Ganef: Definitely, we should all meet up -- seems like a bunch of ASUers are coming out of the woodwork here!
Farslayer: That's excellent, I've always wanted to do meth. And now it comes in little plastic balls -- convenient!
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys, they're much appreciated. I've looked around further, at both gas pistols and AEGs, as well as looking at what's to offer on eBay and on the forums here. What it comes down to, for me, is that I'm interested but I've never played before, so I want to try it without spending much money. For that reason, I am comfortable with getting an inexpensive AEG with the understanding that it won't be of a high quality. That said, I don't want a piece of crap either.
With that in mind, I've come to the conclusion that I can find an inexpensive entry-level weapon that I can at least use to dick around with and get started for a little while. Even if it won't match up head-to-head against the big boys, at least it will give me a moderate level of firepower, above that of a pistol . It might not be as sturdy either, but I take good care of my things and hopefully can make it last long enough to be worth the money.
I've looked here on the forums at some of the most recent sales, but not seen anything below $100, because you all have quality equipment. Ebay, meanwhile, is inundated with "buy it now" cheap-ass no-brand merchandise from vendors. The occasional good gun is sprinkled in, but those auctions easily exceed $100. I've also looked at gas pistols, with the idea that I could get a gun with higher quality, albeit lesser firepower, but at ~$70+ for a pistol I'm thinking that good quality is something I can look at and save up for later, when/if I'm committed to the sport.
Now, I'm sure this doesn't sound to you like a lot of money to spend for a gun, comparatively, but I would rather spend a minimal amount now, just to make sure I enjoy it and have something to play with. Later on, when I save up for a "real" AEG, I won't consider it any sort of loss to have spent $50 on a cheap gun because it's a fairly small amount to get started and will (hopefully) provide me a backup, not just go to the trash. This is why I was originally considering a springer pistol but, as Ganef said, I can see how that would flat-out suck and I'd want to replace it immediately.
My plan, then, is to get one of those UTG MP5s that I mentioned. I know that the Chinese LPEGs have a terrible rep in the community, but I've looked into this model and the CYMA MP5-J and, based on a lot of reviews and comments I've read, it seems like these are the start of a new trend of higher-quality guns from this group of manufacturers. Still not the same quality as the Japanese, of course, but better quality than before and, most importantly, less than half the price. I think this review, from what I gather to be a reliable source (Airsoft Atlanta) says it well:
http://airsoftatlanta.blogspot.com/2005 ... eview.htmlIt says that the gun is still cheaply made, by comparison, and therefore isn't any good for upgrading, but that is neither a surprise nor a disappointment to me. It goes on to say, however (quoted for your convenience!
) :
Well, then what is it good for?!
Glad you asked. For all its shortcomings and afore mentioned problems, this is an excellent starter AEG. For those wanting to play at fields but not be outgunned with a springer, this is a great way to go. For $138, a new player can get an AEG and a Tokyo Marui high capacity magazine, go to any field, and not be left behind in the fighting because of ammo capacity, accuracy, or ability to fill the air with plastic. The UTG MP5 is also a great CQB weapon (I just love three-letter acronyms, by the way). It is perfect for in-door games where velocity means very little and safety is more of a concern. It is also an excellent backup gun to have just in case an upgraded AEG goes down on game day.
In short, while this is certainly not offering the same features and potential as a Tokyo Marui MP5, it is definitely a good gun. If it is purchased with the understanding of what it is and its limitations, it will perform very well and hold up as good as any other gun.
Other reviews (i.e.
http://www.chatairsoft.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5388) say similar things, and there are plenty of them, so I am fairly confident about their veracity. The gun itself retails for $100, which is still more than I'm looking to spend, but speedytoys.com has some used for $50. I inquired about the condition and they responded... well, speedily. And thoroughly, which is always nice:
What happened is that the gun tends to "settle" during shipping, causing some screws to loosen which made the gears grind and the motor malfunction. After this same problem happened with a couple dozen of these guns (which were returned to us by the customer as soon as they were received), we contacted the manufacturer and found out how to easily fix the problem.
If you simply tighten a screw at the bottom of the grip, the motor starts working fine. Now, when customers contact us with this problem, we simply e-mail them that graphic, and they're able to easily fix the gun themselves. I took all the returned guns, tightened the screw, tested them, and they work perfectly.
Due to this issue, the guns have barely been used at all. The primary reason they're sold as USED is because of the open packaging. No cosmetic damage on any of them.
All of this makes me feel quite good about what I'd get for my $50, especially with the sweeteners that they throw in, like a super hi-cap 500 round mag and 1000 free BB's.
If you've made it this far into my post, congratulations. So, now that I've said my very long-winded bit, what do you think? Anything I've missed or am wrong about or any personal experience to share?
Thanks a lot once more for all your help and the warm welcome!
