Over the years the airsoft industry has seen a lot of improvements. The widespread use of MOSFETs, LiPos and other improvements in design have led to better airsoft guns at affordable prices. Brands have come and gone, which begs the question, what brand makes the best airsoft guns?
Today’s article is a companion piece to a video on The BB Warrior YouTube Channel, which you can watch here!
How The Best Were Chosen:
To make this fair, I’m going to break it up into two different categories. We’ll be looking at the best gun under $200, and the best under $450. Without limitations like this, it would be too easy to say an Umbrella Armories gun that sells for $1300+ is the best. I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly have that much money laying around for a new airsoft gun.
The rifles were graded on overall quality and value. This includes the performance, external quality, availability, and usability out of the box. There’s no “you just need to change these parts to make it great!” type guns here, Sorry Tokyo Marui.
Under $200 Runner UP: CYMA’s Stamped Steel AK Series.
CYMA has a long running reputation for being a company that makes great airsoft guns at an affordable price. I’m a firm believer they’re better than E&L or LCT AK models, which are often hundreds of dollars more than CYMA. The company’s stamped steel AK series is a great value because it gives you a very strong steel body compared to CYMA’s plastic body AK models which can feel a little cheap. If you want an older style AK with wood, these all feature real wood, and the synthetic furniture models feel great as well.
The reason why CYMA takes the runner up position is that they shoot hot out of the box. Often they shoot over 400 FPS, which means they cannot be used at many fields. While this can be changed with a spring swap, not every player knows how to do that or has a tech they can give the rifle to for work. This list is for guns that are ready to go out of the box, and this is one of the biggest flaws with CYMA. Another problem is that they’re not carried at many retailers in the U.S. Evike has most of them, and other retailers carry a sparse collection of their rifles but nothing that is consistent.
The Best Under $200: G&G’s M4 Lineup
G&G has been making great airsoft guns at affordable prices for over a decade. The Combat Machine is one of the most used airsoft guns of all time, and many players can say it was the first rifle they owned. G&G is able to make their M4s with great gearboxes and externals to match while keeping them under $200 for more basic models. If you want to spend a little bit more money they have a lot of great offerings (like their super popular ARP-9) for $200-$250.
The Best Under $450: VFC vs Krytac
This one is hard for me because I own rifles from both companies and love them. It’s difficult to give a cut and dry answer which I think is better, because they both perform similarly and each has their respective pros and cons. With that being said, let’s talk about each of these brands.
VFC Avalon: Pros & Cons
The VFC Avalon series has been a huge boost for them since it was introduced several years ago. It helped fix some of the areas where VFC was lagging behind (mainly their motors) and made them widely available in the U.S. thanks to their partnership with Elite Force.
The Avalon series started out with a few rifles, but has expanded over the years to include some really exciting licensed products. My personal favorites include the HK 416A5, and SIG MCX. The VFC Avalon gearbox is in non-M4 guns as well, like the MP5 A4 and A5. The variety is a strong point for the VFC Avalons, but I fell there are some areas Krytac beats them.
Krytac: Pros and Cons
What made Krytac special when they first launched was the way they changed the V2 gearbox design. They were able to strengthen the gearbox shell, add dedicated channels for wires and were one of the first to introduce a mosfet in a stock airsoft gun. Krytacs also have a wonderful hop up unit out of the box. I’d be willing to say that they’re the best in the industry, plus they’ve got wonder hop ups and trigger response.
Krytac offers three main models in their M4 series, the PDW (very short with a “tanker” stock), CRB (10″) and SPR (14″). they’ve recently added MLOK versiosn of each design, which I think is a step in the right direction rather than only offering their rifles in Keymod like they did for many years.
So, Who’s The Winner?
This is a very hard decision to make because it comes down to personal preference, and what you put importance on. For me, I want a solid gearbox that is easy to upgrade, but can compete when it’s stock. If you’re not looking to open up your gearbox, I’d suggest a Krytac. If you’re looking to do upgrades, VFC may be for you. Krytac does have a stronger gearbox shell, but some upgrades require you to Dremel some of that reinforcement to make them fit. GATE Titan mosfets require this, and they’re something I put in almost all of my AEGS.
VFC has a lot more variety if that’s what you’re looking for, but Krytac has advantages of their own. Both preform similarly enough that it’s splitting hairs to find which one outdoes the other. You really can’t go wrong with options from either company, both will make you a very happy player.
Want to stay up to date with the newest articles and videos from The BB Warrior? Sign up for our newsletter!
