Spring vs. Electric vs. Gas- powered airsoft guns

Spring guns

spring powered airsoft guns are generally scene more commonly, because of their low price they are generally used by people who are less serious airsoft players (this is not including the guns that are specifically made to be spring such as sniper rifles or shotguns). But spring guns do pack quite a punch fps wise being greater or almost at levels of greater cost, high powered AEGs (electric guns). spring guns fire single shot so you have to re-cock the gun after every shot which is not what you want to have happen in the middle of firefight. overall i would say this is my second favorite kind of guns because of its power and and range (also i prefer single fire to automatic myself).

electic guns (AEGs)-

electric guns are the most popular among serious airsoft players and are used for almost every kind of guns model imagniable. Though these guns are the most expensive (some costing more than $1000) they are used because of their automatic fire ability which results in a continuous stream of bb’s as you hold down the trigger. personalally i prefer this kind of gun over anything else because it only requires a battery and a charger, the only other thing you need is a finger to pull the trigger.

gas guns-

gas guns are rather costly and, in my opinion are either used for target practice or as a sidearm in battle since they require a gas cartiridge or fillup. Gas guns are usually on the more powerful end of the fps range being that you dont have to buy high priced guns to have a 450fps firing pistol (there are gas rifles but they are usually powerful enough to cause friends to not want to play against you). they also cost more because somtimes they require special high-polish bb’s depending on the gun as well as gas cartridge fillups. The reason why i dont like using gas guns is because of the maintenance they require combined with the amount of bb’s they will deliver for your efforts.

Echo-1 M249 SAW (para)

The Echo-1 SAW para gives you more bang for your buck, literally. The fact that most SAWs sold on the airsoft market sell for $350 or higher this gun gives the power of a support weapon with the price of $250 give or take (i got it from airsoftextreme.com)… but anyways. The firing power of this gun is  around 320-330 fps and is accurate farther than 100 feet.  However it is recommended that you use 2g. BB’s.  But what really makes this gun a monster is the box magazine. while rather unwieldy at first you get used to it if you maintain it properly since its hard to secure the magazine shut.  You should fit apprx. 2500 bbs inside with two AA batteries powering it .  The para-trooper stock allows for easy portability since you can pull it out then push it in.  The gun itself has three models, one that has a short barrel, one that has a longer barrel and another that has a longer barrel and a regular non-para stock.  The gun i have (the short barrel/ para-stock) is about 1045mm in length (according to airsoft G.I at least). The gun comes with an 8mm gearbox, built in bi-pod, and redesigned internals to replicate that of a classic army SAW.  The package includes a 8.4v battery that is a pain in the ass to put in, a box magazine, cleaning rod and a poorly written manufactures guide to maintaining the gun. You can buy another box magazine for $50 or you can just use M16 magazines since its compatible with those too, i don’t know if it is with CA mags though because mine doesn’t fit.

My actual personal opinion of this gun is not very high, right now my box magazine is jammed with bbs that leaked into the gears and i cannot fit my CA M4′s magazine into it so i haven’t fired it in a while, but i can recall when i did fire it it was no better than a normal classic army M4.  The bb’s fired in a shotgun spread though and it shot at around 800 rpm so it usually resulted in a fountain of synthetic plastic raining down on my targets position rather than shooting accurate rounds, it got the job done though nonetheless.  Another thing that was probably a good thing that was included in the gun’s design was the fact that it had no semi-automatic feature therefore it discouraged me from firing in single shot bursts which i tend to do for some reason.  Overall i give it a 3/5 mainly because it is currently a $250 piece of metal sitting in my closet that doesn’t work at the moment (the gun works, the magazine doesn’t and I’m to lazy to get a new one). anyways i hope you’ve enjoyed this review.

Airsoft Manufacturers: Tokyo Mauri

Tokyo Mauri                              

 http://www.tokyo-marui.co.jp/Tokyo

Mauri was the very first company to manufacture AEGs, they were introduced in 1992.  There company was formed in 1965 and is still one of the more popular airsoft brands produced today, Tokyo Mauri is also a privately owned company.    Tokyo Mauri also makes rail transports as well as airsoft guns but is still Japans greatest manufacturer.  Tokyo Mauri’s first AEG was called the FAMAS F1 and thus brought a new era of airsoft guns, these guns were made as a replacement because it was illegal in Japan at the time to own a gun.  As Tokyo Mauri’s popularity spread (used to create the game of shooting synthetic bb’s at other players) it migrated to other countries where other major airsoft brands appeared.  Tokyo Mauri airsoft gun usually have ABS plastic bodies with few metal parts that use a rechargeable battery, as well as an average firing power of 280-300fps (feet per second).

My top 3 favorite airsoft guns

1. ICS AK74

This is my favorite gun (that i’ve used) because it was, second only to the warhawk, the most reliable gun i’ve used, it hardly ever jammed, was compatible with a huge variety of magazines and could house a huge battery (I think it was 4200 mah). it also had a fair amount of power despite its range. made of metal and ABS plastic it was one of the most durable ones i’ve used. equiped with a 2500rd drum magazine it will become a monster in the hands of an expirienced player. due to its rate of fire however it is prone to misfeeds quite often which is why it is a good idea to use medium capacity magazines.

2. UTG Ak47 Warhawk

The warhawk was by far, the most reliable gun that i have owned. just like the real thing it never stopped firing, or jammed ever. It had a poor rate of fire but that was forgiveable knowing that it would always feed another bb into the firing chamber. because it was a smaller rifle it allowed for easier maneuvarablity. like the ICS74 above it also could use a 2500 rd drum magazine. though this increases the weight dramatically and has the risk of falling out of the gun it can easily turn into an “mini-RPK”. But regarding the durablilty of the gun it seemed unbreakable until the stock brock off with the battery still inside it, even then the wire that allowed the gun to function properly was still working and after being virtually split in two it could still fire. It may not be the most powerful gun around but it will survive when even the most expensive ones have stopped firing.

3. CA36e

As stated before in a previous review this gun has been fitted with a carrying handle/ scope that allows for easier access to long range targets. The sleek design of the and the collapsing stock make for good medium range. Anything closer or farther than 50-70ft would be more difficult to hit. this gun is only reccomended to people who use semi automatic over fully automatic due to troubles with magazine feeds. The main issue with the gun is that there are few parts for it as compared to m4′s or ak’s.

Classic Army G36e

While there are others that are far more effective in shooting, and while this particular gun doesn’t neccessarily have the same hard metal as most of the other CA guns it does have several features that I find very useful when shooting and when the BB’s are flying past your head. First off the CA36 (as it is called on the box) is one of three models that Classic Army sells, the G36c, which is the shortest most compact one of the group. Then there is the G36k which is a shorter version of the G36e. The “e” version features a increased barrel length (rivaling that of a m4). Both the “e” and “k” models feature a signiture carrying handel with a 3x magnification built into the back of it. There are also iron sights cut into the top for close range. The G36 also has a clear plastic magazine that can attach to an adjacent mag making a combined double for quick use. The fiberglass that the gun is made out of is more durable than it seems, but not by much (the stock of mine has almost cracked off). The stock is also collapsable on every single model of the G36, another signiture feature. There is however, a problem with the sheath that encases the battery and barrel on the “e” and “k” models. The sheath is rather cumbersome and is a pain to pry off and even more of a struggle to put on I would reccomend a smaller battery. The price of this gun was 250$ which is still the average for most sites by now.