Gun Preference Opinions

[Spidedd]

I was curious on what people's views were when it came to useage of guns. I'm not talking about performance with the gearbox, company, or what have you. But just like the weight, mobility, design, practibility etc for CQB DMR and sniper guns. What guns do you think would fit into that category? And why?

[Komissar]

To respond to this, I will post an article I wrote on February 20th, 2008.

The Best AEG is the Right AEG

Where to start? Well, . . . the main weapon you carry, needs to fit your style of play. What this means is, that you may prefer a Match M14 sniper rifle that looks really cool, but if your crashing through brush, or if you are into spray and pray, its just not your weapon.
Lets start with the small guns. With an MP5, M15-CQB, or any Para-type sub-machinegun, you had better be ready to take the fight to the enemy. These weapons have barrel lengths of around 229mm, and even with upgrades you will find yourself out ranged. The up side is that they are easily maneuvered through terrain and in tight quarters, making them quick reaction weapons.
The next step up is the best all around weapon you can buy. If you are just starting out, and unsure what to get, take a look at the M15-A4 Carbine. The barrel lengths are around 363mm, and they are greatly customizable. Able to outrange the small guns and pistols, but more maneuverable and usually lighter than the rifles, this weapon is the workhorse of the Airsoft world. AK’s have a version of this as well.
At the top of the list is the rifles. This includes all weapons with the barrel length of 510 or greater, that are not a support weapon. M15 and M16’s, AUG’s, SAR’s, and even the Match M14. These long range weapons do a great majority of the killing on an Airsoft field, but the user must be more patient, and able to find lines of fire so as to take advantage of his range. Learn your range, know it, and use it!
S.A.W. or Squad Automatic Weapon. These weapons are not typically brought to the field except in a support role. Although they have the barrel length of the rifles, and put out their fair share of BB’s, they are large and awkward to use. To have one on your team is nice. They can cover an advance, or set up in a prepared position as defense. They also carry a substantial physiological threat to your opponent.
Lastly, I will include pistols and Shower Shell Weapons. As for pistols, have one. Make it a blow back model for sake of cleaning and maintenance. And Shell Weapons, well they have their uses, mostly physiological like the support weapons above, but with the close quarters benefit of the small guns. I say, if you can kill your enemy with one round why fire 100? Because its fun! Ka-Boom.
Whichever weapon you choose, make it match your play style, or you will find yourself dead, and worse frustrated. It’s my suggestion to rent or borrow a weapon and find out what you like.
See you armed and on the field,
Komissar

[matthew kohl]

I have found that short barreled weapons work best for me. as many will tell you one AEG shoots much like another when similarly upgraded. unless you frequent a field that requires max range your main concern should be mobility. popping up over logs and around barriors requires a weapon that reacts quick. you can't pop around a wall very fast with an M16.

If you want extreme range a sniper might be a better choise because even the most compact of AEG's are still effective at 100 feet plus. for a good all rounder a M4 is a good compromise but is still going to have a mobility dissadvantage when popping out from cover.

I personaly favor the P90 as an effective weapon. it has good accuracy for its size and cannot be beat as far as mobility. Not to mention cheap and reliable 1500 round box mags. Also you can easily adjust the legth of the barrel to acomidate your play style.

I would stay away from long rifles unless you really like the DMR role. the mobility gained from going with a shorter gun outweighs the accuracy gained from a longer barrel 8 out of 10 times

[Spidedd]

Yeah i shall have to agree with that. my gun personally is a short m4 model. before it i had a more dmr type gun and i find this gun shoots the same distance and accuracy, but with much greater mobility. and with an extendable stock its easy to adjust to different situations. ive planned several upgrades to not only increase the distance, but make it as accurate as humanly possible. the only downside is it doesnt really fit on the gun rack at diamond corps :/

[matthew kohl]

I hardly think fitting on the gun rack is a serious concern. I was thinking about this last game I was playing. I was holding the silo and found that it was a lot quicker to pop out of cover and get good accurate snap shots off than the people with m4's trying to shoot me. this was entirly due to the fact I had a very short gun so I didn't have to swing it around the wall or over obsticles to get shots off.

[Edric]

Speaking from the perspective of a DMR who has just switched to mid-caps.

Shorties are made for moving. If you have a short barrel gun, you need to be the one leading the charge. And I can't stress that enough. Assault gunners should be akin to the hunting dog. They are the ones that should be flushing out the fowl. Even upgraded with a tight bore, better springs, etc... you are looking at an effective range of about 90 feet. Can you hit a target further out? Yes, but how is your grouping and do you have to rely on the "spray and pray" method of blasting full auto? Communication with the rest of the patrol is also important here. You are the eyes for the team. You are the forward looking one.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the full or long rifles. With a rifle, I have an effective range of about 180 feet stock. Would someone carrying one of these rifles be at the front of the line? No. They don't need to be. They can hit the same target accurately from the back of a 4 man combat patrol that the assault gunner is engaging at 90 feet. Generally speaking, this person would will the leadership role for the 4 man combat patrol. This position is also the one requiring the most trust as you will spend most of your time looking at where you guys have been.

Smack dab in the middle, you have the good old carbines. Not quite the range of a long rifle, but more accurate than the assault guns. You guys are in the middle of the 4 man combat patrol. You are also the most versatile of anyone in the 4 man combat patrol. You are going to be looking at either the left or right side. Trust of your fellows is key here as you must trust the assault gunner to check whats ahead, and the other carbine carrying member of your team to check the other side.

Now what do I mean when I say effective range and accuracy? I mean you can consistently hit the same target over and over again while firing single controlled shots at your target.

Sniper rifles and SAWs or other full machine guns are specialized weapons for specialized roles. Most people don't have the right stuff to make these weapons work right. So unless you are familiar with these weapons and their roles, I wouldn't suggest going out and buying one of these.

So what do you feel your play style is? Do you like to charge through the brush and be in the thick of a firefight? If so, I would say you want to pick an short barrel rifle or SMG.
Do you like taking targets out with one or two shots from cover. If so, then I would suggest perhaps a full length M16 rifle or other long rifle.
Or are you somewhere in the middle? A Carbine is probably the best for you here. If you are not sure what kind of game style you like, this is also a great middle of the road option.

Now, your standard Airsoft gun is fairly expensive so make sure you know what kind of game you like to play before you go out and buy one.