Advice on a starter gun.

rafared

Hi Guys. Hoping for some advice from you guys who know about this stuff.
My kid, who is 13 yrs old, is interested in getting into Airsoft. This is due to his class mates who have been at it for short while. They have been to up to Stamullen for a skirmish and are planning to go on a regular basis over the summer.
He hires all the kit when he goes and needless to say enjoys himself while there. Recently he made his conformation and wants to buy his own gun.
A mate of his has a G36 (whatever that is) and my lad says this is a good
starter gun. My problem is that I havent a clue what a good starter gun is and I dont want him wasting his money on something unsuitable.
Could you guys recommend something that you think would suit? I dont mind something 2nd hand or new and would say he might spend up to 200E on the right gun.
Thanks in advance to anyone offering help or advice.:)

horgan_p

Jing Gong or ASG (these are brands) G36c (gun type) is probably where most of us started.
You'll get a new one of these with a battery , charger and high capacity Mag for under €200.
All you really need then is a bag of bbs and some eye protection.

CpcRc

A JG G36c is a pretty good starter AEG for someone. It's what I started with and it did quite well. It's a good AEG that can take a bit of a beating. You will want to make sure your child buys proper face protection and if they intend to go skirmishing, a good pair of boots is a very good investment.

There are a few G36c AEGs for sale in the airsoft adverts thread so try a search there, it'll probably be cheaper as the JG G36c retails for about €170-180 new in some Irish retailers.

The SRC G36c is better than the JG version but costs more, they are about €200 new and aren't as common in retailers as the JG ones.

JG is a good brand at a good price so I'd suggest going with that. If a shop calls it ASG, it's just a rebranded JG G36c so it's the same. Good luck with finding the stuff you're looking for.

Edit: you beat me to it horgan p I'm just not quick enough.

Inari

Personally speaking, I think the best thing to do is first decide what you (i.e. your son) likes the look of (M4, AK, Sig, G36, Bullpup-style rifles, etc) and then worry about what's the best performing brand of that particular model.

The reason why I say this is because Airsoft is an activity dominated by the CosPlay aspect - people like to dress up and play soldier, and the attraction is that you pick and use your own gear, specific to what you're looking for. Since he has already played a couple of times, he is sure it'll be something he'll stick with, and so it's a good idea (in my opinion) to start with a rifle you like the look of. Put simply, if you don't like the gun, you won't want to use it.

Have a look in the online stores, see what you like the look of, and then visit the stores and skirmish sites, talk to as many people as you can, and get a feel of the different guns available. People will be able to point you in the right direction, and you'll have a truck load more knowledge at the end of the day

rafared

Thanks to all you guys for the help. I will have a look and read a bit more before I let him buy a gun. Thanks again.;)

GrahamMurphy

In my opinion the JG G36C is a great gun, but I myself started of with Spetznaz as they are really reliable and have a great ROF. I now have a JG G36C but i used my Spetznaz for over a year without problems, also I sometimes use my mates M4 which seems to be great aswell, but I'd recommend starting with a Spetznaz as it's cheap and will be worth the money as it causes no problems. Also instead of buying all different mags for the Spetznaz you can buy a mag that holds 1000 BBs, this means your son won't have to reload as much either!

sci-ops

As Inari has already said, have a look at the different stores, find one that he likes the look of and start looking at prices etc.....

Most important thing to remember, regardless of the cost of the AEG (rifle), sportlines, budget or high-end, they will all do the same thing. Yes, some are better looking (finish), or have better internals, but they all do the same thing and will generally be as good as the next, without putting more money into them. I have a number of High end rifles which I've upgraded, but would still quite happily go out with a budget rifle such as the AK spetz.

Remember, Airsoft equipment, whether budget or expensive, can also be prone to failure. It could be becasue of the bb's used or, as is the nature of all things mechanical, the internals may just give.