Japanese Airsoft Guns Blog

So you want to be a sniper (well an airsoft sniper.  If the role of professional assassin is what you are after, you’ll need to look elsewhere, sorry)?

Here’s what you need:

A High Quality Gun. It doesn’t need to be top of the line, but really you want it to be over 350 fps, otherwise it’s not really a “sniper” airsoft and as such isn’t fit for the purpose.

The Right Ammo. Most commonly .20 ammunition is used. For more powerful rifles you will need to use heavier pellets like, .25, .28, and .30.

Adjustable Hop-up. Since it’s possible you are reading this and don’t know what a Hop-up is, let’s cover it fairly quickly. The hop-up system is part of the airsoft gun barrel.  It provides backspin to the pellets allowing for great accuracy and distances. On better quality airsoft guns the hop-up can be adjusted, this is useful because it allows for the use of heavier ammunition, which requires greater backspin to counteract gravity. When a hop-up is correctly adjusted it will allow for more accurate and precise shooting, which is a good thing in general but of the utmost importance if you want to take on the role of sniper. Cheaper airsoft guns’ hop-ups cannot be adjusted which results in less accurate shots, less overall range, and limits the choice of pellets you can use.

The Importance of the Barrel. The longer the barrel the more consistent your shots will be while also allowing higher fps. The inner bore diameter of the barrel also affects the consistency and fps of shots. Also, it’s advisable to purchase a gun that fires at a consistent rate. Having your shots jump from 350-450 every time you pull the trigger is not conducive to good sniping. Use .25-.30 with 400fps and over with an adjusted hop-up.

• Make sure to only buy a rifle with a metal barrel.
• A good quality scope is a must, just make sure the gun is setup properly, otherwise the best scope in the world will not do much good.
• Just because a gun looks amazing, doesn’t necessarily mean it fires well.  Do your research so you don’t end up with a beautiful dud (this can be applied to all things in life).
• You would have to be very very lucky to get a good sniper rifle for $50 or less, as a high-end AEG can probably outrange it, which makes it utterly useless as a sniper rifle. Make sure the rifle you purchase will enable you to act as a sniper.
• Make sure to wear eye-protection that was specifically designed for airsoft, something with polycarbonate lenses.
• You should also consider getting a vest to act as body armor, as there is little fun to be had from getting shot by a pellet traveling at 450fps. You can find airsoft products at Marushin!