Types of Guns – Airsoft Kingdom

If you're just starting out in airsoft, you might be considering the initial costs. Protective gear and guns make up the bulk of the cost of playing airsoft. You can save money by choosing a cheaper gun, but is such a gun worth buying? Cheap airsoft guns are worth it if they can help you get started. But if everyone else has a more expensive gun that shoots 100 FPS higher speed than your gun, then you will find the limitations of your gun to be discouraging. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about cheap airsoft guns, including their pros and cons, as well as the contexts in which they are ideal. By the end of this post, you'll have a clear idea as to whether you should get a cheap gun or should opt for a more expensive option. Are Cheap airsoft Guns Worth It? Cheap airsoft guns are not worth it if you're a regular airsoft player but are worth it if you want to get started and you cannot afford a medium-range airsoft gun. If you buy a cheap gun and find out that everyone on the field has guns that outclass yours, you can always consider renting. It isn't a good idea to constantly buy expensive airsoft guns. Let's explore why with a background on the airsoft arms race. The Airsoft Arms Race Explained airsoft is a tactical game where you're rewarded for shooting at your opponents and penalized for getting shot at. Since airsoft guns aren't super accurate and most players use semi and full-auto shooting modes, it is often the best gun that wins. Because of the extent to which the gun specs play a role in one's victory, most players choose the fastest airsoft gun they can get their hands on. This creates the arms race effect, which is best illustrated by slower models becoming obsolete pretty rapidly. At one point, 230 FPS airsoft guns were the norm on any field. However, with the mass production and subsequent introduction of 300 FPS+ guns in airsoft, carrying a slower gun is a liability. Understanding the arms race aspect of airsoft will help you avoid the pitfalls of constantly upselling yourself. In the real world, the international arms race was halted based on a mutual agreement not to look for increasingly destructive weapons. You can reach a similar agreement with your friends. As long as you use airsoft guns within the same FPS band, you don't need to buy higher-speed guns. In my experience, guns within a 50 FPS range of each other have comparable performance. You're not outclassed by your opponent's airsoft gun just because it has a 50 FPS higher shooting speed. Moreover, you are not at a great enough advantage if yours is 50 FPS higher. Should You Play With Slower Airsoft Guns? By now, you know that airsoft guns within the same FPS band have comparable performance and can be used for airsoft games regardless of how high or low the collective FPS of these guns is. This brings us to the question of whether you and your friends should get higher-speed guns or choose cheaper ones with low FPS. Surprisingly, it is cheaper guns that make airsoft more fun. It is no fun to have a frustratingly slow airsoft gun when your opponent's gun shoots 200 FPS quicker than yours. At that point, you lose not because of your tactics or skills but because of the limitations of your gun. So when it comes to your individual gun, you should prefer speed. But when it comes to you buying airsoft guns as a group, choosing slower ones will make the game more interesting. With high-speed airsoft guns, no party gets to be tactical, and the victory is determined entirely by who ends up in front of whose barrel more often. If everyone has a high-speed gun, then no one gets to have fun, and the game is over before it starts. In contrast, if everyone has a slow airsoft gun, then all parties are forced to be more strategic and use tactical skills instead of pellet velocity to outperform their opponents. The drawback of betting on a low-speed weapon is that if even one player chooses a 100 FPS higher airsoft gun, then everyone has to scramble for a better gun. Having a consensus regarding the speed of airsoft guns is extremely difficult. And when you are left to choose for yourself, then you should get the highest-speed airsoft gun. That doesn't mean the gun has to be expensive. Are Cheap Airsoft Guns Slow? While slow airsoft guns are cheaper than high-speed ones of the same quality, there are cheap and expensive airsoft guns in each FPS band. The cheapest airsoft guns are the slowest ones, but not all cheap airsoft weapons are slow. You can get high-speed airsoft guns at a relatively low price. Should You Buy A Cheap airsoft Gun? You should buy a cheap airsoft gun if you don't plan to use the gun regularly and are just getting into airsoft. It is always better to try out cheaper equipment and gradually move to more expensive options. This reduces buyer's remorse. That is the general recommendation, though. Every individual is different, and your choice should ultimately be based on the pros and cons that are the most relevant to you. The pros of a cheap airsoft gun are: No buyer's remorse - for first-time players, a cheap gun is a low-priced ticket to enter the world of airsoft. The easier decision to make - If you're planning to get started with airsoft and money is the only barrier. You can get started quickly with a cheaper airsoft gun. Leaves enough money for protective gear - The third advantage of a cheap airsoft gun also revolves around its price. When you buy a cheap airsoft gun, you're left with more money to buy appropriate headgear and vest. The cons of a cheap airsoft gun are: It might be slow - cheaper airsoft guns are usually slow unless you choose cheaper ones in the highest FPS range. If you get a cheap average airsoft gun, you will get a slow weapon that will be outclassed by other players' weapons. It might get stuck or damaged - The problem with any cheap product is that it can get damaged. Airsoft guns are double trouble because if they get stuck in the middle of a game, the field time you paid for goes to waste. It might ruin your airsoft experience - As a result of poor shooting power or due to it getting stuck, you might not enjoy playing airsoft. This can make you dislike the game, especially if you are just starting out. Even in online games, the difficulty is raised gradually. Playing airsoft with a cheap weapon is like playing in hard mode, which can be counterintuitive and discouraging for beginners. You might end up having to buy another gun - Finally, you must be prepared to buy another airsoft gun if you start with a cheap one, to begin with. A cheap airsoft gun is a good tool to test the waters, but it isn't ideal for long-term use. Final Thoughts If cheap airsoft guns worked, everyone would have bought them, and there would be no market for expensive guns. Cheap airsoft guns have advantages in terms of helping you get started quickly, but they have serious limitations in terms of longevity, firepower, and reliability. All in all, you should get an airsoft gun that you can afford and be realistic about what to expect from a gun of that price point.