Air guns used to be the province of children and farmers trying to get rid of pests. While they can still definitely serve in that capacity, their use has grown to include official competitions where amateurs battle each other in squads, similar to paintball without the mess or unreliability. If you need an air soft gun for one of the first two purposes, then you do not truly need a high quality air soft gun. However, if you are currently competing or are interested in doing so in the near future, continue reading.
When choosing an air soft gun for competition, one of the first questions to ask yourself is, “what is my role?” There are generally a handful of roles, each with their own specialty group of weapons that best serve their purposes. Moreover, each role is generally determined by the skill of the competitor, their comfort with shooting, and the composition of their team. If you are going to be spending upwards of one to two hundred dollars on a professional air soft gun, it behooves you to determine your role on the team first. The four general roles are Team Leader, Rifleman, Marksman, and Support Gunner.
Of course, not everyone needs an airsoft gun for competition purposes. Airsoft competition use 6mm BBs.
However, if you need an air soft rifle to chase away pests, you might be looking for a higher caliber round. In that case, you are almost certainly looking at a sing shot air soft rifle. This does not mean the gun only holds one round, but it will not fire on full auto and is unlikely to fire even in semi-automatic bursts. For this, you will likely prefer a .22 caliber round.
Umarex 3-9X32 Scope Ruger Targis Hunter .22 Air Gun
This is not—I repeat—this is not a competition air soft rifle. This gun is explicitly for shooting small game or target practice. This gun fire .22 caliber round pellets. If you fire this at someone, you will likely break the skin and commit a crime. With that said, this is an excellent air soft gun for getting rid of pests. The barrel has a built-in silencer if you need to shoot multiple pests in a short span of time or miss on the first try. It fires its round at an astounding 1,000 feet per second (fps). The rounds are loaded with a smooth gliding break barrel. It also comes with a 4×32 scope, so you can hit targets from a good distance away. The blade sights are carbon fiber with the fore being fixed and the rear adjustable. If you have an opossum or squirrel problem, this is an excellent option to take care of those pests. It also comes with an automatic safety to prevent accidental shootings.
V-Tac 74213 Valken Battle Machine AEG Mod-L Rifle
Our top competition air soft gun can serve a couple roles. It really shines for a team leader or rifleman but can also be suitable for a support gunner in a pinch. Of course, you will likely need either a custom magazine or to modify this air soft gun for the latter purpose. The firing mechanism only uses metal gears to prevent breakage or jamming while in competition. The stock holds the LiPo battery for fully automatic firing. Even the spring is metal. This ensures that not only will the parts hold up under the rigors of competition, but replacing the parts is generally easier to do as well. The firing mechanism is oil-less and uses a combination of different types of metal for the different parts depending on whether density, strength, or slight elasticity is necessary. This is an M4 model and will generally accept most other M4 magazines. Moreover, a 1-year bulletproof manufacturer’s warrantee will give you the peace of mind to take it out into the field every competition.
Daisy Outdoor Products Model 10 Gun
This is another air soft gun that is not suitable for competition. However, this gun distinguishes itself from the rest by being far cheaper. While you can technically use it to take care of small game or pests, it is better suited for children. Still, the fact that it is not professional level air soft gun does not take away from its level of quality. The Daisy fires .177 caliber ammunition from a smooth steel barrel. Keep in mind, this air soft gun does require oil to maintain optimum functioning. It is also a lever action gun, which means there is absolutely no automatic or semi-automatic firing option. It fires rounds at 350 fps which is on the lower end, and should help prevent accidental injuries. It comes with a leather thong and saddle ring in case you need to take it out on the range while hunting pests. The 400 round ammo storage should ensure that you never lack for a shot when you need it.
Crosman Fury II Blackout .177 cal. Air Rifle
This is another non-competition air soft gun that fire .177 caliber rounds. It is arguably better than the Umarex Targis Hunter in many respects, but it fires a smaller caliber round. That decrease in firepower means you will be a bit more limited in terms of the game you shoot. Of course, if you are simply trying to rid yourself of squirrels, prairie dogs, or other pests, then the .177 should be just fine. The Crosman also suffers a bit in terms of quality with the gun’s stock being completely synthetic. This will prevent rust or other weather damage, but it also means that the firing mechanism is less durable and the whole gun will have to be maintained more regularly. Still, the Crosman does use a metal rifled barrel and fires rounds 1,200 fps for some of the most accurate air soft shooting under $500. With a 4×32 scope included, you should not have difficulty hitting targets from far away.
H&K Ump Competition Airsoft
This is the other competition level air soft sidearm gun, though that may largely depend on the specific rules of the competition you are in. This air soft gun comes with a completely metal gearbox to prevent jamming or breaking. However, it also has some limitations which may rear their head in competition. While it offers an impressive 400 round magazine, it only fires at 345 fps. This means you will likely need to be very close to your target. Moreover, without a metal rifled barrel, the fully automatic setting means you probably will not be too terribly accurate. Still, as a close-quarters sidearm, being able to spray rounds can serve to lay down suppressing fire or take out a handful of opponents who run headlong without looking. The stock folds back for recoil control, and the rear sight adjusts to suit your needs.
Umarex CP99, .177 Pellet
If you desire a traditional sidearm, then this is really the only game in town. It is one of the better air soft pistols on the market. It can shoot either pellets or BBs depending on your needs. The front blade sight is fixed while the rear sight is adjustable allowing you to determine the best height for aiming. The only downside is that it is an eight shot rotary magazine, but for the size and the accuracy, it is more reliable than most other pistol air soft guns—unless you are willing to spend an obscene amount of money on your secondary. The CP99 has a rifled barrel and fires ammunition at 360 fps. You will definitely need to keep an extra CO2 tank with you, though as it is gas-powered. This is close-quarters only, but the barrel should only add to the accuracy. If you find yourself in a tight spot, you will be thankful for it.
UTG Sport AK47 Airsoft AEG Rifle
This competition air soft gun can serve in pretty much every role, though it does have a tendency to best fit the rifleman. Still, in a pinch it can competently work for a marksman or a support gunner—assuming the wielder is sufficiently skilled to use this gun beyond its ideal design. The team leader should also be able to make excellent work of this gun. As much of the UTG as necessary is metal to ensure durability and jamming issues are never a problem. The gearbox and the barrel are both brushed metal. The gun comes with a hicap magazine so you should not run out of ammo. A tactical rail mounting system adorns the gun for professional scopes should you desire, and a tactical sling for convenient carrying. The one knock against this gun is the relatively average firing power at only 370 fps, which will somewhat limit its effectiveness for a marksman.
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Echo1 full metal m14 combat master Airsoft Gun
This is definitely a team leader weapon if there ever was one. It has so many options that you will definitely want the most skilled competitor on your team using it. First, it comes with a 440 round magazine, though it was designed to accept a wide variety of magazine from different brand makers and even different gun models. Moreover, it also boasts an impressive 400 fps firing power. Still, you may want to purchase this and then modify its firing mechanism a bit. If you lay on the trigger too hard, the firing mechanism may lose power or jam. The gears themselves are nylon, though the gearbox itself is metal. It comes with an adjustable rear sight and an authentic M14 stock. Unfortunately, the barrel is not rifled.
Lancer tactical lt-03b m4 electric Airsoft Gun
This air soft gun can also adequately serve the team leader role, though it is not quite as impressive as the Echo1. Still, a fair amount of attention to detail has gone into this gun with a 1:1 scale ratio. Essentially, if you have ever been trained with an M4 prior to air soft competition, this gun should feel natural in your hands—except, even better, it will be lighter. The gun features a magazine that holds over 300 rounds of ammunition and fires up to 400 fps. The gearbox is metal and the motor high torque, while the stock adjusts to suit your comfort.
Evike CYMA CM052 Full Metal AK47 RPK LMG Airsoft AEG w/ Bipod
This is the only true “support gunner” air soft weapon on the list, though a few others are likely used for this purpose at competition. However, with an 800 round hicap ammo magazine, none of them can perform that role quite as well. The stock and grips are made out of real wood, while the whole rig comes with its own bipod. If your team needs to lay down suppressing fire, this is the airsoft gun to do it with. The barrel itself is one hundred percent metal firing rounds at least 400 fps.
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