My oldest son and his friends are really into Airsoft. His single shot pump shotgun is not cutting it anymore as everyone else has full auto rifles, HK 416, M4s, MP7s, etc. I started to look around and was surprised at prices. https://www.evike.com/products/41178/ for example. So, any suggestions for a quality rifle that is at least semi-auto that will not break the bank?
Thanks!

Prices have really gone up since I last bought one when my son was in his early teens (12+ years ago). If you are going to get one, go with a full auto. They are a blast to shoot. The ones I have (battery powered) would knock over aluminum cans, but not put holes in them (M4, FN P90). Great fun with a variety of targets.

My kid had a Command Arms M-4 clone that held up pretty good for amateur weekend skermishes, and it was under $200 all-in with the battery and charger.

It's held up pretty well, still hits close to 350fps with .20g BBs

I have a KWA MP5 that is better than the Command Arms, but it was nearly twice the price.

BB61,


I use to play a lot with my oldest son. Even took my youngest son a few times, as well as my entire soccer team and their dads.

First, how will this be used? Playing with friends outdoors, or going to an actual airsoft arena/field? The reason I ask is some airsoft arena's require that you chrono your rifle every time you play, so it is shooting within their (insurance) parameters. If it shoots too fast, you can't use it there. I believe our local place is 350fps, but that is still fast enough to break the skin if it hits it right. One of my son's friends wore a paintball mask, and the bb split and still got through the mask, and chipped his tooth. If they play a lot at a local place, I'd just advise buying through them. They probably have package deals, and are probably cheaper than buying online once you figure in all the parts of the package, and you are pretty much guaranteed it will work at their place.

As far as what to buy, I would highly recommend anything with an all metal gearbox. I ended up buying the same brand as the rental units at the place we frequent. I figured if they could stand up to the abuse of a rental gun, it should be perfect choice for us as above average casual users. We ended up getting G&G rifles, all of them M4 variants. I think they were about $200, but it's been a few years. But they have held up fine. I prefer the M4 because I am very familiar with it, and most of the accessories (mags, batteries, etc) are cheaper and more common than some of the other styles.

The sky is the limit. Some of the kids I've seen have several thousand dollars invested in their "kit". I usually only carry a double-stacked magazine, only because I ran out of BB's once. I think two mags is about 900 bb's in an M4 magazine. And I would suggest getting an extra battery as well.

Don't skimp on the safety equipment, especially googles. Getting something rated for airsoft. They use to allow HPA (High pressure air) guns at our place, but I think they only allow them on certain days. I got shot in the head by one, and when I was walking out when the game over, a ref pulled me aside and asked if I was ok. I said yes, he said, "dude, you got BB's stuck in your head". I didn't want to freak the kids out, so he walked me to the bathroom. Sure enough, I had 3 bb's stuck in my skull. I had to pop them out like pimples, and bled all over the place. They chrono'd the guys gun, and he was shooting way hotter than he was supposed to be shooting. I'm thinking after he got it chrono'd the first time, he made some adjustments on the fly. I typically wear shorts and a hoodie, with the hoodie pulled up. And mechanic style gloves. Getting shot in the fingers hurts pretty bad, especially if you get hit in the nailbed.

^^^^^
Thanks for your detailed reply. His friends just play in local woods and fields. I like checking the rental place and the all metal gearbox etc.

I used to play with some friends around 2007 or 2008. Most of us had Echo 1 brand guns. They were good quality guns for around $200. They are still made.

You can really find a wide range of guns by quality and price. Around $25 at Wal Mart all the way up to the high hundreds and over a thousand dollars. I’m not as in tune as I was 13 years ago, obviously, as I became an adult and got real guns instead, but if there were people playing in my area with any regularity, I would probably get back into it.

I will throw in my .02 My son is also getting into it. He is young but wants me to do it with him. I also have some co-workers that are into it. Soooo, I did a fair amount of research and have found and been told that Krytac are excellent entry level guns. G&G are also up there and slightly less than the Krytacs. I have been told the biggest must have is a V2 all metal gearbox. I ordered my rifle and other stuff Monday. Should be here Friday. My son had to have an MP5, so I bought him a pretty inexpensive one to see how he takes being hit by the airsoft bb and if he stills wants to play after that. lol