What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

All topics for airsoft snipers: Bolt action, AEGs and gas rifles, ghillie suits, etc.

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What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Russian »

Choosing a sniper rifle you can ask several great questions. Let's start with one rule- what ever you prefer or like might be not good for anyone else, so here are our opinions based on personal experience. Nothing more, nothing less.

Q: Is a sniper rifle/role good for you?
A: Most sniper rifles are longer and heavier then assault rifles or SMG. If you like fast pace action or putting a lot of rounds on target, a sniper rifle maybe not that you need.

Q: AEG, Spring or Gas?
A: Most of the modern replica's are pretty good out of the box. A bolt-action, spring gun is often cheaper and gives you a pleasure to work the rifle's bolt. AEG gives you a bit more firepower but it costs more and require a high-volt batteries to drive an upgraded gearbox. Gas Rifles are probably the most fun to shoot, but they are not that cheap. Some models a rare and could get expensive to maintain and operate.

Q: Do I need a side arm?
A: This is a personel preference. Remember, in airsoft most important rule is: safety. Many fields allow semi-auto sniper rifles that shoot up to 500 FPS instead of 400 FPS limit imposed on an AEG. But you must obey 100 ft NO firing rule (no firing on targets closer than 100ft away because high-FPS guns cause injury at close range). That means, if you want to engage targets that get closer than 100ft, you'll need a side arm ie. pistol or small AEG.

Q: Do I need a ghilli suite?
A: Again, here is a peronal preferences. Ghillie's are great for concealment but a camouflage uniform can work as well. But even if wearing a ghillie suit, you can be seen if you move to quickly. Your movement and behavior on the field will largely determine how stealthy you are. In airsoft, most engagements are extremely close range (less than 100ft).

Q: What should I carry as a sniper?
A: Mimimum: Rifle, Radio, Hidration. Rest of the gear could be optional (list of items could be long, depending on mission, but this 3 items I carry always)

What is your sniper rifle? What do you carry on sniper mission? What are upgrades on your rifle?

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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by JuiceWizard »

Top 3:

AUG w/ a suppressor: A 50mm scope and a hicap of .4s and I'm in heaven.
Fairly quiet gun to begin with because the gearbox is surrounded by plastic and tucked into your shoulder, suppressor helps a lot too. Configuration lets you have a long barrel + suppressor without becoming unwieldy. V3 gearbox is one of the more forgiving ones to work on, my first project guns were AUGs. I've done these w/ Guarder or Systema FTKs, or by choosing parts at random - all seemed similar, although I'd recommend the guarder FTK over the Systema for durability.
Tips: Stuff foam everywhere around gbx, remove the ejection-port slider and put on a second port cover, foam in there too - big difference in volume. If you upgrade to high FPS, rather than disabling full-auto you can splice in a small switch in the battery compartment to turn on for fields that allow it.

Long Range Bolt Action: This is what I'm using mostly now-a-days. Not as effective as an AEG is for getting lots of kills, but more precise and more exciting to use. Easier to lie flat with than the AUG and a totally different feeling - with a heavy spring your arm will feel it when you cycle the bolt, and it's a bit like you reached out and smacked someone. Supremely reliable, works in any weather without batteries or gas, and typically more accurate. I'm using a VSR-10 at the moment w/ PDI internals, Noobies M-Trigger, Top Dead Center hop modification & an EdGI barrel.
Tips: Grab a spare Bar-10 or two and paint the bodies, it takes less than 10 minutes to swap your fancy internals from one body to another and a painted body is easier to maneuver through nature than a wrapped gun. Remove the barrel end-cap and use pliars to gently rotate your barrel away from the direction of any spin (very slight changes here make a big difference).

Quiet Bolt Action: It's possible to get a BASR running at around 450 fps and inaudible at 30 ft, start with a G-Spec and foam inside the body, use sorbothane & an airbrake. This is a killer gun in the summer, where foliage tends to restrict shooting distances and the lower FPS isn't a problem. The quiet allows you to take people out close, so you don't want to overdo the FPS and be assigned a minimum range. At Jawbreaker 2 night-game I was the last player alive on my team defending a briefcase. I lay 30 ft from the objective covered in leaves and shot around 5 people as they tried to pick up the briefcase, undetected, time ran out and we won :) At an informal practice laying in the grass I shot someone in the vest at 10 ft , they looked out over me into the distance and shouted "NICE SHOT!" Of course, I'm cherry-picking the best experiences here, but being point-blank vs AEGs with nothing but camouflage to shield me is the most tension and fun I've had sniping.
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by phridum »

When selecting a sniper rifle, there is more to it than simply, "Which one is best?" You'll have to take into account your play style. Personally, I don't mind sitting in one place forever just to get one or two hits in a game. But that is only an option if I end up at a game alone, which is rare. I don't like large team tactics and working as disjointed units. I prefer just to wander around with two or three friends, and sling lots of plastic.

That being said, there are many roles a sniper might take in a game, and your gun and equipment should be styled to match.

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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Tsuyoi »

So just a question, are there any bolt action sniper rifles for lefties like me? =(

I tried a friend's BAR-10 on the field, and I love the feel of cycling the bolt after a shot, but it's tough as bawls to get a comfortable motion for that as a leftie on a right handed gun. Does anyone know of any manufacturers that make good bolt actions for lefties, or is it too much of a niche market for them to bother?
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by phridum »

Running a bolt gun as a lefty is one of the few times being left-handed is an asset in "tactical" scenarios. They are quite lucky (Chris Kyle is a lefty sniper) because in the prone, they can operate the bolt without disturbing their firing hand or position.

It'll take some getting used to and I can coach you at an event if needed, but here's the down and dirty:
Always keep your left hand ready to fire. Don't take your eye out of the scope or cheek off the stock. Keep the rifle solid in your shoulder. Unlock the bolt with your right hand, squeeze your butt cheeks tight (seriously), and jerk the bolt straight toward your shoulder.
Many people incorrectly hold sniper rifles up with their support hand. For right-handed snipers, their left hand does nothing. You get the advantage of working the bolt faster with your right hand. When you are firing the rifle use a rest to hold it up, like a bipod, tripod, pack, etc.

Or consider this mod: http://airsoftsniperforum.com/showthread.php?t=3537

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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Tsuyoi »

Thanks for the tip phridum!

Ok, so I was looking around for some good bolt actions, and came across these:

http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.p ... ts_id=5962
http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=32217

Now my question is, are these the same gun?! If so, I'm amazed GI is charging $140 more for it...
Just looking at the links doesn't show me if they are the exact same model though, or if the GI one is an upgraded version or what...

But definitely considering picking one up before bad blood if budget allows =D
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Shogun Mitsu »

Tsuyoi wrote:Thanks for the tip phridum!

Ok, so I was looking around for some good bolt actions, and came across these:

http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.p ... ts_id=5962
http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=32217

Now my question is, are these the same gun?! If so, I'm amazed GI is charging $140 more for it...
Just looking at the links doesn't show me if they are the exact same model though, or if the GI one is an upgraded version or what...

But definitely considering picking one up before bad blood if budget allows =D
I say go with Evike, its the same rifle as far ad I can tell. Also we have a standing discount code that will bring the price down even further.
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Tsuyoi »

Ok, thanks, sounds great! So I guess my last question is this:

Is that thing field legal?! From what I can tell on youtube videos, it hits like 530-540fps on .2s, would that keep it under 500 for .25s, which I understand is the limit for semi/bolt DMRs on outdoor fields? Don't wanna dump $400 on it (gun+mags+scope+bipod+bag) and then not be able to use it on fields...
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by Moondog »

Tsuyoi wrote:Ok, thanks, sounds great! So I guess my last question is this:

Is that thing field legal?! From what I can tell on youtube videos, it hits like 530-540fps on .2s, would that keep it under 500 for .25s, which I understand is the limit for semi/bolt DMRs on outdoor fields? Don't wanna dump $400 on it (gun+mags+scope+bipod+bag) and then not be able to use it on fields...
Because it's a gas gun, the FPS will change depending on the ambient temperature. So it may be field legal if it's not too hot outside. I don't know if there are adjustable valve mods (NPAS) for it yet or not?
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Re: What Sniper Rifle Should I Buy?

Post by phridum »

In it's stock form, whether or not you can play with it is relatively up in the air. Last spring a kid showed up with his new really nice bolt gas gun but it was shooting 690...the FPS fluctuation with the temperature is just too much guess work.

You can tap the gas and use a regulator like for paintball, but that's more cost on top of the gun just to shoot it at someone the first time.

First sniper rifle, your best bet is a spring gun, they are super consistent, which is what defines a sniper anyway. Consistency is accuracy.

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