Sniper rifle FPS limits

[Sniper]

I've been toying with the idea of sniper rifle FPS limits vs. AEG limits. Lately with the FPS limits, the sniper rifles are being put at a huge disadvantage. Just to put into perspective, a sniper's rifle is supposed to be able to outrange enemy weapons, and to be able to engage enemies at much farther distances. I know airsoft isn't real milsim, but we try to keep it as accurate as possible.

On to the issue, the AEG FPS limits concern me. If they were still 400fps with a .2g, the issue wouldn't be much of a deal. Now we use 450fps for (As per Snow Raven) AEGS. Sniper rifles are 550fps max. That's not a huge difference, and puts the sniper rifles at a disadvantage. Since most sniper rifles are only bolt action, it puts them at an even greater disadvantage. That's why I think we should raise the limit for BOLT action sniper rifles to 600fps. It's a 50fps difference, but the BB's flight path can really differ from it. This way this snipers can keep up with the raise in limits for the AEGs. If the sniper rifle is a semi-auto.... such as a PSG1 or an AEG sniper rifle, we can keep them at 550 because of the semi auto function. They can pop off shots much faster than someone with a bolt action sniper rifle can.

What I've been seeing more and more of are the AEGs that shoot near 450fps are just arcing their BB's just a bit to hit the sniper in the distance. A sniper can do the same thing, but they can't align their shots while continuously firing to get the enemy player. It's just one shot, and if it barely misses, the other guy simply points up a bit and fires, getting the sniper out.

What if you pose the question of "But sniper's use heavier ammo, and it will hurt more."? You can pose the same exact question for AEGs. AEGs do the same thing. Sniper's only use heavier ammo because it can help the BB's range and accuracy. It only carries the "force" of the BB so far before it loses energy and becomes a sub-200fps BB. Put it this way... would you rather be hit by a single .30g 600fps BB, or ten .28g BBs at 450fps? Obviously anyone would choose the single BB, because it's only one, and it's lost enough energy.

Most of you have been shot at least once by my rifle. Some of you don't even feel it at the distances needed to engage with. For others, they DO feel it and it hurts.. but not that bad. Anyone who has been shot with my fathers (Skidudes) AEG knows that a .25g BB traveling at 375fps hurts a lot. A LOT. I'd rather be shot by my rifle at 100ft rather than his AEG at 75ft.

Of course.. with the raise of FPS, should the sniper's engagement limit increase? Not at all. 100ft is plenty enough for the BB to decelerate enough to not cause any harm. Even at 600fps, near point blank would cause about as much damage as a 550fps sniper rifle. With the BBs being 6mm and plastic, they won't cause much damage until you get 700fps+. The guys in Nashville who play with NO FPS Limits casually get hit by 700fps+ guns even, and besides welts, they are mostly fine. A raise from 550fps to 600fps won't cause harm.

Of course, with raising the limits to 600fps, I suggest we put an age limit on snipers above a certain FPS. Say 16 or so if it shoots above 475-500. That way we are able to keep it safe, and they can still snipe. Springs aren't too expensive, and most sniper rifles shoot under 475fps stock. If it's a gas sniper rifle, HFC gas can bring it to 475fps or lower if it doesn't have a valve to regulate it.

If raising the FPS limit isn't acceptable, I think we should return the AEG limits to 400fps for all AEGs. That will again help the snipers become snipers again, rather than a target for AEGs. Out on the field, I sometimes feel like I am holding a single shot AEG. People getting nearly the same range as I am, and theres not much I can do. Sure, I can still pick off shots, but with AEGs shooting nearly the same range, I can't do much. Also since they don't make an exact 550fps spring, it makes it that much harder to snipe. My rifle shoots 520fps at it's peak. That's only 70fps more than the AEG's limit. If I put a hotter spring in it, it will probably get a little below 600fps, or atleast right around 600fps and it will stay there. AEG's FPS can differ up to 15fps, while bolt sniper rifles differ 5fps at most (if they are working properly).


This is why I think we should raise the limits of sniper rifles, or lower the AEG's limit back to 400. Sniper's in airsoft are losing their place, and it's becoming more and more frustrating to play... especially when the player doesn't feel a hit (Trust me.. it happens VERY often.. I'll shoot them in the back, and they think it's either a friendly or just simply don't feel it) and turns right around and lights me up.



Thoughts and opinions on the matter?

[firefighter702]

I have to agree. By no means am I a sniper, but I can see where you're coming from. It's almost 0400 and I'm at work, so I'm not going to go into a spill about why I think it would be a good idea to raise sniper fps/lower aeg fps (either/or). I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head without my help anyway

I'd say around ~400fps for an AEG (give or take 10 or so) is perfectly acceptable, given that infantry weapons and such operate in close- to mid- range combat situations.

[Strigol]

[Phecho1]

[Beowolff]

my opinion is NOT to raise anybody's fps limit... lowering, i think, is the way to go. at least for the AEGs. we can't continue the upward spiral of increased fps with these guns...sniper or AEG class. why? well, plastic BB or not, eventually (already darn near it) we're gonna' reach a high enough velocity to be dangerous. heck, you can chunk a speck of sand at high enough velocities to hurt someone or damage something. (witness broom straws from tornado winds stuck THRU tree trunks!) and okay, maybe that example is way over the top but it does illustrate the dangers of EVER increasing speed on a moving object no matter what it's made out of.



even at much lower power/speed (low 300's and even 280's plus) we've all seen or heard about guys getting teeth chipped or knocked out, eye damage, torn ear lobes, cracked finger nails, ripped skin, bruised skin, etc, etc... and the percentage of that is surely somewhat higher when most guns started ranging in the mid to high 300's. with 400 and 400 plus AEGs...and 550 to 600 fps snipers...even MORE damage can be expected. and when will THAT not be enough? not long. for soon enough somebody will be thinking..."hey, how 'bout 500 fps for AEGs and 800 fps for sniper rifles?"

the point is, when these guns start approaching heavy body damaging, even lethal speeds and power (and yes, they are getting there already) ...we no longer will be welding "airsoft" guns/toys...and at THAT point, legislation/enforcement nut-jobs will surely kick our doors down and pass out BAN or OWNER REGISTRATION laws for our weapons that will constrict the living hell out of our sport or possibly even snuff it right out.

i vote going backward...to prevent this or keep it in healthy check. 400 and below is VERY sane and playable for AEGs and a game. if a person can't get hits and kills with a gun in that fps range...that person is doing something BAD wrong. same for snipers. 500 to 550 should be plenty (i even feel 550 is really too high) and again, if a sniper can't get the drop on somebody with that power, maybe that sniper needs to lay it down and just be a regular squad rifleman.

my two cents worth.

skill and training should count the most...never raw, brute force.

the first time we rip thru some kid's "airsoft approved" eye protection and blow his eyeball out...we're right on our way to a major airsoft SHUTDOWN.

who of us, wants that? for the kid's sake, or the sports?

Beo

[Len013091]

I vote to go to 600, keeping AEGs at the same limit. (~425 fps) My reasoning behind this is the minimum engagement limits. 400 at 10 feet is not porportional to 550 or even 600fps at 100ft. The energy when a bb hits at that distance is still so little as to hardly be felt. I also think the age limit for 600fps is a GREAT idea, because most of the players using that type of weapon will have had enough experience to be a safe player.

[SOG WAG3S]

[ICS AK]

[Beowolff]

ah... key word being "most." it only takes one bad incident to muck it all up. just one. and at what point will 600 for snipers and 425 for AEGs not be enough? soon, i would think... especially if you take a look at how fast we've decided that 350-ish AEGs and 500-ish snipers are no longer good/powerful enough.

distance, even with experienced players, is not always easy to judge, especially in difficult light conditions and or especially new/different terrain. i've seen expert real steel shooters with years of experience greatly misjudge distance on occasion. betting a possible grave injury against every sniper's/AEG gunner's good judgement call in the heat of combat (experienced or not) or under every possible shooting condition is risky at best and dangerous at worst. this does not even consider or take into account the "i just started playing airsoft but i got a super upgraded sniper rifle and want to shoot somebody with it" guys.

i urge caution and restraint on considering upping already pretty high fps limits. again, skill should come before brute force. the difference/importance between being safe on the field and getting kills on the field should be obvious to anyone. and expecting players...any player...to ALWAYS judge distance correctly to prevent a possible injury is asking more than most people have to give...even "if" they intend to try. you just can't self-reason out of putting people at risk over bagging a hit in a game. any game. at some fps point, we are gonna' stop carrying airsoft toys...and (in the public's eyes) be carrying REAL firearms.

anyway, that's all i've got to say on this.

check out this thread:

http://www.airsoftretreat.com/forums/in ... 07.35;wap2

this one:

http://www.airsofthawaii.org/ballistic/ ... tect.shtml

Beo

[ICS AK]

[sr71xjet]

This is what I use. And hey look....its camo!.



See links above on goggle test.

I have to protect my eyes at all cost.

[zenmic]

[SekiRyu]

[Sniper]

Believe me, I would rather keep the 400fps for AEGS, and 550fps for sniper rifles. But if the AEG limit keeps raising, I would pretty much have to sell the rifle I've worked on so long, and put so much money into. When I sold it, I would have to buy a gun that shot 450fps at a RoF of 30 per second. I'd use .30g BBs. Nobody would like that.... I know I sure wouldn't. Of course I wouldn't do that, but think of how much that would actually hurt.

I personally like the 400fps AEG/550fps Sniper rifles. I would love for it to go back to that, but as it stands now.... My sniper rifle and others are being casted out. If they fps stays at 450fps, I know I will eventually have to sell my rifle in order to keep up with players around here. Otherwise if I didn't, I would be overpowered and it would be MUCH harder for me to have fun.


Trust me, I would love the 400fps AEG/550fps sniper rifle limit to come back into place.

[lilsniper]