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Dad overwhelmed

11K views 65 replies 15 participants last post by  yrutimid 
#1 ·
My son 12yo wants to get into this hobby. Daum it’s expensive. Son shows me a rifle that’s $500. NOVRITSCH SSR15.

I don’t want to throw a bunch of money into this and then he gets bored.

Been reading up on guns for the last week. Lots of reviews but for every good review there is a bad one. And same goes for every retailer.

so some guns I’ve been looking at

rifle
CYMA platinum m4 QBS

pistol
Echo1 Wolfsbane
Kli 1911 hi spa Baba Yaga
 
#2 ·
I love cybergun I’ve bought and modified more than a dozen with great results. Has the same feel as the novRICH. Which is a great, over priced platform.

the key mod full metal is epic, and under $220. Amazon has some great deals too...not to help bezos the beast.

my 2 cents.

good luck!

-Cache
 
#5 ·
I love cybergun I've bought and modified more than a dozen with great results. Has the same feel as the novRICH.
Cybergun is the license holder, we need the actual OEM of your replicas to make a better definitive statement. A&K, GHK, WE/AWC, CYMA, VFC, KWC, etc.

stay away from NOVRITSCH. that gun isn't worth 500. u can build a gun for that price and it be better.
Not usually viable for someone entering the hobby, it is alright as a gun for someone who is unwilling or unable to spend the time researching, purchasing, and installing beneficial aftermarket parts correctly. SSG24 was very much this way, I have not seen a SSR15 in person yet but I strongly dislike VFC as a company so my bias is there

baby yaga breaks quickly (personal experience).
I have heard the same thing as well, although there are two manufacturers of the TTI 2011 and I'm not sure which one is the 'bad' one (if not both). A new guy at our field has one and it has not broken yet, although with a CO2 mag it shoots very hot

Novritsch's products are aimed at young inexperienced players who think paying extra money will make you some sort of god on the field. He is a big youtuber that has fallen into becoming one big self promotion.
Sure seems that way. Never liked him to begin with but seeing the ramp up in clickbait was inevitable I guess

So you can go with a mid grade m4, and get it tuned up once it has issues, or you can get something that's going to work for quite a while out of the box like a kwa or krytac.
This is likely the best route, KWA and Krytac are on the upper end of what I would recommend to beginners, but they do have nice features. I am still a big fan of G&G even if there are technically better choices on paper. G&P is also supposed to be a good AEG brand, even though I personally have problems with a replica others on my field do not (stay away from their pistols though).

Personally dislike VFC and Classic Army regardless of what positives they might have. "Good externals" is not an excuse to have bad internals or a complete lack of replacement parts on the market or nonexistent customer support.
 
#3 ·
stay away from NOVRITSCH. that gun isn't worth 500. u can build a gun for that price and it be better. baby yaga breaks quickly (personal experience). idk much about the wolfsbane. I haven't seen any in Arizona yet.
 
#4 ·
My son 12yo wants to get into this hobby. Daum it's expensive. Son shows me a rifle that's $500. NOVRITSCH SSR15.

I don't want to throw a bunch of money into this and then he gets bored.

Been reading up on guns for the last week. Lots of reviews but for every good review there is a bad one. And same goes for every retailer.

so some guns I've been looking at

rifle
CYMA platinum m4 QBS

pistol
Echo1 Wolfsbane
Kli 1911 hi spa Baba Yaga
Novritsch's products are aimed at young inexperienced players who think paying extra money will make you some sort of god on the field. He is a big youtuber that has fallen into becoming one big self promotion.

Question, has he been shot by an airsoft gun yet or even played with a rental? Many younger players try the sport, get blasted too close once or twice and they are done. Others just brush it off and continue enjoying their day.

In airsoft, most our m4 guns are based off a Japanese spec design, there are many much more affordable and reasonable guns than some rebrand from a youtuber.

So you can go with a mid grade m4, and get it tuned up once it has issues, or you can get something that's going to work for quite a while out of the box like a kwa or krytac.

I started playing 10 years ago when I was 17, I had a old mp5 aeg that was only worth 130 bucks paid for with my own money. I would recommend starting with something affordable, then down the road if he gets into it, then go for a higher end replica. But stay away from Novritsch's products, the guy is a greedy dude these days.
 
#6 ·
I would put some money on good fan goggles. This way he can enjoy the sport and not let fog stop him from. I started it the wrong way (cheap goggles that fogged up very fast) and I regret it. Should've gone for some better eye protection at first. The goggles have to be EN166 B marked. They're an expensive part of the hobby but you can't replace your eyes. Good models are Smith Optics OTW or ESS Profile Turbofan. For a gun, it doesn't really matter. You can enjoy the sport even if you own only a springer pistol. Some good starter/budget guns that are reliable are Specna Arms EDGE series guns. They'll last you a long time.
 
#10 · (Edited)
They tried to reinvent physics too.

We know how hop-up works via the Magnus effect.

They made a prototype BAX (their term for hop-up) that tried spin the "ball" on two axial planes...so...how do you think that went? Project name was Cyclone.
 
#11 ·
If you want to start your kid off right, the first step is to purchase him some appropriate ANSI z87.1 rated goggles or a paintball mask. Don't cheap out on eye-protection, he's only got two eyes and they aren't worth losing over a game. In addition, good goggles or a mask won't fog up. Fog means he won't be able to see and if he can't see he can't play and won't have a good time.

Buy him some decent footwear - boots or something solid. Tennis shoes might be fine when the weather is dry, but it's no fun to have soggy, frozen feet.

Regardless of what AEG you buy, you're going to need to purchase a decent charger and decent batteries. The cheap wall chargers that some guns ship with are bad, will damage your batteries in the long run and should not be used. Invest in a good LiPo battery charger like the Thunder AC6.

[I'm going to COPY PASTA my old, usual reply to these sort of questions below]

As far as AEGs go, tt's hard to go wrong selecting a gun provided you buy a reasonably priced AEG from a mainstream company.

For example,

Tokyo Marui
Classic Army
G&P
G&G
VFC
King Arms
Ares
KWA
ICS

Guns from the above companies should work well straight out of the box and shouldn't require any fixes.

Other "clone," "All China Made" (ACM) or low-price companies like

JG
Dboys
Cyma
A&K

make products that range vastly in quality and may often need a tune-up straight out of the box. I wouldn't recommend them for a first gun unless you're willing to do some work to get them skirmish worthy. I'm not saying these guns are terrible; they're not, but they are, generally, of lesser quality than the AEGs produced by the "mainstream" companies.

Now you'll probably get a lot of opinions about which companies are best/worst, which companies build the most reliable rifles, etc. That said, what you should do is settle on a particular rifle model (M4, M16, AK, G36, P90, etc) and then conduct some research to determine which company makes a reliable version of that model at a price point that you can afford.

For example, if you're interested in a G36, then you've got a variety of companies that you can look at including:

Tokyo Marui
Classic Army
Ares
JG
SRC

These companies produce G36s of varying quality at different price points and with different features.

So you've got to take some time and look at each company's G36 offering and determine which is best for you based on how much money you've got and other considerations like reliability.

In addition, as you delve into the gun buying process, you'll soon be overtaken by the urge to buy extra magazines and some sort of loading bearing kit or plate carrier.

RESIST this urge.

Remember, all you need to play is GOOD EYE PROTECTION, a gun, a high capacity magazine, batteries, batter charger and decent footwear.

Once you've got a gun, play a few games and figure out what works for you before making a big investment.

In my opinion, if you've got a $400 budget, it's far better to spend the majority of that money on a rifle, spare batteries and eye protection than dilute it in order to buy extra magazines and the equipment to carry it.

Good luck!
 
#13 ·
Dodgerblu, If you haven't decided on a rifle yet I have a suggestion for you. I found a store that is blowing out Adaptive Arms rifles for $139.99 shipped! Regular price any place that sells them is $245. The AA rifles have all the current components found on most of the better rifles. V2 Gearbox, metal hop chamber with rotary hop adjustment, steel 6.03 barrel that is also plated, Mosfet, Ambi controls, Deans connectors, etc., etc. You can read about the rifles at the Adaptive Armament website.

When this rifle was first released in 2018 it came with a polymer hop chamber and older style side wheel hop adjustment. It also came with mini-Tamiya connectors. I was really happy to see that AA has updated the rifle and as I said above, mine came with Deans connectors and a metal rotory adjust hop chamber.

I was a little skeptical about the super low price being a scam but I received my AA Scout model today and the rifle is new and in perfect condition. Took 4-days to arrive from order date to my door and it came all the way across the country.

This blowout deal is at G.I. Sportz right now!

This might be just what you are looking for???
 
#14 · (Edited)
https://shop.gisportz.com/products/81402
And
https://shop.gisportz.com/products/81401?variant=17319547240494

This one? There are two other versions too. Oddly enough it has a quick attach point like the ssr15 lol right at the same spot. And with a m lock rail.

So a rifle at that price break, you could theoretically throw 100-150 bucks at it of parts, 50 bucks to a tech for the work and you could have a similar performance to that 500 dollar ssr15. Thats how overpriced that thing is.

Here's the gun on evike for full price but with more info
https://www.evike.com/products/81771/

  • Aluminum alloy receiver set with laser engraved trademarks
  • 10" aluminum M-LOK handguard allows for easy addition of accessories,
  • Inline programmable MOSFET with ROF adjustment, micro switch trigger provides immediate trigger response
  • Collapsible low profile PDW style stock
  • Full length top rail is ideal for mounting optics and other accessories
  • Aluminum barrel assemble with steel tightbore inner barrel
  • Ambidextrous fire controls
  • Includes polymer front and rear back-up sights
That's a steal.

Edit: I might have bought one... a second m4 at that price never hurts to have around.
 
#18 ·
I bought the 'Scout' model with a 397mm barrel. No barrel wobble and everything is well fit and smooth. I haven't checked yet, but I believe the spring can be changed without opening the gearbox. Just not a true 'quick change' through the rear of the upper.

I bought this to build a DMR. Like what was mentioned above, at $140 shipped there is plenty of value toward adding options without putting too much cash into it.
 
#20 ·
I haven't checked yet, but I believe the spring can be changed without opening the gearbox. Just not a true 'quick change' through the rear of the upper.
If it can, plz send me a pm. im sick of putting my G&G gearbox back together. Its a nightmare.
 
#19 · (Edited)
139.00 and a MOSFET...it's made by Ares...that is on par for their product.

And barrel wobble is a thing of the past...like 16 years ago in the past...
 
#23 ·
139.00 and a MOSFET...it's made by Ares...that is on par for their product.
Just to be clear..., the rifle is normally sold at $245. Though I doubt that matters to you as I've read enough of your post/replies to learn you have very strong opinions regarding airsoft brands & products. I just haven't been on this board long enough to know whether you actually know what you are talking about, or not (har, har).
 
#26 · (Edited)
After looking at the video that "is" an Ares mechbox...I have those shells in my basement...that is a ~$65.00 wholesale AEG.

Build the hype, mark it up quadruple and then sell it half off making people think it's a "deal".

Just like selling diamonds...

Rebuilding those boxes is not easy due to the "proprietary" components. If you want one...I'll send you one for 20.00
 
#27 ·
After looking at the video that "is" an Ares mechbox...I have those shells in my basement...yep...that is a $65.00 wholesale AEG.

Build the hype, mark it up quadruple and then sell it half off making people think it's a "deal".

Just like selling diamonds...
Well we aren't going to get the wholesale price.

I would have thought the manufacturer would want more for their products, but I guess thats competitive.

I wonder what the price of a kwa m4 wholesale is...
 
#28 ·
No your not, unless you buy a container. But it gives you a point of reference on the quality of the material used.

I have that very pistons lying in boxes in "red".

KWA M4A1 AEG from Taiwan, 1200 pieces, rough price ~$75.00

Those manufacturer's are quite busy. The Airsoft supply chain is an inverted pyramid.

About 8 "factories" supply all the brands that are on the market.
 
#30 ·
Wanted to thank RMG for the info on the sale from G.I. Sportz. I ended up ordering the Adaptive Armament SBR M4, for $150 shipped. It was this or the Arcturus ny03. I went with the AA because it had a metal receiver.

I’m sure with the money saved we can make it look like that $500 novritsch he showed me.

anybody got suggestions for a battery and charger to get
 
#31 ·
anybody got suggestions for a battery and charger to get
Battery depends on your compartment space.

You can go cheap or get a B6/Hota charger for 40.00 and you will prolong the life of your pack for hundreds of cycles.
 
#36 · (Edited)
According to Adaptive Armament 11.1V is fine.
https://www.adaptivearmament.com/copy-of-prc15

Don't know if you found this already but here is the Mosfet setup instructions for the most commonly used setup features.
https://www.adaptivearmament.com/mosfet

I still have not run my AA Scout yet as I have been awaiting parts & optics etc.

I'll shim the gearbox and check/change a few other things before I start shooting it.

Hope the AA rifle works out for you (us). :)
 
#34 ·
That charger is good.

No such thing as a "Small Stick" battery. This is a case of "certain people" not knowing the proper category of battery sizes. I would surmise this to be a "buffer" sized battery of which the better unit is the Kypom 1400mah in 2S.

And that "recommended" moniker is a sign that the internals are "not" high voltage durable.

I have seen 2S "recommended" AEG's and the internals are of a Lower grade...and this includes EVIKE G&Ps that are 2S recommended...with thinner pistons, plastic bushings and badly made mechboxes.
 
#37 ·
That eBay seller, notice the name?
 
#40 ·
Sadly no...an Airsoft Store front makes no money.
 
#39 ·
Ummm...not impressed on two aspects.

Wow...primitive website too...sorry I digress...

16:1 Gear Ratio is a tad to the right as a High Speed Gear set and "not" a High Torque gear set.

A 11.1V lipo and it can only manage 18rps? That is a slow motor, a very slow motor. That lends to the components being of a lower grade.

Sadly they are selling on hype and less so on potential performance.

++++++++++++

Internal Specs:

Gear Ratio/Rating - 16:1 High Torque

Main Spring Tension - M110 ( 340 - 350 FPS )
Trigger Unit - Micro Switch
Hop - up Unit - Polymer One Piece
Rate of Fire (11.1 Lipo) - 16 -18 rps
Inner Barrel Length - 6.03 x 258 mm
++++++++++

 
#41 ·
that makes me wonder if it actually comes with 16:1 gears
 
#42 · (Edited)
We are talking a starter gun. Not a krytac or kwa or anything like that. Which at the price of 139 with pretty decent externals is attractive to pick up either as a starter or a base gun to mess with.

I'm not sure where you found it had 16:1 gears, but no its 18:1 PIM gears. The motor is a standard stock motor. You can attempt to count the tpa if you want. The gearbox had some steel bushings and two bearings on the bevel. 8mm. The tappet was shs spec, but was black.
Wheel Wood Gear Art Jewellery


The externals were pretty decent for the price.

Here's the one defect I ran into. PIM rail had a crack so I flexed it a bit and pop. Rest of the rail was fine. But definitely a odd defect. The rails of the shell are tighter and either require work to fit a shs piston or would need something like a cyma piston that has more room.
Body jewelry Wood Gesture Finger Thumb


As guges said the gun has some proprietary parts. The trigger itself, gearbox shell and its ambidextrous components.
One could put in a normal gearbox, normal left side fire selector and plug the right side. It would lack the mock bolt release from that as well.

Edit: appears this proprietary shell may be mainstream enough to even get an aftermarket aluminum cnc shell https://www.retroarms.com/cnc-gearbox/cnc-gearbox-v2-8mm-for-vfc-qsc
That shell has the spots to make the right side selector parts work, and the bolt catch mount. May have a normal trigger but that wouldn't be a con.
 

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#43 ·
And those gears are sold as "Element" as an "upgrade".

Go to:

https://www.adaptivearmament.com/copy-of-prc15

Scroll down to internal specs for gear ratio. Somebody does not know the nomenclature at AA...

Actually...all of of their AEG's have the same spec. Well the SBR, PDW and Battle Rifle do.

What I don't agree is their marketing. It's the diamond marketing scheme. Mark it up excessively, then say "Half Off"...that is just sadly...hype marketing.
 
#44 ·
Ah it popped up, I had to turn my phone browser to desktop site to see it.

Guges when you speak of hype marketing, that is the entire sport. Some are more guilty of it than others. APS, Echo 1, WE... Most of the guns on the market today are made mostly of pot metal and with whatever parts they can get the cheapest at any given time it seems. The other day I returned a aeg that was almost 3 times the price of this for a quality control issue.

Most people aren't willing to dish out a bunch of cash for their first aeg or a project gun. 139 for a lightweight full aluminum/zinc gun seems pretty typical to me. I would be concerned if it was for only 100 or 80 bucks as it would probably be made of mostly lead lol

The point is to the OP, for under 250 total you could have a cheaper base gun then have it tuned up to be extremely competitive on the field. And its always fun to take out players who spent their last 3 paychecks on their milspec camo load outs.
Circuit component Passive circuit component Hardware programmer Electronic component Engineering
 

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#45 ·
Mostly? They are all made of "pot metal" and this isn't new. It's been made that way since the 1980s and the reason for that is that it is well within the performance specifications needed for Airsoft.

When it came to the USA...that all changed. We are driving these things over spec at first and then some makers adapter to the higher performance needs.

As for returning AEG's for QC issue. It happens sadly in the sub-200 retail market more often than the over 250 retail market.

As a product that is sold at the 150 price point, this AEG is in it's ideal spot. Pretending it's worth more...that is sadly exploiting the player base.

Products from Krytac, G&P Asia, VFC Asia/Avalon/Alien, KWA USA and a few others are Good brands in the 250+ range.
 
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