Thanks for the feedback.

External quality is a huge factor for me as well. I've owned so many lower grade clone AEGs(and a clone VSR10 at one point), when I stepped up to my first high end AEG I vowed to never go back.

I know in recent years companies like JG have stepped up their game in terms of QC and external build quality, but I'm reluctant to purchase from them because I've been burned before. I've seen a lot of new build designs from Well, that are very appealing to the eye, but again I'm not sure of actual quality. For example the VSR10 Extreme Series.
http://www.evike.com/products/50565/
Some of these appear to be hybrids between the TM VSR10 series and L96 series, so that seems like a gamble in terms of upgrade parts. I do like the location and the style of the magazine though. Well also has a number of new TM L96 clones too. Again, worried about the build quality.

I've never owned an TM so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of their external build quality and feel. I'd assume they're high quality in most of these categories. I wouldn't want to shell out more money for one if externally It'd be on par, with say Well, JG or Cyma, and I'd just be overhauling the internals anyways.

Any positive experiences with the gas systems out there? KJW? APS?

Thoughts?

Hi All,

I am posting this here because I am considering all options.

Its been some time since I was in the sniper game. I used to run a UTG gen. 3 master sniper back almost ten years ago. I never really learned how to do much with it tinkering wise, so it never shot more than 150 feet or so. It needed the usual replacement parts, spring guide, piston head and such. I took care of it, but never turned it into a monster, needless to say its long gone now.

All that said, this past weekend I had a few incredible distance kills with my DMR platform M16 SPR.  Now I find myself looking up POV airsoft sniper kill compilations on YouTube and I'm hungry for a sniper rifle. I'm looking to pull the old ghillie suit out of storage and go crawling through the bushes again.

So, what I'm looking for from the community is load out suggestions.  Things to keep in mind:

• Budget isn't a factor at this point, lets hear it all!
• I prefer guns that are prototypical, meaning they look and handle like the real thing (i.e. magazine well is where its supposed to be and magazines are the right size and shape.).
• Upgrade options are huge, I want to pimp this thing out.
• I'm open to gas or spring powered, all options are on the table, but I'm not really looking to make another AEG DMR at this point.

 
 
What in your experience has worked best? What have you seen that has blown you away?
 

Nah...That's gonna work unfortunately. The TM Breacher's gas source in in the pistol grip.  That series of TM shotguns uses a gas reservoir independently of TM's 30 round shotgun shell magazine.

If anything look at the APS gas powered shotgun, its a gas shell powered, shell ejecting design. Maybe there's a way to get that to work with a masterkey kit.  There have been multiple iterations of the APS system, if the masterkey is just a fantasy, I'd hold out.  I wouldn't be surprised if APS or another company ends up offering a masterkey type under barrel attachment/kit using this system in the future.

Eastside and Phoenix are a great place to start.  Both are indoors CQB Fields, and both will have rentals available. A big plus too, is these fields are usually walk-on rec games, so they're a great place to start. While outdoor fields and CQB fields have very a very different feel in terms of the activity, CQB is fast and there is a ton of action, for newcomers should be a great experience.  Both Eastside and Phoenix have decent turnouts on Fridays and Saturdays, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to mingle with other players. Both fields also have gear shops so you'll get a change to see and touch some gear, which will help you with your future purchasing decisions.

Action in Taylor is one of my favorite outdoor fields, I wish they'd hold more events. I'm very thankful to Pagan and his crew for putting on those events. The nice thing is that the turnout there has been huge, the last few times I attended in 2015, the crowd swelled to near 100 players.

My advice: Get out and play some CQB before spring starts and the outdoor fields get humming again. Hopefully by then you'll be hooked and packing your own gear for the fair weather months!

Welcome!

I wanted to mention my most recent Customer Service experience. 

If you are not familiar with PTS Syndicate, they are the Hong Kong based manufacturer for most Magpul Licensed Airsoft goodies (Motor grips, handguards, battery type stocks, etc. If your MBUS cost <$80/pair its probably PTS Syn.)

I own an AEG PRS Stock (http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?products_id=9372) and during an on field battery change I somehow lost the tiny little "D" shaped AEG receiver adapter (bottom left in the catalog image).

After an exhaustive search of the interwebs; retailers, domestic and overseas, I contacted PTS Syndicate through their Customer Service email portal, (note that their website seemingly not updated since August 2014).

I received a response from a representative after about three business days, we exchanged about six emails total, response time between emails was about 48 hours.  After figuring out the specidfics I needed PTS offered to replace the part for free less Shipping and Handling. They offered me Fedex from Hong Kong at a rate of $26 USD. I asked that they quote me surface post rates, they offered $14USD.  I made the decision to not go ahead with the replacement, as its hardly justifiyable to pay $14 for a tiny piece of Polymer (let alone $26!!).

Overall me experience with PTS Syndicate's service after the sale was satisfactory, while I couldn't get exactly what I wanted out of the experience (at a cost that made sense...), their representatives were responsive and courteous. It is good to know replacement parts are readily available, if you can swallow the shipping cost.