AEG rifles for a beginner?

[Yergo]

I'm new to airsoft, and I was wondering, what are some good brands/guns for a beginner? I've been looking at a CYMA folding stock AK-47, but I've heard bad things about CYMA.



Picture is the gun I've been looking at.

[Darius137]

Get the new E&L version. It's solid and one of the best AK makers on the AEG market right now.

http://www.emei-landarms.com/List.asp?C-13-232.html

ELAKMS / EL-A113 is the model name.

[Darius137]

CYMA makes decent things. Great for the price. Same with Dboys.

AK's use a solid gearbox that's reliable, and I'm of course partial to them.

the issue with the underfolding stocks is that they are prone to breaking, and hard to replace when the folding stock breaks. The real one has a pin that goes all the way through so it's better, but the airsoft version has a gearbox in the way.

BUT if you want that AKMS sweg, I'd say E&L for sure.

[Steve]

G&G M-4. They are pretty much ubiquitous for good reasons. They are pretty inexpensive. They hold up pretty well. You can generally do whatever upgrades you end up wanting to do to them (or, more commonly, you buy a new gun, do upgrades on that, and use the faithful G&G as a backup for when your pretty pretty princess gun gets pooched).

Mags are cheap and common. Tactical gear is plentiful. Almost any accessory you could possibly imagine is available, and will bolt directly to the rails (get one with rails!), and if you don't get one with rails, you can buy a RIS system for not a ton of cash.

I know Darius is a big fan of the AKs, and with legitimately good reasons. But there are a lot more M4's than AKs on the fields, and a ton of those M4s are G&Gs. People keep buying them because they keep working.

Also, strangely enough, the ARES Amoebas have been scarily reliable for me. I was not expecting this, seeing as how I generally break guns twice as expensive in a matter of weeks or months. But, surprisingly, both of the Amoebas I own still work. One of them has had well over 50k (probably well over 100k, but I'm being conservative) rounds through it, almost all on rapid-fire semi-auto with 11.1v lipos and it's still running like a top.

[Junto]

Seconded on the Amoeba being undeniably great for its price (and overall, not sure what they did, but they nailed it), and that G&G M4s and CYMA or DBoys AKs are just dandy starters. The CYMA and DBoys AK's can come shooting a little hot (410-430), though, so you may have to factor in extra cash to get it resprung. I like Echo 1's AK line a lot. They're rebranded CYMAs and Dboys, by and large, and they've usually been upgraded a little for durability. Sometimes better shims and always the Echo 1 orange MadBull bucking. None of mine have failed yet in any form.

If you can afford the jump up, though, do what Darius said and get an E&L if you really want an AK. I'm likely selling an old, beat-up CYMA AK and some kit come Summer Slaughter so I can get one from them.

[Tankwitch]

I own a Cyma galil (ak style), it's one of the best airsoft guns I own. So don't listen to the AR fanboys. The mags for AK-47/74 are common enough to not be a problem and version 3 gearboxes are superior to version 2 gearboxes. Darius is right about E&L they are one of the better AK's on the market, or LCT. E&L airsoft guns use the larger style of AK flash hinder so after market flash hinders and suppressors wont fit. LCT and Cyma use 14mm negative threads which are the standard for airsoft.
Proper AK tactical gear is cheaper than US style MOLLE gear. Just a bonus to consider. EDIT: If you can break the bank get a Real sword type 56-2. My Real sword is fantastic quality, it's worth the money.

A quick suggestion for what to get as a starter AK. Shoots about right for local field use.
the full list of E&L products
The full list of LCT AK's
Some Russian tactical gear.

EDIT: This is the type 56, check it out.

Darius I'm thinking of getting a "partisan" style Mil-Sim loadout (Think FARC). Somewhere between proper Russian stuff and whatever is useful. What suggestions do you have towards this idea?

[Darius137]

[Tankwitch]

I joined requested to join the group you posted. The Ebay seller has some good stuff, I can see myself picking up several things as the budget allows. Thanks for the info.

[MySwan]

I don't mean to be a tool but you might have better luck and insight if you press forums then go to AEGs/Electrics section then use the search button. This site has been around for like a decade or so and there have been so many people who have asked the same question that you will definitely find a lot of information that you need.

[Tankwitch]

The question has already been answered. Besides old info isn't useful, as most of the models being referred to are no longer being sold.

[ClownBaby]

LOL! Swan, take a look at when TankWitch joined AP, then rethink the question.

Recon before you move on a target.

[Tankwitch]

What should I buys do serve a purpose, as shops are rare. So people unsure of what to buy come to places like this in order to get introductory information. Oldbies may disagree but this threads are important to the growth and well being of the community. I know I created these threads when I started. To many models to choose from and too hard to tell if you are getting something with quality.

Thread now makes no sense anymore. Post for the post count now.
Who spotted this on TV:

[MySwan]

[ClownBaby]

Your good, I just thought it was cute that your explaining something to someone who's been "around" lol.

[Tankwitch]

It's not edgy to be anti social. New players need to cultivated. Constantly. AP and NW airsoft will last about 5 more years without new players every spring. That means that these threads are more critical than we think. AP died due to the fact that established players would brush off new players with "Google it."

Google sucks for getting airsoft information. Saying simply to rely on a source that ranks things by the number of links it has to connecting other sites is a poor way of spreading that information. The best information is largely held by individuals and is almost never written down.