Airsoft sniper rifles

Our tip:
Right from the start, take note that sniper rifles are a very specific discipline that is definitely not for beginners or children.
In order to make a sniper rifle competitive in combat, it is necessary to upgrade, which is often financially challenging. Therefore, as a first weapon, we recommend AEG assault rifles or submachine guns. 

Types of airsoft sniper rifles

As is the case with airsoft assault rifles or SMGs, sniper rifles come in multiple types or versions of propulsion. Each variant has its pros and cons and it is up to us to decide which type or propellant is best for us.

Airsoft sniper rifles can be divided into 3 categories based on propulsion:

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Manual sniper rifles

The most commonly used propulsion for airsoft sniper rifles. Their indisputable advantage is the absence of gas or battery, so they will always work for you, regardless of weather, temperature or battery charge. The simple design makes upgrading and servicing much easier than, say, an AEG or a Gas. In airsoft shops (like ours) you can get either the whole upgrade kit or individual parts for each type of rifle, which will increase the power and thus the theoretical range of your gun. 

With manual rifles, it is necessary to reload the gun after each shot and with that comes the need to overcome the force of the spring that we have installed in the gun. This can be an insurmountable problem for some players, especially younger ones.

From the "box" (in the base) these guns often do not achieve great performances, on the contrary, they have even lower performances than, for example, AEG assault rifles from the box (most often this applies to the cheapest airsoft sniper rifles), so it is necessary to upgrade the air system, cylinder, trigger mechanism or Hop up system with the barrel.

Our Tip:
HPA conversions are also made for manual rifles. These conversions are different for the weapon types (VSR-10, l96, SVD, etc.) This eliminates the need to wind the spring, but there is another "problem" that is insurmountable for some and that is the air hose that most players carry in their back pack.

Summary of manual sniper rifles

Pros

Simple mechanism, can be fired in cooler temperatures, can be very well soundproofed, good availability of upgrades and spare parts, HPA conversion can be installed, easy maintenance and operation. As a rule, manual replicas are allowed high performance on the range. 

Disadvantages

Need to reload after each shot and overcome the strength of the spring used, often out of the box they don't achieve great performance = need to upgrade and thus further investment. Small magazine capacity (15-60 shots)

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Gas-operated

Gas is another method of powering sniper rifles. We can encounter both green gas and CO2 variants. In this type we can meet both manual and self-loading guns. With the manual ones, the loading of the gun is fast due to the absence of spring recoil. In terms of weight, these guns are close to their real-life counterparts due to the body and magazine materials used. With these guns we must be careful of their performance. They are often very powerful from box (Also depends on the gas used, ambient temperature or ammunition weight) and need to be either tuned using various adjustable mechanisms. 

Summary of gas sniper rifles

Advantages

 self-loading and repeating versions, realistic operation and weight, some models allow power regulation, quiet operation.

Disadvantages

 regular maintenance required, higher purchase price, more expensive magazines, high power output of the gun due to the gas used, inconsistent performance, each shot slowly reduces power until the magazine is refilled.

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Electric sniper rifles - DMR

The final drive in sniper rifles, but here we are talking more about DMRs is by battery and motor - AEG. These guns are most often encountered in models that replicate real self-loading rifles (DMRs) such as the m82, PSG-1, SR25 or M110 and similar types. The advantage over the manual ones is the lack of manual cocking, thanks to which the speed of our shooting increases rapidly.  The guns we take out of the box, however, must also be upgraded for use on the more powerful springs.

DMR Summary:

Advantages

no manual cocking of the gun after each shot, faster firing, possibility to install HPA conversion.

Disadvantages

 more expensive upgrade, need to use a strong battery, higher weight on some models, most courses take these guns as DMR. DMR rifles have a lower legal limit compared to manual rifles. 

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Manual airsoft sniper rifles are the most used

When it comes to sniper rifles, manually powered is a safe bet due to its reliability, upgradeability and ease of use. Before buying a particular rifle, be sure to check if upgraded parts are made for that model, mainly: pistons, cylinders, reinforced trigger mechanisms or hop up chambers. 
Since these are also the best selling type of airsoft sniper rifles, let's break them down more.

How does a manual sniper rifle work?

When the bolt lever is pulled towards the shooter, the spring loaded plunger is compressed. The plunger is then locked in the rear position on the catch found on the trigger mechanism. Then, by moving forward, the cylinder is pushed into the forward position, at the same time a pellet is introduced from the magazine by the cylinder head into the hop up chamber. When the trigger is squeezed, the piston catch is released. The spring pushes the piston forwards. The subsequent compressed air is propelled by the nozzle (part of the cylinder head) towards the ball, which then rotates due to the action of the pressure element located in the body of the hop up chamber, and the ball then travels in the forward direction of the barrel.

Upgrade of airsoft sniper rifles

That being said, most airsoft sniper rifles do not perform very well out of the box. This is also due to the fact that the Czech Republic is a real unique country in terms of airsoft gun performance compared to other countries and we are a specific market. Most often, the power of basic rifles reaches around 1.7 J (about 130 m/s), but the power allowed on the fields is usually as high as 3.5 J for sniper rifles. But how to achieve this power? By upgrading! 

Our tip:
Upgrading any airsoft gun requires expertise, technical thinking and skill. Unskilled intervention can damage parts or the whole weapon. If you have no experience with upgrading or do not dare. We recommend upgrading through a service center.

What all changes when upgrading a sniper rifle and why?

For cheaper models, virtually the entire interior must be replaced to achieve higher performance. Thanks to this, we will be able to use stronger springs in the long term, which are associated with higher performance, or higher quality CNC parts closely linked to more accurate and stable operation of the replica.
The parts that are most commonly changed when upgrading rifles for upgraded versions are as follows:

Piston catch

This is the part that holds the piston in the rear position when the piston and thus the spring is cocked. All the force of the spring, which has a force of 20 kg when compressed, is held on a small part with a surface area of a few centimeters. This part, together with the piston, suffers the most when using stronger springs. Therefore, the piston retainer is usually replaced with a CNC version made of duralumin or similar materials. 

 

Our tip:
We can tell piston retention or piston fatigue when the gun can't hold the piston in the rear position, or the gun fires on its own now and then, for example, when shaken. 

Piston

The piston is cylindrical in shape, and is often fused to the piston head. The entire spring is rolled up inside the piston when the gun is cocked/loaded. At the end of the plunger is a "tooth" into which the plunger catch engages when the gun is cocked. Along with the piston catch, the piston is highly stressed, both its body and the very tooth that makes the gun cocked.

     

Air system

Almost all sniper rifles require fix air system unit and hop up chamber. Otherwise, we will have problems with inconsistent or low performance on a strong spring. With manual rifles, upgrading is easier than it is with AEG guns. It's important to watch out for parts compatibility, they are often not applicable to multiple models. This means, for example, that I can't use the cylinder head for a manual SVD instead of the head for a CM700.

Cylinder

Inside the cylinder is a piston with a spring. On most sniper rifles, the cylinder is attached to a cocking lever at the end. If the cylinder is made of poor quality or thin metal, it often bends or the bolt lever breaks off during cocking. This is why they are often replaced with CNC versions when upgrading.

Hop Up and Hop Up Chamber

As far as HOP UP chambers are concerned, we can see different types in these rifles. Their adjustment systems vary from model to model. During the eventual tuning of a rifle, it is often recommended to replace the chamber with an upgraded model that will seal much better and the pressure settings will be finer. The most common chambers are CNC chambers.
Nowadays, we see the term TDC a lot. Under this word is a way of adjusting the hop up that allows us to adjust the hop up of the ball very finely. This system can be attached as a small part to defacto any sniper rifle that does not have this system already in the base. 

Our tip:
Certain models of airsoft sniper rifles can be retrofitted with TDC Hop Up regulation. More expensive guns can be equipped with TDC right out of the box.

How far can an airsoft sniper rifle shoot?

Airsoft sniper rifles have a maximum range of around 100m, hitting a figure at 100m is more of a minor miracle, rumours that your sniper buddies regularly hit at 100m are far-fetched at the very least. Therefore, count on the fact that high magnification rifle scopes are more a matter of observation than for actual shooting. Shooting a rifle scope on a high magnification airsoft rifle is very difficult, indeed virtually impossible.

Manufacturers

There are many manufacturers of airsoft sniper rifles. The best known and highest quality are Silverback with their products such as the now legendary SRS and TAC 41. From the manufacturer ARES we can meet with rifles such as Amoeba striker S01, Tactical T1. Snow wolf again gave us sniper rifles, based on the legendary M24, or a copy of historical copy of weapons such as Kar98. We must not forget the manufacturer Specna arms, which we know for its electric guns. Sniper rifles from this manufacturer are characterized by the quality materials used, good availability of tuning parts, all at a very affordable price.
In general, the best airsoft rifles are considered to be those made by Silverback.
Among the best sellers are Cyma, Well and Specna Arms. 
All of these rifles are highly upgradeable. But even so, we recommend checking the availability of upgrade parts.

Already finished rifles with perfect performance and equipment right out of the box are considered Epes - they are already built Custom sniping tools. Or the cheaper Archwick - which can also be played with right out of the box.
The Amoeba strike, is often more likely to be used on lower power or HPA builds due to its short piston and cylinder.

Final conclusion

As you can see, choosing a sniper rifle is a really complex topic. Therefore, we recommend not to rush the selection of a sniper rifle. Ideally, you should try on several models, find out the upgrade options and final upgrade prices, avoid atypical models, or consult someone who has researched this topic in depth, or contact us by phone, email or in person at one of our branches. This is the only way to find the best rifle for you to excel in combat.