Author: michaelo

Scrolling through the inter-webs, scanning through everything Airsoft related on YouTube, and you catch something consistently recurring. GBB Pistol, GBB Rifle, GBB only game, GBB this, GBB that. “WHAT IS GBB!??!?!” Well that’s what we’re here to find out! GBB is short for Gas Blow Back and in Airsoft terms that can be a pistol, rifle, sub machine gun, or even a light machine gun depending on how you look at it. Today we’re going to tell you all about GBB Airsoft. Prepare yourself for the journey into the GBB Master Race!

GBB Pistols are the most common form of Gas Blow Back you’ll find in Airsoft. At an affordable price and a lot of reliable options, pistols are the easiest way to get into GBB Airsoft. They make a great back up to your primary and are a lot of fun to operate. GBB Pistols also come in several different shapes and sizes. You have 1911’s, M9’s, 226’s, Glocks, M&P’s, revolvers. The majority of pistols that are available in the real firearm world have an Airsoft counterpart.

GBB Rifles had a big surge in popularity a couple of years ago. You’d walk into most SoCal local fields and find a lot of gas rifles being used. Outside of that, they come out of the woodwork during the Summer. With the advantage of weather on their side, you’ll achieve optimal performance and efficiency. Users typically get a lot of respect due to the ammo restrictions inherent to the platform. Gas rifles in the past were unicorns and would require a lot of money to be able to have a playable set up. Now-a-days you can get an entire rifle set up for a much more affordable price. Use Affirm on our website for easy monthly payments!

GBB LMG’s are the real unicorns of recoil guns. Only a handful of systems have ever existed. They are all powered by an external air tank. It’s still a gas-powered mechanism so I’m throwing it in. In the past nine years that I have been playing, I have only come across this style of gun once. It was a Classic Army M249 that had been modified with a Daytona Engine kit. It featured a full travel bolt and recoil. The gentleman who owned it was nice enough to let me shoot it. It was a truly memorable experience. Even with the weight of the gun, it still had more recoil than any other gas rifle I have fired to this day. It was incredibly loud and got everyone’s attention, and the performance was fantastic. At 200 ft, I could still easily hit a man-sized target.

• The gun shown is not the Daytona 249 mentioned in the blog but it was built exactly the same way     

The primary drawbacks of GBB’s are weight, rate of fire, and cooldown. The majority of gas rifle mags weigh more than a real, fully loaded 30rd magazine. Having to carry multiple mags, which do not lose weight as you use them, is a big turn off for many users. Rate of fire isn’t of huge concern for a lot of players, because fields are switching to Semi-Auto rules anyways. The handful of people that have to have full auto may look elsewhere. Having a bolt carrier which must move back and forth will limit rate of fire. Using full auto also brings about the next issue with GBB Airsoft guns: cooldown. Propellants like Propane and CO2 are liquid inside of the magazine. When the gun fires, the liquid expands rapidly into gas. As the gas within the magazine expands, it cools. As the gas becomes cooler, more gas remains liquid, producing no energy, leaving insufficient amount of pressure to cycle your gun. This is the reason that GBB Airsoft Guns are much more prominent in the Summer. When it is hotter outside, more propellant expands and you’re less likely to run into cool down issues.

GBB Airsoft is a ton of fun and something that the majority of Airsofters will get into at one point or another. Whether you want to go all out and get that Daytona 249, become a GBB Rifleman, or you have a reliable GBB pistol. GBB’s add an amazing degree of realism to the hobby.

We’ve told you what we think you should get for affordable, high end, mid-tier, but now how much does it truly cost to get into Airsoft? The answer to that might surprise you. If you are going for barebones, gun, mask, BB’s. It’s very affordable and cheap to get into it. If you want the full 9 yards as far as Kit, BDU’s, and Gear that will affect your end budget.

If you’re the type of person that doesn’t care about how you look, and let’s be honest I personally don’t care from time to time, you can get into the lovely hobby of Airsoft for as cheap as $140. That’s the gun, battery, charger, BB’s, and a mask. Now, that is absolutely barebones and we would recommend a little more but if you absolutely had to you can do it for $140. Now if you go the starter route we recommend you’re looking around $180 for our Best Airsoft Starter Package. It comes with the gun, battery, charger, mask, BB’s, spare magazines, and a vest!

If you’re the type to go all in on something then the sky is literally the limit for what you can put into an Airsoft Kit. Personally, I can’t calculate the amount of money I’ve put into my Kit over the years because so many things change and your play style is always evolving. In addition to your play style always changing, your taste in gear, much like in your change in clothes, may change as time goes on. Right now, you might like a straight tan/flat dark earth look but a year from now you light want an M81 loadout, or a Woodland Marpat, or Multicam. It’s always changing.

Similar to gear and kit your taste in guns may always be changing. You can start with an M4. Put a few accessories on it, maybe swap the barrel, just a few simple upgrades that enhance its performance at a smaller price in upgrades. Then one day while you’re at the field, you see a guy dressed in full Russian Spectre Camo rocking a pimped-out AK. After seeing that you think to yourself, “Damn, I need an AK” and before you know it, you got UPS knocking on your door with your newest AK.

Your taste is always changing and it’s incredibly rare to not wanting something new. While a lot of people are happy with their gun setups and kit setups, there is always a new project along the horizon.

After playing for some time, and if you didn’t take the tech route to upgrade your starter gun, you find yourself looking at purchasing a high-end gun to, potentially, be the best performer you’ve handled to date. Similar to picking your very first gun, it seems like there’s a limitless number of selections but we are looking to narrow it down a bit. Us here at Airsoft GI, and in partnership with Major League Airsoft, we have selected our Top 5 production AEG’s that are priced at over $300 USD. In order to qualify the gun has to be readily available in the United States and it cannot be a built to order type. So no high end customs and no Tokyo Marui.

#5 – G&G TR16 MBR 556WH G2 M4 MLOK Carbine AEG Airsoft Rifle – $400.00-$435.00

The G&G TR16 G2 features a 16-inch barrel and a 15 inch MLOK rail. Externally this gun features the great external quality G&G has brought to market in the last few years. During the testing portion, the model that we had on hand was completely unresponsive when we plugged the battery in. The motor connectors were on but there was absolutely no response from the gun what so ever. For that exact reason we could not move it above number 5.

#4 – KWA Ronin 3 Recon RM4 ML AEG Airsoft Rifle – $299.99 – $399.00

The KWA Ronin 3 was without a doubt the most fun gun to use in the entirety of the testing. With the 3.0 gearbox, the Ronin features a recoil system gives you a felt response every time the gun is cycled. You could imagine when firing on full auto it is loads of fun. However, we did find that the KWA does have a small break in period for the bucking and that heavily affected the results of our range test. After coming in last, for the functioning guns we had, in the shooting portion of our testing, it placed fairly high in the Internal Features as well as External quality. Due to the break in period hindering straight out of the box performance, we were unable to place it any higher than number 4.

#3 – Krytac War Sport LVOA-C Keymod M4 Carbine AEG Airsoft Rifle – $305.00-$425.00

Now before you all bounce off the handle, yes, the LVOA is priced at $425, but the barrel length is as close to the rest of the contenders. We easily could’ve used the SPR but the extra 4 inches of barrel would’ve given it an unfair advantage and we wanted to keep it as even as possible. The externals on the Krytac are great. They have an incredibly clean finish, full Warsport trades that would come on the real one, and out of the box you will also receive black metal flash hiders for any model that you buy. Rounded out with really good performance and a solid internal build. The biggest downside of the Krytac us the gearset. Due to the Gearbox walls being thicker, it forces you to use a thinner gearset and it isn’t truly Ver 2 compatible. During the range test it didn’t stand out vs the other guns we had tested. For that reason, the Krytac LVOA gets our number 3 spot.

#2 – Classic Army Extreme Nemesis LX-13 M4 Carbine AEG Airsoft Rifle w/ BAS Stock – $309.99 – $359.99

The new kid on the block, our selection for number 2 is from Classic Army. At one point you either bought a TM or you bought a Classic Army. With a lot of revisions to the internals Classic Army is taking some major steps to standardize what a premium end gun should be in 2018. Internally, the LX-13, and the entire Nemesis and Scarab line for that matter, feature the ECS trigger system giving you the best trigger response of all the guns tested. Additionally, the Classic Army does also come installed with a 6.03mm Tight Bore Barrel giving it great range and accuracy. Externally the Classic Army was the most well rounded of the group as well. A beautiful MLOK rail, complete ambidextrous controls, and the new BAS giving you massive battery space, rivaled only by the PTS Enhanced Polymer Stock that comes stock on the KWA Ronin. Performance wise it was neck and neck with the Krytac and our number one choice. The only thing that kept the Classic Army from being our top pick was the slight hinderance on upgradability. The hop up unit is slightly different vs a standard M4 hop up unit. As well with the gearset you have to move the magnets over from the original gearset and that may require some modification that some techs may not have access to. Leaving the Classic Army LX-13 at our number 2 spot.

#1 – Elite Force Avalon VR16 Calibur Carbine AEG Airsoft Rifle by VFC – $349.95 – $369.95

Our number one pick for the best AEG for under $400 has been given to the Elite Force Avalon series by VFC. With fantastic external & internal quality. Full upgradability and high performance, this stood out to us and Major League Airsoft as the top pick. In terms of externals, the dexterity and comfort that is provided by the QRS furniture was able to give it very solid standing over the Krytac and G&G. Internally the Avalon gearbox features 8mm ball bearings, stainless steel 16:1 gear set, quick-change spring guide, and an inline MOSFET housed within the gearbox. VFC has switched the material used within their polymers to make their Tappet Plate and Piston much stronger and are no longer required to immediately change out. The Avalon features a true, 100% Ver. 2 design, allowing the user to swap out any part at will. When it came to performance, the Avalon was not going to be out classed by any of the guns in the testing. With consistent accuracy at all ranges it was the most consistent of the 4 guns tested.  The Avalon series comes in 4 different models, all in black and bronze that do also come with a 1-year warranty this is covered by us here at Airsoft GI. Placing this beast at number 1.

Regardless of which of these you go with you’ll have a great experience. Even though the G&G was not working they are taking care of it and getting the issue resolved. All of the guns come with a minimum 60-day warranty and are all spoken of highly within the community. If you feel differently we openly welcome you to try and change our mind about the number 1 pick.

Ever since I started working for Airsoft GI, I’ve heard this question at least 3 or 4 times per week. Does it hurt as much as paintball? The answer to that is no. A single shot does not hurt anywhere near as much as paintball. Although you can also say yes, because a lot of times, your average paintball guns aren’t capable of achieving over 20 balls per second (BPS).

From a single shot aspect your average airsoft gun (for outdoor play) will be shooting with about 1.48j (j=joules) or shooting a .20g BB at 400FPS (Feet Per Second). Joules is the amount of energy the BB has as it leaves the muzzle and the higher the joule rating the more pain is felt. Most paintball fields in Southern California have an FPS limit between 285-300FPS with a .68 caliber paintball. The average paintball (Some are denser than others) weighs 2.8g. At that speed and mass your typical paintball marker is shooting with 10.51-11.64j of energy. 7 times more energy on the lower end of the average FPS limit.

                                                                              Joules = 1/2 mass X velocity^2

 1.48 = .10 X 121.92^2                                                                                                                                           10.5 = 1.4 X 86.87^2

In paintball they hit much harder due to a bigger, heavier projectile being sent down range. Although, Airsoft is capable of having a much higher rate of fire due to the feeding systems being much better. Your typical high-end airsoft gun ($300-$400 USD) should be more than capable of hitting 20+ RPS (Rounds per second) on an 11.1v LiPo battery. The cost to make a gun shoot an incredibly high rate of fire is no where near as high to get a paintball gun to shoot close to 30. For the same price as an ultra-high-end paintball gun you can get an Airsoft gun to rip at 70 RPS reliably.

Airsoft hurts in volume while paintball hurts in every single hit. They’re different types of pain but both are more than manageable. Personally, I started in paintball and switched to Airsoft because the guns looked cooler and a day of playing as so much cheaper. Pain had absolutely nothing to do with it. If pain is a deciding factor for you Airsoft more than likely will be your choice.

While scrolling through the thousands of videos of Airsoft Snipers on YouTube, such as Novritsch, Swamp Sniper, The House Gamers, Jet the Desert Fox, and plenty of other channels with similar sniping content. You find yourself thinking more and more “Damn I want to get those sick shots”. So you walk into your local store or search the interwebs for an Airsoft Sniper Rifle and you come across Airsoft GI’s Best Airsoft Sniper Rifle Starter Package. You see everything this package comes with at the awesome price of $189.99 and before you know it you’re getting that knock at the door an UPS is giving you the Best Airsoft Sniper Rifle Starter Package. Now before you take that out to your local fields to get those long Novritsch kills there’s a few things we want you to keep in mind while you’re doing that. You have to know how to move, how well your gun can perform, and that patience is a virtue.

Knowing how to move is key to doing well. Not just as a Sniper, but as a player in general. If it’s dead quite in the woods then suddenly the squad of guys you’ve been stalking hears random twigs and leaves crack you might end up with a high cap getting dumped in your general direction. While moving you want to avoid dry, dead brush as much as possible to give off as little sound as possible. Using your environmental noises to your advantage is also key. If the field is near train tracks move when a train passes by, if someone’s car alarm goes off cover as much ground as possible before they turn it off, throw a rock in a completely different direction as you to get their attention off for just a split second.

We all want to be able to say that our gun can clear any map it walks onto but the reality is that Airsoft Guns have their limitations. Knowing whether your gun can hit a target or not is one of the most important things to know as a player and especially as a sniper. If you take a shot at someone and it falls way short but they see the round land that gives them the potential to spot you if they can remotely trace it back to it’s point of origin. However, knowing what your gun is capable of will keep you from making those simple mistakes and maximize your effectiveness on the field.

Lastly the practice of patience, and this mainly goes for sniping at bigger events, is probably the most important thing you can practice as an airsoft sniper. Sitting back and knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot can mean the difference between getting killed and getting your team the information to take over the game. A lot of people who have played the sniper role at bigger events know fully that they will primarily focus on getting intel with maybe taking a handful of actual shots over the entire weekend. If you shoot too soon you might alert several patrols as to where you might be at. Waiting for all of the right circumstances will reward you with quite possibly the most satisfying kill you have ever confirmed in airsoft.

Airsoft sniping is a very glorified role that is not for everyone. If you think you can go out and rock it, take these tips into consideration. Snipers offer a huge advantage to the team that knows how to use them properly. If you find your new love please let us know! You can find us on Instagram @airsoftgidotcom and on Facebook under “Airsoft GI”. We’d love to hear your Sniper stories.