My son is asking for an airsoft rifle for his birthday. I don't know jack about airsoft rifles. Can someone offer a little insight please?

Best maker?
Price ranges?
Age suitable? He's 14
Do you actually shoot these at each other?
Air or electric?

I really just don't even know where to start. Hopefully someone on here also gets into this hobby. yes I can google it, but I needs some reputable info. Hopefully you guys can help.

 

I use mine for indoor target practice, but yes, they are designed for shooting at each other. That's why it's a plastic BB.

HFC makes some pretty good pistols, spring and gas. Spend more than $20 if you want something that lasts more than a weekend or two of play.

Spring rifles/pump shotguns are pretty accurate with better range than you'd think. The pump shotty has a decent rate of fire as well. Very good models are typically close to $100, but you can spend as much as $200 if you like.

Electric guns, specifically the AEG's, are slick, but a well-made one will cost ~$200-300.

Cheap electric guns are not worth the money. They are wildly inaccurate, fragile, and generally crappy toys at best.

There are a lot of airsoft forums to get good advice on models and prices. That's where I'd start. And check out sporting goods stores in your area, they often have airsoft stuff.

 

14? Get him a real gun. A .22 bolt action rifle, he'll love it. I shot guns (supervised of course) earlier that that, and I have great memories of plunking cans in the back yard with my dad.

At 14 my dad got me a compound bow, which I still have (30 years later). I was shooting it in the back yard just yesterday, great fun.

 

I used to be pretty big into it.

Maker: I always liked classic army. They make very solid guns. No experience with them but I believe they have some type of cheaper entry level guns. Some people like Tokyo Marui but their guns are almost totally plastic and way off as far as weight and feel. I cant remember any of the other companies Ive owned guns from.

Price: Depends on the kind of gun. Handgun (a good metal body one) anywhere from $50-$100. Electric rifles: $100-$300+. Spring and gas rifles are priced all over the place.

As long as people wear eye protection when shooting at eachother they are pretty safe. Feels like a big rubber band snap. Some can leave pretty big welts but ive never seen skin broken.

Yes people do shoot them at eachother. There are a lot of organized clubs that people play with as well as groups of people that just go out and shoot stuff.

I would go electric for anything except a sniper rifle. For those I prefer spring cocking. Gas gets expensive.

If you know what type of gun he wants then maybe I can help out a little more. Best of luck and make sure he is safe. It may not be a real gun but it should be treated with almost equal respect if you ask me. Some of the higher end ones can do some damage.

also, I think a .22 rifle would be a lot of fun too but that definatly requires a lot more supervision. bows are a blast too but dont let him near squirrels unless you dont like them... oh to be a child again.

GL

 

He said something like a m4 replica airsoft gun. I think electric would be the best route. What are some other things that he might need besides the gun.

 

Yeah, for m4, electric is pretty much the only reasonable option. I would personally want a gun to have a metal body. The internals are relatively easy to upgrade later on but body pieces can be trickier. Try to stick with the bigger companies as they usually dictate the "standards" for parts compatability.

M4/M16 is by far the most common gun so you'll have no problem finding options. Some companies dont call them m4 because of copywrite so look carefully.

He'll need a battery, charger, and bb's at minimum. Scopes, rails, grips, extra/bigger magazines, better internals, etc etc are all aftermarket options that you can figure out later.

Figure out what he wants to do with it and go from there. I hope this was helpful.

 

I'm an idiot and I'm okay...

 

Wow that was unnecessary. Can a mod delete that post and ban that user please.

 

A very good lesson on gun safety.

I know a few people that are into airsoft. Its a decent hobby and some might say it has real training value. I think to get into it though, you'd want him to have a decent grasp on real guns, mainly respecting them. The problem I have with airsoft is that it teaches you to point guns at people, even though they are toy guns.

Get him a 10/22, or similar, and a brick of ammo

If you do get him an airsoft gun, id make sure he has a good grasp on safety.

 

Those are good points thank you very. All of you have been very helpful.