I have a question
 

Please do not reply to this with "Read the FAQ" or such comments as I have read the FAQs and read quite a lot of info on this board before posting this.
A couple of things puzzle me, I'm new to Airsoft, completely new, I would like to purchase a Rifle and maybe pistol, I bought the Canadian tire stuff and as I'm sure you all know they are of poor quality.
I'm not too interested in spending my life savings on this sport, I also don't really have the time to be part of a club unfortunately, I simply wish to have some fun on my own or possibly with a couple of friends in the saftey of our own property. I'm 31 and a responsible person, I have no intention of firing an airsoft gun or any other projectile in any irrisponsible way or in any place that may put others at risk.
Having looked around for somewhere to buy a higher quality gun I came across a link to a thread here where people were saying 2 things of interest.
1: There are no walk in stores that sell airsoft
2: A gun will cost around $1000

My question is mainly to these points.

1: Is that seriously true? I find it a little hard to believe that WalMart can sell lower quality guns that fire only a slightly shorter range than higher quality with less accuracy making them more dangerous IMO yet I can't go to a store that sells .22 air rifles with scopes and pistols that fire lead pellets at a much higher range than airsoft. Not disputing what was said, just finding it hard to believe.

2: I've looked around the net, guns in the Sates are much cheaper yes but buyairsoft.ca has many guns for much much less than $1000 and according to reviews from customers are perfectly suited to what I want, I was looking at some for around $150-$250 complete. I've also found a few stores on ebay selling guns for around the same price, granted they are plastic etc but according to everything I've read, most of them are perfectly fine for simply having some fun. I believe that when starting a hobby you start by buying cheap and work your way up, I play guitar but I didn't go out and buy a $1000 worth of gear before I learnt any songs, I wanted to find out if it was for me.

I don't particulaly want to have to go and meet someone to verify my age, I could show someone on here a scan of any legal age proving document they'd like to prove my age.

Could someone please inform me if these guys are talking about Airsoft guns that fire plastic balls or some form of military grade rifles?
I really would like to try some of this stuff out and I don't really want to have to pay $50+ shipping only to find out it's not really for me.

Thank you in advance for any info.

You sound like your in a tough spot. Without being verified and having access to all the classifieds you will have to settle for getting a gun on your own. As for price you can pick up a decent gun for around 250 - 300 second hand. There is a huge difference between a wallmart clearsoft and the firebreathing machines we roll with. If you want to just mess around look at places like bass pro shop or elwood eps. they sell low end guns. I have found a few of mine in buy and sell magazines. Try to get the best gun you can afford because its worth it. Where are you located?

I has a belly button

Seriously though... that's the way it is. You can't buy from the states, because the border police will find, seize, and in all likelyhood blow up your new toy in a puff of magic smoke and underware gnomes. So buying cheap guns from the States is out.

Because quality airsoft is hard to get in country the prices are near sky high, that's just a part of the sport, if you're not willing to pay the prices shown, you won't get a gun. Get age verified and look on the classifieds here on ASC (more on AV later)

007 is concidering getting guns with clear bodies in to sell in Canada, there are debates as to the quality of these, but they should be pretty good, in a few months that could be a source for you as the prices should be around what you'll see on american sites. $300~ if I'm not mistaken.

Age verifying... it will only happen in person. Don't like it, don't bother going on. Anyone can fake a drivers license to show via the "scanned and emailed" path. The only way to combat kids faking their way in, is to meet people in person and show ID there.

Your best bet is to go to a game and ask questions there to people who've been around for a while. You'll learn more there than you will here.

And read the FAQ :p

What do you want it for?

Something to shoot beer cans with?
Play against a friend?
Showpiece?

it depends what you want the gun to do, only then can we help you "pick a gun"

but to answer your questions, there are currently no walk in stores for airsoft guns of high quality. And guns can cost anywhere from $5 for a springer to $5000 for a custom rifle, but the typical airsoft gun is a Tokyo Marui and it runs anywhere from 350/450 used to 450-550 new.

There are no walk in stores that sell airsoft, with the exception of Calcity Airsoft, in Calgary. A gun will not cost $1000. A gun and all the equipment needed to use and maintain it, as well as gear for playing in, will cost $1000, especially if you need to buy a lot of mags. You can buy from Buyairsoft, but they aren't a very reputable dealer. Unless you get age verified, thats the only site you'll be able to buy from unfortunately.


And its crap.

Welcome to ASC.
Yes we are serious. We dont just say all these things about being age verified, and quality guns ranging from $350-$1000 for our health buddy. We get asked the same questions like 3 times a day on average. We welcome new airsofters to the community, but you have to understand the way it works here. I know it sucks not being able to import airsoft guns, but in reality here, ASC is the only place where you can find a wide range of quality guns, for a reasonable price. Im sure this is all an echo of what you have "read on the F.A.Q's" . If you are really interested on purchasing, get verified. Good luck

The $1000 question is legit in some ways. But that also depends on how far you are willing to go into the sport.

1. Rifle necessary can get one for around $350 - 550 it can be a decent rifle.
2. Mags necessary depends on the quantity $90 for 10 M4a1 Star mags
3. Batteries necessary unless your going for a pistol show down then it's C02 or green gas. I've spent at least $150 on batteries and a good charger.
4. Cammo optional $100 for pants/Shirt
5. LBV, Tact Vest, or something to that nature optional $180.00 custom set up
6. Boots optional I already own boots so no cost.
7. Mask, ballistic eye wear or what have you. necessary $70 on a pretty good pair.

You can get in under $1000 but it all depends on how much your willing to spend. It isn't the cheapest hobby to get into at all. But it is a lot of fun in you can get the time and get to some milsim games and such.

i miss anything?

epic....*****


efg we need you

I miss that guy...

Thank you for the replies, very informative if a little defensive from some.
As I mentioned I simply want to have a bit of fun in my back yard shooting targets (not beer cans cos I don't drink lol) but maybe pepsi cans or home made moving targets.
I don't need a full metal gun, I'm not Rambo lol I just always enjoyed shooting guns at inanamate objects, I'm from the UK but now live in Canada, I'm in the Brantford, Ontario area and have been told about shops that sell airsoft guns but yet to find one other than our wonderful Crappy Tire and Walmart.
I would love to spend a fortune on this stuff but I'm in the middle of immigration process which is eating my money pretty quickly, I also have the normal household bills and a wife and son to support so much more than $300 is out of my price range. I would love to run around wooded areas and fields etc as you guys do but I'm not gonna do that without first getting good with the tools of the sport, I don't like being owned lol and as I said at the moment I don't have the time.
I apreciate the age verification idea and agree with it but at the same time find it frustrating as I'm sure you can understand.

I guess for now it's gonna be something crappy from a store or ebay or buyairsoft.ca unless someone can point me in a more respected area that doesn't require me to find someone to meet to prove I'm probably older than they are lol

Thanks anyway guys.

Edit: btw someone mentioned Zaeem on ebay being a scammer, could you please give me a little more info, his feedback is pretty good, in what way is he a sammer?

You're going to be very disappointed if you get some Walmart clearsoft shit or buyairsoft.ca shit.
Or at least it will give you NO idea what real airsoft is, or even turn you off of airsoft because of the shittyness of shitty guns.

you already said your not going to put alot of money into airsoft.... well go buy the walmart guns cause OUR toy guns arnt cheep! and if you do buy a nice black gun you will want the camo, tacvest,bbs,hand gun...things you cant afford it sounds like.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation - except without a wife or kid (lucky me). I've gotten age verified within 2 weeks of joining the forum yet I have no intent to buy an airsoft gun within the next 2-4 months because the more important things come first. Jobs, money, roof above my head and food in the stomach is more important to me right now than playing airsoft. If you're gonna be in this country for a while, there's lots of time in the future to play. I'm sure you don't need me telling you this, but I am going to anyway.

Get your stuff squared away - keep the wife and kid happy first - then come and think about airsoft when you have a bit more disposable income. In the meantime, get age verified when you can and just keep the appetite for airsoft until you get there.

Having said that, if you just want to plink pop cans in your backyard, any air rifle will do.

If you just want a gun for shooting cans why don't you just buy a pellet gun, it will give you much better accuracy and you can get them anywhere

agreed.. theres some pretty awesome pellet, or copper BB guns that would be great for target shooting.

is the daily airsoft question where you guys get all of your posts

I wish I could tell you the answers you wanted to hear. Well I could but unfortunetly I would be lying. As it stands an airsoft gun is not the most easily accesible thing to aquire these days. With retailers slowly withdrawing from operation, airsoft has become somewhat difficult to aquire.

To answer your questions specifically.

1. No, there are not. Well not really, there are but none that are near your location that I know of. There are a few smaller retail run shops through out Canada unfortunetly I cannot provide you any info on them.

2. That depends what type of airsoft gun you are buying. Sure an airsoft gun "can" cost $1000 but it doesnt have to. With the introduction of many mid to lower range asian cloning comapnies who take existing designs and simply reproduce them, airsoft has become a little more affordable. Although it has been noted that attention to detail or quality of material is not the greatest when it comes to clone'd or lower end airsoft guns. However as an addendum to that statement it should be noted that many asian based cloning companies are learning very quickly and making up for mistakes and bad quality control. In the end though, you still get what you pay for. The cheapest most inexpensive airsoft gun I can think of would have to be the kraken, its a partially clear bodied ak47. Availble from bass pro or sir mail order I believe. Although Ive never personally used one, for its cost ($170-$200) its not a terrible airsoft gun. A few additional magazines and a replacement battery with a midrange quality charger should all in all only set you back around $300. Significantly less than $1000.

Im sorry to hear that this websites rules for gaining access to buy and sell does not appeal to you. The ASC buy and sell section would has a wide selection containing gas, spring and electric airsoft guns. The prices are unregulated and but sometimes a decent quality airsoft gun will go up for sale for a price than even the shallowest pocket would agree with. Once again I am sorry to hear that you dont care for the process of age verifcation, there is absolutely no way around an in person meeting. Its not just about you meeting someone, its about someone meeting and getting to know you a little and maybe even answering a few questions in person for you. An age verifiers goal is not just to meet a person and check their ID. Age verifacation is not always guaranteed it can be denied if the verifier can give a justifiable reason as to why someone should not be verified. Age verifiacation is not just for the user, its for this websites protection as well.

Oh and before I forget, a little hint about buyairsoft.ca, stay away from them. Stay far far away from them, customer service is terrible at best, shipping is terrible at best, and communication is terrible at best. Although their online websites reviews may state good things, please take into consideration that they pick and choose which reviews go up and which dont. So if someone writes a bad review, they dont have to post it. Heck Im willing to go so far as to say that there is a good possibility that atleast half of the reviews done on their website are fake and made up.

On the topic of Zaeem, oh how I loath disgussing this incontinent little moron.
The jist of it is he was claiming that he had some sort of "legal" operation set up where he was able to bring in airsoft guns etc etc etc. When in reality all he was doing was taking payment and having the item drop shipped from the US to the buyer. Its not like he was even giving good deals. For example lets say Website A had such and such brand G36 for sale for 100 dollars. He would sell it on his website for 150. In reality when you think about it logically why would you not just order from website A and skip our little short bus riding friend all together? How did the guns make it across you ask? Well the simplest answer is that customs is not perfect, they can not inspect every single drop shipped package coming into the country.

I hope this has answered all your questions.

Welcome !

yes.

yes.
seriously.

that's not the way airsoft works.
you like combat? you like sweat? you like pain?
you like firearms? then you will not regret your investment.
unless you buy some crap or a M4 (ahahah just kidding for the m4)
know what you want.
if you want out of airsoft you'll just have to sell them.
even if the guns are broken you can sell them, that's how bad people want them.

no one here particularly wants that either!
it's the RULE.if you're a good soldier you don't discuss the RULE :D

my advice:
buy an AEG, don't buy a pistol at first.
don't buy pimped up with scopes and stuff, just get the minimal GOOD gun and see.
DO get boots and a good load-bearing kit, cheap at any surplus.
get a sling for the gun.you will thank me for that.

if you like the green and the sweat you'll be hooked in no time.
you'll probably spend around 1000 to 2000$ in the first two years but once you're set, playing airsoft is pretty cheap.

many people start with an expensive inadapted kit to change back to cheap and simple, follow people's advices in the gear related threads to know what's best for you.

just do as we all do since it's the proven and tested easiest way to go, in Canada.

Well it seems as if he is just going to do some informal backyard shooting, no?

Being that I live in the US, I don't know the exact ratio of the price of US guns to Canadian guns, but (correct me if i'm wrong) I think I have enough knowledge to say that a $60 USD KJW m9 pistol will not be more than $300 in canada? Very good reliable pistol, functions just like the real gun (the top slide cycles just like the real gun, takes down exactly like the real deal).

Some interesting replies, thanks to those who replied sensibly.
Having read more and more and more again and PM'd with a few people I've actually learnt quite a bit.

To answer a couple of questions, I don't want a pellet gun like a barrel breaker or Gat gun etc 177 or 22, I've had many of those over the years and I'm not looking for something to leave holes in the side of my garage or break windows with ricochet.
The money comment on the last page seemed to almost be aimed at a teenager, the "If you can't afford it then it's not for you" type of deal, as I stated, it's not that I CAN'T afford it, like the other guy said, I have bills to pay, mouths to feed and a roof to keep over our heads, gas to put in the car, immigration fees to pay etc etc etc etc etc. It takes a rich man or someone with no finacial resposibilities to start a hobby with the best gear, average people start low end and work thier way up, I've got serveral grands worth of guitar equipment, my first was $100, I've got several grands worth of surfing equipment, my first was $300. I've also yet to find out how many and how often games/battles are held in my area, would be a bit silly to spend a fortune only to find out I can only use it properly once every 3 months. Besides, I just want something to "play with" for a while that actually hits what I aim at and doesn't break after 100 shots. They are out there, I've been directed at one that several people on here say is fine AND it's cheap!

Sorry but that was a kind of rant cos people who talk flippently about money either have too much of it or get to keep every penny they earn, niether of which have any idea what it's like to be low on cash, I'm not poor but I'm not rich either.

/rant over

One other thing, the age verification, it's not that I dissagree with it, I understand it completely but as I'm sure many of you do, I find it annoying that someone of my age has to be checked out because too many idiots took advantage of a good idea. My gripe isn't with the rule but the cause of the need for the rule.

Anyway, I gotta go pick up the missus, I might hang around this place, interesting reading and you never know, I might have something to offer when I become more educated on the subject.

Stay cool guys.....and gals :)

http://www.bansheepaintball.com/index.php?productID=625]

cheap and fun. although not instock...

Well on the advice of a couple of members here I bought the one in the link above , the Aftermath Kraken AK47, $159.99 Canadian, it's perfect, thats all I wanted, a gun with enough power to be fun and acurate with adjustable sights etc, turns out it's much better than I expected even after reading the reviews here, it IS heavy, it IS over 50% metal, it IS powerful and it IS acurate and most importantly to me....it IS affordable.
so thanks to all for the info.

Also while I'm here, instead of starting another thread, quick question, how are Canadian customs with parts, such as a rail mount or magazine etc for something like this, given I'm in the middle of immigration process to become a resident of Canada (I'm English) I don't want to draw any atention to myself of this nature , a box addressed to me with "AK47" written on it somewhere. Obviously no legal harm could come from it but if investigated or something it could look bad on my application.

Mags are fine just no fake bullets (ie G36 and P90 mags).

Rails should be fine (they're just pieces of metal after all....)

You should go out to a game one day see what it's like, and the Kraken is more than gameable. In fact after a few reliability upgrades (shims, etc.) it should perform to a good enough standard to make your first game fun.

I only spent about $600 for my stuff from the classifieds so I would suggest that if you want something else (once the bug hits you and you need more to expand your armoury) or even some extra parts/gear to get verified and buy from there.

Go to a local game. You'll get an idea of what folks are packing and what they cost. There might even be a verifier there at the same time.

Not perfect by less difficult that proving you're a qualified skirmisher in the UK.

Sites there are starting to exclude under 18s also.

I'll be making a visit to a game sometime, spare time is a real issue for the next month or so but yeah I'm perfectly sure the AK I got is gamable, I did the whole "Pop can" test and it blew out both sides of the can and 1 side of an indirect can behind, pierced the based and split the top, lets just say I dunno if I'd wanna get shot in the butt with it while sun bathing.
And I know I'm gonna spend too much money on this stuff, as you've guessed I'm already looking to buy upgrades and parts etc.

haha thats funny, two weeks from mentioning the kraken and now you already have one.
congrats on getting your first good gun!

a little unrelated but that retarded zaeem is banned from ebay

Oh and congrats on your AK, mate! I hope you enjoy airsoft, you'll see the addicting effect it has when playing.

Oh I'll get out there as soon as I get some stuff settled, wanna get out there with my AK and get owned lol

Carefull. Soon you might start calling it your Precious. Just like the rest of us do.

I was thinking more along the lines of Sally actually.

what about Sasha? like the heavy weapons guy on Team Fortress 2?

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