Already looking at a second gun... oy. (SL-9 questions)

[snapshot_superhero]

Heya ladies and gents! I have yet to go to my first game (this saturday, woo!), but as the title suggests, I've already been sucked into looking at future purchases, lol. My wallet is already weeping...

That being said, I currently own an Echo1 G36c and I love it. While it may not be bristling with aftermarket internal and external bells and whistles, I'm really happy with my purchase. I particularly like the look and feel of the gun, which leads into my following questions.

Look, I'll be the first to admit I don't know much when it comes to guns, so if I say something that is wrong, or doesn't make any sense, please by all means correct me. I know the G36c is considered a cqb weapon, and as such I wanted to look into purchasing more of a "rifle". I really like the SL-9, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what role it fills. At first, from the look of it, I thought perhaps it was a "sniper" rifle, but since it has an "auto" setting and no bipod, I wasn't too sure. Then I had been doing some reading about DMR's and thought that maybe that was what the SL-9 was designed for?

I know that every "noob" that starts airsofting wants to be a "sniper" and to be honest, it doesn't particularly appeal to me, but I would like to have the option of doing so if needed. If I was reading correctly, a DMR is used to fill a role of a longer range rifleman that stays with his group as opposed to going off and setting up shop like a sniper? I think this role would be something I would be much more interested in eventually exploring in the future.

So, all of that being said, I have some questions. Now, I've already ran a search on this forum as well as several others about SL-9's and I didn't turn up anything regarding what I specifically wish to know, but if I missed something, please forgive me.

1.) What role is the SL-9 best applied to? Do most simply use it as a sniper platform, or can it be used effectively as a DMR? (Again, I'm just learning about the world of guns.)

2a.) The only options I see as far as procuring an SL-9 are to either buy the one manufactured by STAR for $500, or convert an existing G36 into one. Is there an advantage to doing it one way or another? (It looks like converting would be slightly less expensive.)

2b.) If I did go the conversion route, I'm a bit confused as to the performance of the weapon. I mean, if the internals are all the same, wouldn't it really just be a G36 with a fancy body? I know the longer barrell would give me a bit of a performance increase, but to really see an SL-9 shine, I assume I'll be looking to make some considerable internal upgrades as well?

3. Does anyone have any experience with this platform? What is your opinion of the weapon?

4. For those of you that fill a DMR role, what is it like? What could one expect? Any interesting stories to share?

Now, I understand that I'm not very experienced, and as such I'm sure most will suggest not messing with internals and whatnot, which I somewhat agree. Worst case scenario though, I would be more than willing to purchase all of the components and pay AirsoftSmith to perform the work if it made more sense to do it that way.

Anyways, I've blathered on long enough. Any and all help/advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Ryan

[Lunchbox]

Personally, I don't have any experience at all with the STAR SL-9. I've seen the CA SL-8, and it doesn't seem like it would do very well as a DMR, at least in it's stock form. The groupings are really bad at 150 feet. I can't say that's the same for the STAR version, simply because I've never seen one in action. So I can't really help you much in that aspect.


However, I usually take the DM role when I play, so I can give you some advice as to what you can expect if this role is something you think you'd be interested in. I'll start by saying that it's a much more entertaining alternative to sniping with a bolt-action gun. You can be out in the fight instead of hiding in a bush somewhere, but you'll still be able to get that distance-shooting experience. If you can move quietly and keep yourself concealed easily, this will be a good role for you. I guess that the DM role is basically sniping without the siting around and waiting. The three things you're going to want to look for in a DMR are range, accuracy, and internal durability. The range and accuracy are big points of interest, because a DM will want to be able to out-range most of the other guns on the field. That's the whole point of the role. A DM will want to be able to take out tagets before the enemy gets him in their effective range. I'll be honest, it's not nearly as fast-paced as filling a CQB role, but personally I get a bit of a rush when I can pick someone off without them even knowing I'm there, or before they can get close enough to hit me. It's all about what you want out of your airsoft experience.

I do have a story about it, actually. We were playing in a small patch of woods, with two "bases" set up at either end. We were playing a capture the flag game. At one point, we had the other team pinned in their base. I had three guys keeping them pinned, and I was able to move around quietly without being seen, and I ended up flanking them and getting all five guys that were left in their base before they even knew I was there. I did it at a distance of about 160 feet. That's the kind of thing you can expect to do as a DM.

I know I couldn't give you much info on the gun you're looking at, but I hope that I was able to give you some insight into what the DM role is about.

[Texx]

The full size G36 is perfect for DMR. If you use the G36c rail, remove the sights, and slap on a 4x-6x scope, and maybe toss a cheek rest on, you have just as good a platform with the added bonus of a side folding stock.

CAG36 v2 CA8 - essentially the same rifle with slightly different externals. You are still putting the battery up front.

The G36 at least has a threaded outer barrel. If you want to but a longer inner barrel running through a suppressor, you have that option immediately. Where as the CA8 you would have to replace the outer barrel to do so.

The realsteel rifle was designed to satisfy US Assault Weapon's ban aesthetic requirements. It was designed as a sporting rifle. You are getting the added weight of a sniper stock with no real additional battery space.

[AWOL]

I will have to agree with Action here.

The DMR role is one that I love to be. You still have your up close and personal fire fights, but you can also sit back at a distance and take people out or provide cover fire.

However if you are planning to go this route, expect your wallet to bleed. I have two rifles set up for the DMR role and have spent over $3000 to make them what I wanted. I am not saying that you couldnt do it for much less, I just wanted the best.

Now as far as STAR is concerned. I have a star conversion on my Tokyo Marui G36. I have converted it into the MG36, not the SL8 or SL9. You would be correct that it would just be a fancy body, nothing more.

If you really wanted to go the DMR route, several internal upgrades will need to be done. You would also need the longer inner barrel, so a conversion kit will be needed. You could also just buy a longer inner barrel and a long silencer like I have done to all mine.

I cant help you with what needs to be done to the gearbox, I paid someone to do that!


AWOL

[Firefox]

Hopefully im not breaking any rules here but I have a custom built DMR m16 with the whole 9 yards that I am looking to get rid of if you are intrested for much less than $500. But that aside using a DMR is much more fun and in my opinion effective than the bolt action sniper for the above reasons. The ability to have quick follow up shots and using a platform that common combat rifles are set up on are a large advantage over the bolt action sniper. Just look at the armys m110 for example. For a truly effective DMR though like AWOL said it's going to cost you a good bit of money just like getting into the bolt action sniper roles.

[snapshot_superhero]

Thank you for the replies so far. You've certianly provided me with some things to think about. It definitely sounds like having a DMR would be much more my think than any sort of bolt action.

I'll be buying a G36k off of a friend of mine that has metal bushings, an m110, and the gears properly shimmed, so I think I'm going to go with the conversion route and purchase the Star SL-9 conversion kit. I just love the way the gun looks. I know that getting a great DMR is going to be expensive, and I don't have a problem with that. Once the conversion is complete, what particular internal upgrades will I be looking to get? I know that the important thing is accuracy and distance, so I had already determined to get a tightbore and some heavier bbs.

One thing I am concerned with though is FPS limits. Most games I have seen listed limit AEG's to 400 fps. Would this be sufficient enough to achieve the distances required to be an effective DMR? I was thinking that I could disable the "auto" fire so it is only semi-auto, which I would assume would allow me to go to 500 fps, but I don't know if that is considered "legal" for matches, or if it is even needed. Thoughts?

Again, I really appreciate all your help and I look forward to getting my feet wet in this new hobby.

Ryan

[Lunchbox]

Yes, at most fields that I've seen, they allow AEG's to shoot up to at least 500 fps as long as you've got full-auto permanently disabled. And you'll need that kind of power if you expect to drive your shots out to DM ranges. But, for that kind of power, you'll need to do quite a few internal upgrades to handle the spring that you'll need.

[Mastertech]

I do not know about field rules but I know of whom makes sl8 sl9 variants,
every thing from my memory, Google search for names should work.

STAR make a g36c to sl9 conversion kit $180 or $500, it appers to be green abs.

Ares make a black sl9 metal and nylon fiber body 7mm gb with quick change spring guide, dose not appear to be available in the US yet.

Ares makes gray sl8 as well

Classic Army has a sl8-2 (ca8-2) $400 a gray sl8 with g36e scope/handle

Both Elephant new generation swat (sl8) $100 mettle gb over priced garbage I own 2

Both Elephant new generation swat (sl8) $40 plastic gb

I would save up for the Ares guessing $500.
I want to build the rifle from the game First Encounter Assault Recon (FEAR) a hybrid sl8/mg36 appearance.