Secret Squirrel Tips on Saving cash

By Gordon "Cobalt" Smith
I know I post a deluge of long-winded diatribes, but I felt that posting up a summary of my experiences the past few years would help others who are new to airsoft.

The adage that "you get what you pay for" remains mostly true. There are deals out there, but I have bought nearly every piece of gear, of every type, for years now. The things you should never save money on are your eyes and your primary airsoftgun. Choosing the right piece of gear will make you spend only what you have to. Thus, you will get what you want at the cheapest dollar amount.

If you are only concerned with the bottom line of an invoice, you are not considering the money you will undoubtedly spend later -sooner than you had to- to get what you want. Be it that kickass red dot or upgrade, or sadly very often, a repair job.

A- Eye protection.
We sweat, goggles fog.
We breathe, goggles fog.
Cold weather? Foggy goggles.
Warm weather? Foggy goggles.
Many fields require face/mouth protection. Wearing a hat with a brim collects sweat and heat in your head, and it collects sweat near the goggles. Goggles can't properly breath with a brim. Fogging.
Wear a mouth covering like a Balaclava or shemagh and your breath will collect and slowly ventilate up into your goggles. Fogging.
There is only one permanent solution I have found works for me and many other players. (And I ALWAYS have a brim and mouth/face protection on) ESS turbo-cam goggles. They are like 100-120 bucks. Spending 50 or even 60 on thermal-lensed tactical goggles will get you halfway there, but their protective coating will eventually sweat off and they still can fog. I've even used Wiley X's, and they fogged. Having a thermal lensed goggle, with a built in fan powered drying system can't be beat. I bought several different pairs of goggles in the last 6-7 years, all of which fogged to the point of diminishing my combat-effectiveness, and if I had just listened to so many seasoned players, I would have saved money had I bought these first. Remember, if you can't afford them today and buy the next best thing at 50$, when you can afford them, you'll have spent 170$ total. More money than you needed to spend. In my opinion, these are the best all year all headgear solution to fogging hands down. Save up and pay the extra- you will not be disappointed. Yes Paulson ATACs work well, yes Wiley Xs work well, but when they do fog, and they will, they lack a fan system to clear them out. The lo-pros do fog faster due to their proximity to your face, but again, having a fan clears them out very quickly. I have never been without my full vision wearing a brim and or shemagh on hot or cold days after heavy running crawling and sweating while wearing these goggles, even the lo-pros. Ever.

B- guns.
(replicas to those with faint hearts) I cannot express this enough. Buy quality the first time. You wont have much fun if you show up to a game getting slammed all day long a dozen times per second from 200 feet away when your rep tosses out bbs at half the rate, 2/3rds the speed, way less accurately, and at half the distance. Go to a store or a game on game day and check out as many guns as you can. Don't EVER buy a gun on looks or on price until you have felt it, held it, and understand what that gun is going to be like when you are wearing all your gear, running and crawling. Also, when available, buy metal. There is nothing more lame than getting into an intense firefight where you have to gingerly baby your gun to keep it from breaking.

As a new player, your first fear is wasting money. You are going to want the cheapest gun that has the "longest life/most reliable." And shoots the fastest. And shoots the farthest. And can hit people at 200+ feet. Never breaking, at 100 dollars with battery and 10 hicaps. Scale it back. Be reasonable. Accept that all guns from all manufacturers will break. Often in the stupidest ways at the most inopportune times. The higher performance your gun puts out, the faster it will break. Most failures from respected companies (a stripped piston, a stripped pinion gear, anti-reversal latch failures, etc) are not catastrophic and can be fixed for cheap with better parts than stock. Gearbox shell crackage or a set of stripped poor quality gears are found in low quality environments, and those repairs will be costly. Cheaper guns are more likely to break more easily. Stick with the pros- Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, or if you are adventurous and accept the risk, G+P and G+G.

Now a brief review of each manufacturor.
First, understand this fact. it's simple. There are only 6 or 7 different kinds of gearboxes, and 98% of the replicas available use 2 of them- the version 2 and the version 3. Thats it. Small guns, long guns, all have the same basic design. The difference is that each manufacturer uses different quality parts, has differing quality control between the companies. However, by the same token, different replicas fromt he same company, will always perform about the same. You heard me, that TM m16 will shot as hard as fast and as often as that TM mp5- and have about the same range, give or take 20-40 feet.

1- Tokyo Marui-
make excellent guns. They are the Honda civics of the airsoft world. Cheap, effective, efficient, and reliable, a Marui left stock can take a beating internally that it's chassis will not survive. I am fond of using the phrase- you can shoot an apocalyptic amount of BBs through a marui without serious problems. The downside is this- Maruis are plastic and weak. Japanese laws prevent airsoft guns from being metal or having too much impact energy- thus FPS is severely limited, and the bodies are plastic. Marui invented the AEG and the Hop UP system. Their air seal, hop up, and overall quality control cannot be beat. Marui guns can easily outrange (but at a markededly slower velocity) some other manufacturers with tougher FPS outputs… or at times, even longer barrels. Marui replicates a staggering number of firearms for any period, any force, and any fantasy. Marui guns can be upgraded to compete with other guns if necessary, but, since they are starting at a lower point of performance, the upgrading process may cost you more than if you had initially bought a replica from another manufacturer. Also, in the beginning here I mentioned that they are sturdy when left stock. Increasing the performance of any gun decreases it's functional lifespan. This is the secret to the longevity of the Honda Civic and the Tokyo Marui- Build them to last, not to perform. In my opinion, as of the time of this writing, Maruis are the minimum level of performance and quality you will want to field. Buying a Marui insures not only you will have at least the minimum amount of FPS and Range, as well as a satisfying replica with superb quality control, but it also nets you something that may come in handy down the road...

resale or retrade value.

Resale/retrade value is important because as a frugal airsofter, you are going to want to buy used to save dough. Perhaps not on your first purchases, but as time wears on, you can leverage the weight of previous money spent in your favor instead of throwing money away. Thus, you get what you want at a lower cost. (though a solid rule of trades and resales is that internal upgrades mean very little addition to value, and a basic gun, even with mags and battery will only net, AT BEST, in FULL function and MINT chassis condition, 60% of initial purchase value. No one gets out for cheap, but you can score excellent deals on guns in many airsoft forum's "Buy Sell Trade" or "Classifieds" sections)

Clones-
At the time of this writing, Marui clones have been around for at least 2 years now. Most, as predicted before they arrived, are crap with no stability or resale value. Echo-1 are getting a lot of pop right now (spring 2007) as shooting as hot as a CA with a solid internal system and a body like a marui. They may very well in time begin to supplant Maruis as starter guns. However, at this time I cannot recommend them as a starter gun as they remain untested and I have no first hand experience. However, as a backup or a loaner, they may have merit. I can stand behind the UTG AK series, as they are decent performers. Their retrade or resale and durability long term remains questionable.

Classic Army-
When I started getting involved in airsoft, (the year 2000) the thing to do was to buy a marui, slap a metal body on it, and upgrade the gearbox enough to accept an m100 spring- shooting about 330 FPS with .2s, or about 300-310 with .25s. Slapping a 9.6v battery in it would up the rate of fire and you'd have a costly but solid gun that shot hard and could be dropped or played with like your life depended on it without cracking and splitting open a plastic body. By this time, upgraded ICS were being marketed as Airsoft Elite, making a line of metal upgraded mp5's that sucked only a little more than ICS guns already did. Academy airsoft out of Korea was on it's way out. Classic Army was on it's way in. The going idea at the time was CA was the choice of airsmiths- cheaper than buying a marui, they came with all the "basic" upgrades a serious player would do to a marui for less than the price of a marui and doing all the upgrades combined. Bonus- metal bodies saved you from the inevitable "Barrel Wobble" maruis suffer from.

(as of this writing, 4/07, Marui has just released an internally upgraded M4 that removes the possibility of Barrel Wobble and tab breakage by means of a metal one piece barrel and reinforced body tabs)

Quickly, CA began to take the airsoft world by storm, at least those with the extra cash and the know how to keep a gun with questionable quality control up and running. In 2005, with the debut of the M4 CQBR however, CA also debuted radically increased quality control. Now you could reliably get the metal body, higher ROF, and harder shooting gun that Maruis once could be for less cash. AND the CQBR was a monster strait out of the box. CA also began expanding upon their selections. Not only confined to M16/M4 and MP5 types, CA began modeling replicas of many other guns, including the much-anticipated M249 SAW. The ability to buy a SAW for "only" a grand revolutionized the field- teams all over the country were rocking SAWs in their operations and the game was upped. Marui began to be seen as a starter gun, not the primo replicas of yore. In my opinion, the best middle of the road gun for price durability and performance is now the CA. ESPECIALLY if you want an m16 or m4. It is true that Marui just came out with an M4 that solves the problems of barrel wobble and body pin loss/body tab snappage. But all the other aspects of CAs- tougher springs, tougher gearboxes, 9.6v design over the 8.4v- make it worth your while.

In summary,
If someone wants a basic, capable, and durable gun, I'd recommend CA under the notion that, being upgraded from a marui status, and even though they are engineered that way, they will still break something at some point.

The "CA Stock" is now the standard by which AEGs are judged out of the box- 300-320 FPS, and at least 12-15 RPS.

A brief note about high end guns; G+P and G+G.

G+P-
G+P guns are the "new CA" they are the most accurate and superb fit and finished guns. Virtually indistinguishable from the real thing when sat side by side and are a beauty to field. They are solid, powerful and simply amazing guns at a good value. They cost more than a CA. But think of it as the older CAs of yore- CA essentially displaced the standard of performance. G+P's are displacing CA's amongst people who want an even further upgraded gun at start up. Recommended for people who know what they are doing since they come out of the box stock at a significantly higher FPS and thus, even though they are engineered that way, you may find yourself tuning or replacing parts sooner.

G+Gs-
First generations of production were far overpriced pieces of junk that took far, far too much money to get to work reliably. Recent generations are getting a deserved reputation as out of the box monsters. G+G's literature and websites claim they fire at 280-310 fps, the same as a CA, but the majority of their models are pushing 380-400 FPS STOCK. These are the guns for people who want the maximum performance on their first day of playing. Furthermore, their rate of fire is ungodly, and their metal bodies are magnesium, so they are noticeably lighter than steel G+P and CA replicas. As with G+P, they are recommended for people who know what they are doing in terms of repair as their supremely upgraded nature renders them potentially repair prone, though the new gens haven't been out a full season at the time of this writing to be sure. Drawback to some is their inane and stupid trademarks. It may not matter to most, but their solid fit and finish is marred by "Capitol of Greedy Island" and the silly crest of arms G+G uses.

!!!!08 UPDATE!!!!

Echo-1's are an excellent choice for a starter to midrange guns. If you want sick perforamnce and aesthetics, you willstill want to pick up a G+P or G+G; but for a solid decent field gun that works well for cheap, the Echo-1's are suitable. If you want a metal body, go CA. Both shoot about the same.

Both CA and G+G are releasing plastic bodied versions of their metal guns for the first time. Initial reviews of the CA "sportline" guns put them at decent for the money but not quite as good as their metal body counterparts.

Finally- KWA is releasing super powerful, 400 FPS stock guns designed to run with Lipoly batteries (not for the novice though, you can quickly start a 4,000 fire if you drain the batt) that are also metal, well built, and seriously cheap- like tokyo marui cheap! (250-300$ range!) Time will tell if they stack up, but they sem VERY promising.

!!!!!End 08 UPDATE!!!!!

Magazines-Lets be short and frank. Most important upgrades is the capacity to carry more ammo in afield expedient way.
There are basically three types of magazines-

Low-capacity or locaps- typically 30 rounders, fine for use in CQB and reenactment engagements.

Standard capacity magazines- (what used to be called locaps) 58-68 rounds, the marui standard capacity.

Mid-capacity or "Midcaps"100-130 round magazines first made popular by G+P and now rightfully dominated by MAG mags

Hi-Caps-200-600 round capacity magazines that wind feeding BBs from a resevoir into the hop up chamber.

In my opinion, If you are a locap player there is only one choice anyway, mag mags. If you are a madcap player, again, MAG takes the cake; they may be plastic and only hold 100 rounds, but they feed, which is much more important than the metal 130 rounders from G+P that cause you to dry fire half the time to get plastic downrange. I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the 450 and 600 round (m4 and AK) mags from G+G. you can't beat that kind of capacity.

C- Gear-
the idea that "modular is the best way to go" is not a bad one, but the sentiment that new gear and only molle gear is "only" way to be "modular" is bogus. "Gucci" concerns are irrelevant. (Keep in mind these are my opinions on saving you time and money.) You may disagree.
Likely, You're not in the army for real, so you don't have to play the part if you don't want to. All gear (except for a SAAV or a pre-built chest rig) is modular to a functional degree. Furthermore, pouches can be used for a variety of functions. MOLLE and PALS are just the most recent modular systems. That's right- WW2 web gear all the way up to it's 1980's and 1990's ALICE counterparts were designed, and remain, modular. Even the much-maligned "Omega" styles of tactical vests are modular. (Look carefully, those straps on the back panel are the same dimensions as a pistol belt; they are NOT, as some websites depict, places to hold fricken swords.)

This is airsoft, you don't need a plate carrier for real, and if you don't carry a huge load, you aren't going to require a 300+$ modular unbreathable vest. MORE if you want to slap pouches on the vest to actually carry stuff.

That being said, TAC force makes decent airsoft-worthy tactical vests in many configurations. The only thing you don't want to rely on is the drag handle. BHI makes superb rigs, and often have items on clearance. If even BHI rigs are too expensive, look around for CONDOR tactical- they are a Blackhawk clone company that uses the same materials and techniques but lack the lifetime-for-any-reason replacement policy, which is a big part of BHI's cost.

If you are running an m-series/Armalite, and don't need a pistol, the BHI lo-profile chest rig is a steal. Dump pouch and potential sidearms can be worn on a separate belt.
A simple pistol belt, a pad to give it shape, and a few clipped on mag pouches and a holster will net you everything you need to carry for cheap. It may not look impressive, but it's legit for any era and light/comfortable.
To save frustration with gear and pouch selection, almost anything that holds 2 m16 mags, will likely hold one 1 styr, 1 mc51, 1 G36, one AK or two to three mp5 mags.

For those who simply must use modular plate carrier or commando chest harness style rigs, and they do have many benefits, the player is recommended to check out Condor, Guarder, and Phantom for rigs that are tough enough to use in airsoft, cheap enough (compared to the real thing mind you) and often come with all pouches included. If your rig does not come with all the pouches, Cheaper Than Dirt has pouches that may suit your needs for much less than name brands charge.You will want to check that out before you buy, but that is a good "rule of thumb."

(BONUS-Enlightened Trivia for the day-The phrase "rule of thumb" is more accurately replaced with the phrase "heuristic;" In medieval Europe, a rule of thumb was literally this- you were not allowed to beat your wife with anything thicker than your thumb. Being in that we fashion ourselves citizens of a more enlightened era, "heuristics," "guidelines," or reasonable fascimilies should be used to replace "rule of thumb.")

Finally, one last point-
Being that this is airsoft, your priorities should be this-
Goggles.
Gun.
Battery.
Charger.
Ammo.
Camo.
Boots.
Spare Magazines.
Magazine loading tools. (For everything but hi-caps)
Good Shooting Gloves (for bug, burr, water, cut, and abrasion resistance, as well as shooting stability)
*Rig to carry your gear in
** Gear
** Gear is starred because some fields require a minimum loadout, such as hydration, radio, maps, red rags for illustrating hits, and the like. Not all fields require this, and each field is different. Learn what your field regulations are before attending a game, and come prepared. Do not skimp on minimum loadout; as you day of play may be cancelled.


_________________
SLA CO
Green Company..........staff?