Welcome to the year 2022! Whether your resolutions include getting more physically active, making new friends, or even trying to develop your leadership skills, airsoft is a great hobby to pick up for many reasons. Which a plethora of airsoft gun options and variations, reviews, videos, and forums, navigating the landscape, especially for new players, can be confusing and intimidating. It’s easy to see people racking up four figure bills on guns, upgrades, loadouts, batteries, radios, backup guns, and all the other little gadgets and accessories that these players come to love but these may deter some of you from picking up the sport worrying that it’ll become and endless void of spending.
In reality; you don’t need to spend that much money to enjoy the sport of airsoft. The most important part of airsoft is to just get out and play it.
Getting started on a budget, efficiently:
Safety gear:
Get a good set of full seal (seats directly against your face) eye protection with an ANSI Z87.1 or higher rating (fields check this, if it doesn’t meet then you can’t use it on their field), consider getting something with a fan because goggle fog is REAL especially in humid conditions and particularly for players using glasses. For those wearing glasses, consider getting a pair of goggles that accepts prescription inserts to avoid damaging for daily glasses.
I strongly recommend a steel lower face mesh as well. I know more than one player who has lost a tooth from a direct hit and these masks can really help avoid expensive dental bills.
Get an AEG First:
There are sniper rifles, shotguns and pistols that are a lot of fun to use and carry, but they have certain restrictions and limitations and are typically recommended for players who have more experience and understand those limitations (as well as the advantages). To start easily, get an AEG within your price range, but make sure to not cheap out on anything under $100 that will almost always have plastic gearboxes of lower quality and end up breaking down very fast on top of generally lacking performance and ‘playability.’
Batteries and chargers:
Be aware of included batteries: some like the G&G Combat Machine lineup have battery and charger package options but generally cheaper AEG’s under the $150 price point that do include batteries come with low quality batteries that you’ll end up replacing shortly anyways. If you need to get a battery to start, 7.4v lithium-ion batteries are safe for pretty much any gun and are extremely reliable and last for many charge cycles.
Make sure that you have the appropriate charger for your battery! Batteries incorrectly charged can pose serious fire and safety dangers, always be sure to match your battery voltage and type to your charger. Lithium-ion batteries DO NOT CHARGE using NiMH chargers for example, and vice-versa.
Magazines:
Most airsofters use mid-cap
magazines in mil-sim games and while they are much quieter
than their hi-cap counterparts, they also require you to carry many more magazines to attain playability of your AEG, and more magazines requires gear to carry all of them, which can significantly increase startup costs. Most AEG’s come with hi-cap magazines that hold between 200-600 rounds depending on the gun type and brand of magazine.
To start on a tight budget, it can be very affordable to use the included hi-cap magazine plus one extra hi-cap magazine that you can either keep on a pocket, single magazine pouch, or put a plastic, wood, or any other material spacer between your magazines and tape them together to keep everything you need to play on your gun, reducing the need for additional pouches or tactical gear. Two hi-cap magazines will give you what you need to start and make it through most airsoft skirmishes until you have downtime to top off your magazines.
Highly recommended:
Boots:
Get some form of outdoor work boot or hiking boot with ankle support to help prevent foot injuries that could take you out for the day or longer. Airsoft is a fast sport and there is a lot of movement for players, having adequate footwear will help you be comfortable and safe
Kneepads and gloves:
Kneepads aren’t necessary, until you realize you should’ve had them. Knee injuries, like foot injures, are common when people suddenly dive for cover onto rocks or logs that are inconveniently placed. Any basic kneepads cost very little (under $20) and can save a lot of long-term pain.
Gloves follow the same rule as kneepads, and basic gloves like Mechanix Fast-fits can easily prevent cuts as you play, not to mention getting shot in the knuckles is VERY painful compared to areas with thicker skin or covered by clothing.
Example startup loadout and cost:
Lonex flash mag: $20
Total startup minus boots and kneepads: $280
There are different AEG options that are in the $150-180 range and goggles without fans that can help reduce the startup cost, but this is a good starting point and the G&G CM16 Raider will run strong for years.
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