok the fact that it's pretty much all plastic drives me crazy.

Well the thing is people, that when you take a guystraight into airsoft before hes ever touched a gun its a hard decision. A "friend" of mine we convinced into and E1, aka he pretty much went out and bought it randomly not knowing it was E1, after i told him to try AS, he gets it and then like NEVER shoots it except for games, and CRIES when shot, im sorry but the pistol i believe is the best, but when they do get all decked out in crosman gear then you try to raise their standard they disagree because they think that their "look" is good enough because it looks like yours, but functionality not so much, its a very arguable topic if i do say so myself.

Its also a kind of maturity issue. A younger player 10-12 yrs old is probably going to not like the pain involved whereas anyone older would probably be like. " WOW COOL IT HURTS PPL!!!" (endorsing responsible use)

iliveforthis99 wrote:

Painkiller wrote:

I've got to agree with going for a higher level gun like Echo1 if you know you'll like AS, but I feel that cheap guns like Crosman do "wet the appetite" for airsoft.

Their pistols certainly but they're actual AEG line is questionable doing that. When you look at the prices their AEG's that are actually decent cost almost as much as an E1. I paid about $115 for my AK from Crosman and while it works ok the fact that it's pretty much all plastic drives me crazy.

I'll definitely concede that point. My view was based on my own experience buying the Night Prowler off the clearance row at Walmart. It was $70 at the time, and (believe it or not) the hottest gun we had in our group. After a couple of skirmishes, I figured out how inaccurate is and that it has a tendency to jam on full auto, especially with the infamous Crosman ammo. I couldn't wait to get enough money to buy an Echo1 or similar. I've got an Echo1 Socom 16 now and the bunch I play with has also upgraded (TM Thompson SMG, TM AK-47, Echo1 AK CPW). Our Crosman AEG's are still around for playing rounds with the kids (my ten year old is ferocious).

Had I known better, I would have went from my cheapo springers straight to a MPEG or higher instead of blowing the $70 on the Night Prowler. It did, however, wet my appetite as I stated for a better gun. The same with the rest of the group who started with the Crosman MP5 and graduated up.

And yes, my ten year old did cry the first couple times he was hit. He found out it is more fun to find the sucker that shot him in the next round and blast them on full auto instead of quitting!

Haha the last part was great.

I started with a cheap AGM M8 as my first real AS gun and it was one of the best in our group and at the time it did get me hooked and wanting more thus the jump to JG and then finally KWA. I kind of forgot about that gun earlier so ignore my first post lol. Also i think another thing i that should be considered is the knowledge people wanting to get into AS have. Like when i started a year ago looking for my first gun E1 was just a name i saw browsing airsplats site, i had no idea they were one of the top MPEG manufactures. Probably the only reason i didn't get a Crosman was because i didn't want a Wal-Mart gun due to coming from a hardcore paintballers background.

Oh yeah that cheap M8 i started with is actually still in use by a friend that i sold it to and is now wanting to step up his game and get a better gun.

I say start them off with the best they can get. If that just happens to be a wal-mart pistol, well ok. But if they can afford the best, let them start with the best. Maybe that way a lot of new airsoft players won't become disillusioned with airsoft because of the wal-mart pistols.

I am currently reworking my website (which Is on hold until I can afford a domain name and more pages, etc). But I will be including a section of suggested airsoft equipment which will link directly to a place to buy it on amazon (The items are all companies/brands that either I recommend, or someone I trust recommended to me).

Hopefully after some work, when it is ready It'll help a lot of new airsoft players pick and choose their equipment. But I digress.

A lot of my early airsoft friends don't play anymore because the items they bought (all crossman at sports-chalet) gave them the impression that airsoft was for kids, and they all play paintball now.

My experience is that the hardcore airsoft players bring enough mid-quality and low-quality guns for the newcomers to play with, and if they like it, they get some mid-quality guns of their own and join the team. So my first gun was a softair/cybergun AK47 Spetsnaz, who has served me well so far. I'm actually thinking of getting another one of those before I get a better gun, so I can have some decent loaners for newcomers.

You know guys, there was once a time where everyone bought a high end AEG to "try" out the game... I refer to those days as the "good old days" aka inb4 echo 1 influx!

I spent $312 on my first AEG, and had no idea what I was going to get when I went to my first game...

sticks

Wow did this turn to a great discussion score one for Satan.
@ LW that player is my age

@ AFU i respectfully disagree the same person stated above has used it in 2-3 games but has shot it over 6000 times. He just sits around the house dry firing it for fun. Another story. DRoberts on the forums has a Swiss arms Sig and to unjame the barrel he shoved a drill bit down the barrel now imagine if he did that with a KWA . Its good to learn and break the crap instead of the good.
@ Isane Mercc
Hit the nail on the head my friend. When you start with a little dinky pistol its boring and you crave for more. That is if you like the sport if you don't like cqb pistol battles why would you like mid range rifle battles.