Can't decide which gun - advice appreciated
 

Hello, I'm new to airsoft and looking into buying my first gun. I'd love to get an AEG that costs around $200 but would pay more if it's worth it. I love the look of the HK 416 but can't find one for less than $400. Right now it seems like that Crosman R76 for $150 is the best deal for something with a metal gearbox and that shoots close to 400 fps. Any suggestions? Thanks.

This is the gun I -love-...

http://www.airsplat.com/Images/ER-VFC-HK416-10.jpg

You should consider investing around 400.00$ for an AEG.

Crosman really is not even an Airsoft brand, it's SoftAir aka ShitSoft.

If you get Age Verified by meeting up with your local rep proving you are 18+, you will then gain access to loads of guns for sale in the classifieds.
$250-350 will get you a decent-okay gun.

If you're serious about playing, add in a fair bit more for battery, mags, gear etc..

Unfortunately in Canada airsoft does not work like it does in the rest of the world. Well that's not true, the game is the same but the details about how airsoft guns get into Canada and how they exist in Canada are a fair bit different. Pricing in Canada is a significantly higher than that of anywhere else in the world. Due to the fact that only certain business and people can import airsoft guns prices are much higher due to shipping, freight, brokerage, retailer mark up and supply and demand costs.

Hate to be a bubble buster but a budget of $200 is not really gonna help much. Its a good start dont get me wrong. Evens gotta start somewhere and its understandable if a person does not want to sink that much money into something right off the bat. However when it boils down to the truth its buy crap buy twice or even more. Its better to learn about the basics first so you can gain the knowledge to make a decent decision so you can understand why things are the way they are, why guns cost the prices they do and whats good. You will quickly learn that the Crosman R76 is not good and no money should be invested towards it.


If you are still interested in a 416 style airsoft gun the least I can tell you is that brands like JG and VFC occasionally pop up in this websites buy and sell section. However in order to access it you require this websites age verification. Its nothing huge, just a screening processes this website has in order to find out if a person is the age of legal majority (18). Its not so much a maturity thing as their are adults that act immature its more of a legality issue. As it stands people under the age of 18 cannot be legally held responsible for their actions and fault would fall on that of parents or guardians if something were to happen. Give the nature of airsoft Im sure you can understand. If you are interested in age verification just pop on over to this link and read through the details and find someone in your area.

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=49408


Once you have Age verification you will be able to access the buy and sell and even access the online retailer listings.

I hope that answers all your questions.

That certainly does help a lot. Thanks a bunch. I'll get age verified and check out the buy and sell section.

What is so bad about the Crosman R76 compared to $350-$400 HK 416 or another AEG? It seems to get the same FPS and has a metal gearbox.

Is it an accuracy/velocity issue or is it a reliability/durability issue?

Thanks again for all the responses. I've been reading a lot and am learning tonnes.

It's a lot down to the quality of the materials used, both internally and externally. Crosman guns will break down A LOT sooner than their $400 counterparts.

There is a reason why the Crosman cost $150 and others are $400+. It's like comparing a Neo Geo to a BMW. Both goes up to 100Km/h but one is a POS and the other is a beauty.

Im sure you meant Geo Metro, cause a Neo Geo is 10 billion times cooler than a BMW.

Wooooo NEO GEO!

http://www.destructoid.com/wp-conten.../neo%20geo.jpg

An Investment
 

I like how if you go to the Crossman website for the R76 it tells you that the muzzle velocity is "up to 375fps". Little scary when they don't give you a bottom end!

Omnivorous, my advice to you (having just invested in my first airsoft gun) is to suck it up and spend the extra $$$. And I don't think you are going to get much that is decent for under the $350-$400 range. If you are serious about getting into airsoft, it will be worth the investment.

Also, as my friends warned me...cocaine is a cheaper then airsoft ;)

And cocaine is less addictive too.

Ahh, that's what I was wondering though. If both guns pack the same punch then I'd probably be willing to sacrifice aesthetics and put up with the nuisance of some minor repairs once in a while to save $250. I shall see though...

Besides, i hear that it gives you syphilis.



....oh wait that's Cansoft halfbreeds, Crossman gives you herpes.


There are much, much better options out there even for basment plinking. You'll regret spending the 150 bucks. Believe me.... she was my first:p

But don't worry i used full body protection:)

lol You'll end up spending more than the $250 you saved trying to replace parts in the short term. Then you'll end up scrapping the unserviceable gun and buy a decent one instead.

...oh, and BTW, Crosman R76 has a plastic mechbox and gears, not metal. I've seen them, and they're not pretty.

man i am reading gun descriptions on the crossman website
http://www.crosman.com/airsoft/rifles/SAPR71
''Muzzle velocities of up to 200 fps make it ideal for back yard skirmishes''
wow that's a good idea

Worth the headaches?
 

And if you really want an AK product, there are some very nice ones available from the various Airsoft manufacturers.

If you are really serious about playing airsoft, it is going to become a full-time hobby with all the costs that entails. And not a hobby that Canadian Tire can help you with.

I am not sure how this will affect things, but the BB's they sell for the Crossman stuff is 0.18g if I am remember correctly. Most people have told me that you want at least .25g or .28g, especially if you want it to get through foliage and such. I don't think the Crossman will take the heavier ammo.

But at the end of the day it is your money, and we can only offer our opinion. And it is my humble opinion that you are not going to save any money in the long run by buying the Crossman R76 you are looking at. It will only give you migraine sized headaches.

I don't think they pack the same punch, and in airsoft, aesthetics is the difference between being taken seriously and being laughed at ;)

He is looking at an R76 not R71.

Regardless, that thing is a waste of $150. 375fps with .12g bbs is the same as 290fps with .2g bbs. Not that powerful and with the plastic gearbox you don't dare upgrade it.

You need to get av'd and you will see that $75 more gets you 4 x the value.

You asked for advice, you are getting it, but it sounds like your mind is made up. It is your money spend it on what you like.

That crosman is not airsoft, it is soft air and is utter shite.

i was not making a reference to the gun!
i was making reference as to making backyard skirmishes,what a good idea to give kids

Whoops, my bad. I re-read your post. Yeah, I see your reference now.

Naw, my mind isn't made up and the advice is helping tonnes. I was just looking at an HK --> http://torontoairsoft.com/product.php?id_product=137 <--

I just emailed a guy about getting av'd but I'm from Hamilton so it seems I'll have to do some traveling to find someone.

As a rule of thumb, does the initial listed FPS accord with .12g BB's? Do you lose about 85 FPS when you use .2's? I wouldn't dream of using anything but .2's or higher since I've seen the .12's sail off into the wind.

If you are looking for a HK 416, talk to these guys and see when they will get more in.

https://www.buyairsoft.ca/rifles/ele...ull-black.html

It is not CanSoft, so it comes all black :):):)

1. that's not an HK416
2. That's the "Rec" version. Garbage gun. Black, yes, but the rest is junk.
3. sending someone to buyairsoft.ca is like sending someone to a Thai street hooker in Bangkok and suggesting to not use protection.

:D

And yeah, if you want a good AEG then spend a little more money on the base gun as you will quickly find out why we tell you this if you go the cheap route. We tell everyone this and it turns out one of two ways:

1) They buy the better brand, parts fit better, gun performs better for longer without needing to replace parts or upgraded parts, person is happy, person thanks us.

or

2) They buy a cheaper brand because they didn't want to spend an extra $50-$200 off the bat, some parts might fit some wont and when you NEED that part for a game coming up it never fits due to shitty tolerance issues with clones, gun performs alright for someone who doesn't know better but ends up shitting the bed shortly and more issues come up regarding fitting of parts, lament and buyers remorse begins to set in, person makes thread after thread asking how to fix this or why that doesn't work, eventually person realizes they made a mistake and should have listened to us and buy a better gun off the bat, feelings of discontent and shame take over the person and throw themselves off a building screaming "I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THOSE GUYS ON ASC A LITTLE MORE. MY LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER HAD I TAKEN THEIR SAGE ADVICE INSTEAD OF BEING A CHEAP FUCK. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?! WHY DIDN'T I GET A G&P OR TM?!?!?! DAMN YOU CHEAP CHINA CLONES! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!!! *splat*

Ok that last part may or may not be true but the point still stands.

May or may not.... lol'd

And btw, it's "your trust is in whisky" ;d

To put it simple.

Just because its less expensive, and has 'numbers' that match up to what sold for twice as much doesn't mean you're saving much of anything by going the cheaper route.

In fact, as many times as it has been mentioned before you'll end up dropping a lot more money into 'fixing it up' than you would spend just buying a Good AEG and leaving it as is.

I've made this mistake a few times and there isn't really any way to get around it when you cheap out.
If you wait, save and research, you won't regret it. Guns aren't going anywhere and its not going to kill you to wait a couple months or weeks to save up for a gun you want.