[Beastie]

I just recently joined this forum, but honestly, I've read some stuff I don't agree with at all. First of all, a $700-1500 upgraded gun is not necessary at all. I run a STOCK a&k dragunov with iron sights. Yes, the whole iron sight thing was because Simo Hayha is an inspiration of mine, and because I learned to shoot that way and am generally better off with iron sights. I have no secondary. On the other hand, I have invested upwards of $400 on my loadout. My ghillie is my baby. I made it with fabric, thread, jute, dye, a long sleeve t-shirt, jeans, and a sewing machine. Despite its humble beginning, i've thrown somewhere around 200 dollars into that thing. I work on it before every op, and it changes color every 50 feet i move while wearing it. Other than that, of course, I have my comms, boots, BDU's, mask, goggles, and gloves. Because of my ability to scout and engage without being seen, I am regarded as one of the most feared players at my field. It really bugs me when people ask me about my gun and I tell them, then they treat me like some sort of noob because rather than chucking money at it I trained for hours and hours every day until it became an extension of me. I am encouraging you, fellow snipers, to try my route, using whatever gun you have at this moment. Train with it. Learn how to maintain a ghillie. Learn how to disappear. You will go very far, just trust me, you can do it! :tup:

I am encouraging you to agree/disagree with me, or just tell me your approach to airsoft sniping. Fire away!

 

[lupin2000]

Please go make an intro post. Also that isn't really a good way to start a question

" First of all, a $700-1500 upgraded gun is not necessary at all. I run a STOCK a&k dragunov with iron sights."

Good for you. Some people enjoy working on perfecting their gun and if they want to drop extra money into their gun, I say go for it. As for the rest of the post, you aren't talking about tactics, you are stating that you put a lot of money into your other gear and how you get upset that you feel people don't respect you because you don't have an upgraded gun.

Back on topic - To me, tactics are more important. You could have the most expensive gun and the best gear in the world, but it will not help you at all if you don't know what you are doing out in the field.

 

[Beastie]

Please go make an intro post. Also that isn't really a good way to start a question Good for you. Some people enjoy working on perfecting their gun and if they want to drop extra money into their gun, I say go for it. As for the rest of the post, you aren't talking about tactics, you are stating that you put a lot of money into your other gear and how you get upset that you feel people don't respect you because you don't have an upgraded gun.

Sorry if I came off as a little douchey or imposing. I'm not upset at people who want to upgrade their guns, at all. Actually, I think its pretty cool that some of these people could take an average spring airsoft gun and transform it into something on a completely new level. My problem comes when the new kids at my field chew me out for having a stock rifle and being okay with it. Well, I guess their fun stops when they have to sprint to cover because bb's keep coming out of nowhere >

 

[lupin2000]

Sorry if I came off as a little douchey or imposing.

No problem. We all get passionate about our hobby. Was just pointing out that it did come off wrong. It is a shame though that kids are now going for "if it isn't upgraded, it is bad" mentality.

 

[Libelle]

I started airsoft with a $30 single-shot M3 Benelli CQC and in the field, and it was way sufficient to play the game. Even after I got an AEG, I hardly used it but once. And when playing like this, that skill makes the player was very salient.

I noticed something I called the Systema Factor, which is when a player confuses the prestige of his kit with proficiency in the game, in some players. I have an inkling it is endemic in my area, but some people spend a whole bunch of money--a sickening bunch of money--on their airsoft kit, and often are rubbish players that have mastered few or none of the basic skills nor their gun.

As long a a player knows his role and has a gun that shoots consistently, he is well on his way to being a good player.

 

[exomatt]

I know a guy who usually just runs his TM MK23, and kicks ass. It's all about stealth, and how you do things.

 

[bitchtits]

For me tactics are more important but having a good gun is also.

Im also well know around my area for being a sneaky wee b*stard.
Ive played with a tm spring pistol that could lob a bob 40meters and a tm hire ak that was doing 190fps,both time I still got my fair share of kills.

Even at the last game I played I killed about 8 guys one after another who were attacking my base,sitting in the one spot with my mk23. The marshals were pissing them selfs as the other team kept thinking it was blue on blue fire.

BUT my gun is also very important to me,i need to have a rifle that i know can take consistent kills at long range when needed.
I spend about the same amount of time working on both my ghillie/kit and rifle/kit.

 

[Bushmaster Recon]

I know a guy who believes that the amouny of money you spend on your rifle determins if it is good or not. I dont believe this. My M40 cost me very little. All I did to change it was to add masking tape spacers and it shoots brilliantly so I concentrated on my ghillie and tactics. I actually used a US army sniper manual for training and now I have become on of the most feared snipers at my field like Beastie. All thanks to concealment, tactics, training and a rifle that cost very little and shoots better than a $700 rifle I played against. Skill not money a good sniper make.

 

[SixCell]

Im deadly even with a un-upgraded gun, but imagine me with my 600+fps M700 I use sidearm because of my 40meter security distance.

Tactics are always the most inportant thing, but to be "all that you an be" as a Airsoft sniper you need all the range you can get.

If you can afford it, i see no reason why you shouldn't max out your rifle.

 

[Masterjuggler98]

Back when my rifle was completely stock I played a game with it with some branches attached to my back because I hadn't made a ghillie yet. I saw a sniper on the other team and. Tried to shoot him but my bb curved to the right just before it made it to him. He saw my bb and found out where I was. He must have bad better accuracy because he shot me and it hit me with range to spare.

Keeping that anecdote in mind think tactics are more important than an upgraded gun. Our concealment and tactics are what make us snipers, not our guns. Our guns are just a very good asset that helps us along with our job of being an airsoft sniper. It is possible to tune a stock rifle to have the performance of a maxed out one with enough time, but a maxed out gun can still be tuned better. You should however still try to get your gun to be as good as possible because it helpsyou be an airsoft sniper.

 

[MiloXC3]

Firstly, welcome to the forums!

I respect you for using iron sights. It's always been something I would like to try and master but I've never had a go at it yet (and I've chucked the iron sights from my VSR in to the bin).

I think tactics are much more important.
A well-experienced sniper will do much better with a gun limited to 150ft, than a poor-experienced player with a gun that can hit up to 300ft.

I use a Tokyo Marui Glock 17 for my sidearm, but spent a long time without a sidearm before I bought it and did just fine!

 

[Wolfgeorge]

I have plenty of AS sniper rifles, I don't consider them better than stock(except the SG Barrett, in stock form REALLY [email protected]), I upgrade them because I like tinkering, I don't use all of them at once!


Wolf

 

[Steels]

I am a huge fan of field craft. It's my favorite part of the game second to landing a long shot. Humans are the hardest game to hunt, they say, and that challenge provides for a lot of fun skirmishes and great anecdotes and tense moments and racing heartbeats and close calls and everything else.

Can you tell that I put more weight in tactical skill and such than gear?

Of course, you can't snipe with a GBB. The gun is important, but certainly not as important as doing everything else you need to do to fit the role. I run a crummy VSR clone stock with a scope and it gets the job done, and I'll be damned if anyone who says I'd be a bad player because of my cheap loud out gets under my skin.

 

[Reaperman]

I think tactics are way more important. As far as the rifle is concerned, a good sniper should be practicing and shooting his rifle enough to know how it performs from every distance. You should know that at 100 feet it curves right at the end. Upgraded or not, you should know how the rifle shoots and the adjustments that you must make.The sniper role isn't for the part time hobbiest. Its a position for perfectionists.

 

[fuzzywolly]

I think you, the OP, is getting things a bit mixed up in terms of the general opinion towards upgraded rifles on the forum. I think most of us here will say that tactics are more important. But having a high quality rifle is something to look into. When we get questions on the board of which rifle to buy, we consider all different things that go into the equation. We look ahead into how to make the rifle perform at its best. We say that if you are going to upgrade, buy the high quality parts and you will never look back. People CONSTANTLY ask "which rifle can I buy that shoots 300 feet out of the box and is cheap". We simply reply one does not exist, and that A LOT of money has to go into it.

Rather than take that as we all thinking that upgraded rifles are the only way to go, think more so of trying to help young and new users understand the limits of a stock rifle, or one that has little work into it/upgrades.

Not sure if that is what you meant, but thought I might as well share it.


As for me, I ran a stock UTG l96 for my first solid year of airsoft sniping. Loved the rifle, didn't do a thing to it, and was pin point up to around 125-150 feet. I wasn't picking people off with the long shot, and more than anything, taught me to get close enough to target without being seen, otherwise sheer firepower would over run me.

Heck, I even ran without a sidearm for quite some time too, due to financial limitations. Taught me to pick off targets quietly, without being seen, otherwise opponents would just run at me and over run my position. Not like my bolt action rifle is any good in CQB, right?

So I say that using a stock rifle, one that has limitations is not at all bad. It does teach you some things, and while it was difficult, I still was rather effective on the field. More so, now that I have an upgraded rifle, one that performs three times as good (at least), I can do the things I could not before in terms of long distance shooting, while at the same time, harnessing the skills to be effective in a short range/distance, just like back in the old days.

 

[~Ranger~]

I prefer to run a stock rifle unless something breaks. I started with a springer sniper rifle back in late 99 or early 00 and my buddies and brother used the assault rifles. I was always about the sniper role. And because they were cheap springers we had to get in CLOSE to even shoot one another,lol.. Later our guns got better and so on. But I have always been a strong believer, its not the guns that win the battle.. its the soldier. I try to play like its life or death and was told back in the old days I was a sneaky bastard by Livonia who I never ever see on here anymore. I rarely get spotted in a game, whether I'l in a ghillie "very rarly wear one" or if I am rockin my bdu's. I just do basic do it yourself mods on my rifles and spend countless hours working on it because when a rifle doesnt shoot where you want it to, that just blows! I love my rifles probably more than anything else I own and when me and the wife split up, my rifles were the first thing in my car, then my gear.... Then my personal clothes,hahaha..

I never want to own any of them $1000 guns.. I dont need it. I prefer a clone rifle ONLY.. I prefer them to shoot between 400 and 425fps nothing more "currently at 421".

I am one of them dudes that has to prove a clone rifle in my hands can and will compete and win against the guys at my feild with sytstema,Tm etc.... We dont have many snipers out there. But nearly everyone has them damn R hops,lol.. I recently purchased some but I havent installed them yet.

 

[solarisjock]

I think tactics are much more important then the rifle. that being said however, a solid, accurate, long range rifle can open up many more tactics for the shooter to use.

 

[~Ranger~]

Perfectly said..lol..

 

[Beastie]

This is a great response. Thanks!

 

[bitchtits]

Things have change a lot since I started playing around 10 years ago.
Here in the Uk most sites(all that i played anyway) at that time only allowed players over 18 and who were trusted to run a 500fps rifle. Everyone else was made to run 328 or under,and a lot used stock tm as there was much of a choice gun wise.

I thought that this was great personally, I was only 16 and it meant that I had to work on my field craft,not on my long range rifle.
I always tell anyone who asks about rifles and upgrading to run a 350 rifle until there field craft is better,sadly not many people do this and as a result we have lots of wannabe snipers with 500fps untuned rifles with no field craft.