Clear help on the clear AEG airsoft gun matter

[MillerBRo]

Clear guns have had an easier time with customs and as such they have been more commonly seen by the general public in Canada for years.

One of the most common newb threads is often something as follows:

"I saw a clear gun at BLANK for only X dollars- is it any good"

Historically the answer to this question has been NO. Most if not all clear air soft weapons are substandard in almost every way (often labeled as 'Soft Air' but known in airsoft as clearsoft). The three biggest shortcomings can be summed up as follows:

1-poor quality; many of the early clear plastics were made of a plastic that was far more brittle than modern abs plastics. This wasnt only true for airsoft but was common with plastics and resins in general for the plastic industry- if you wanted solid the clear plastic needed to be thicker and there was no room in clearsoft guns for thicker plastic.

2-useless fps; many of the early clearsoft weapons had fps (feet per second) ratings that were very slow. In order to combat this slowness many clearsoft weapons are only able to fire a .12gram BB*. In general anything under 200fps is useless even in CQB (Close Quarters Battles) and often you will hear it is only good for 'backyard battles' or 'basement battles'.

*These lightweight BBs are generally considered to be good for engagements maxing out at 20 feet and most airsoft players wont go below a .2gram BB. They are much harder to feel when hit and the wind carries them like mad.

3-not compatible/upgradable Everything breaks- everything. When an airsoft gun breaks a player often has the option of ordering replacement parts. If the gun is not performing well you can always upgrade the parts. Much like the RC industry a sub-industry of parts suppliers serves the airsoft community and as such each AEG (auto electric gun) is much like an investment as, if cared for, they can last many many years. Most clearsoft are NOT compatible with airsoft- when it breaks you go and buy a new one.

There are now some exceptions to the Clear gun rule. Within the last year there has been an increased focus by various manufacturers and remanufacturers on taking 'good' airsoft guns and giving them a clear receiver (the main shell or housing of the airsoft gun).

Most of the first 'good' airsoft guns where hybrids of partially clear parts combined with poor quality cloned parts that were compatible with proper airsoft guns. Although these guns still suffered from being made of low quality plastics and subpar fps ratings they had the advantage of being repaired and upgraded. Since most clearsoft guns found their way through customs these guns began to show up in various sporting goods stores and paintball stores.

In general the Aftermath Kraken was the 'best' of this generation of clear guns in that in addition to being a Ver3 mechbox TM clone that could be repaired, upgraded or replaced, it boasted a high fps of 380fps with .2g BBs. Of the first gen guns it is the only one 'worth' getting as a project gun or starter gun if you have someone local who can teach you basic repair issues. However many Aftermath products suffer from quality control issues due to using CYMA clone mechboxs and in general even the Kraken needed to have preventative maintenance performed on it before use.

Other less useful but upgradable or partially upgradable guns of this generation are the Aftermath Broxa (TM clone MP5), Crosman Pulse R72 (TM clone G3SAS). Both of these guns are underpowered and require upgrades unless used for CQB. The worst of this category only makes the grade as it has a compatible Ver2 mechbox and is common in Walmarts- the DPMS AR17/AR15 variant AEG. It had a decent fps and a Ver2 mechbox but that was about it for the good points and I would avoid ever getting one (even as a project or loaner gun).

The next generation of clear AEGs was markedly better- in general they still had poor construction issues due to the clear plastic parts but most now had higher fps and were at least partially compatible with proper AEGs. Aftermath Broxa, Crosman Pulse R76, Tactical Force TF 16 (Well M4), are all guns of this generation of clearsoft- typically they are slighlty better than the first generation guns but still suffer from quality and construction issues.

The next and current wave of 'clear' AEGs is the Canadian series of airsoft guns that are generally exact versions of the proper airsoft guns with only one part of the receiver being clear (generally the lower receiver). G&G and ICS are currently leading this marketing trend where quality airsoft guns are available to the general public.

However there are still semi-clear guns of lesser clone qaulity being produced- such as Cyberguns Sig 552. Though the quality of clones has generally improved there are still too many horror stories to say that you get what you pay for. Someone may get a gun that works fine out of the box for 50k BBs and the guy next to him has his gun crap out on the first BB fired. Though more recent these are still essentially Gen 2 clearsoft in that they suffer from quality and construction issues. In general they will require upgrades or repairs.


Please add any info I may have missed as Zone 69 has. This thread wont stop clear gun questions of course (nor should it as 'CANsoft' is here now and looks to do well) but it should still be able to provide newbs with a place to start....


I have owned or my brother has owned most of the above mentioned clear guns so try to state fact more than opinion

[zone 69]

The new or current wave Gen-3 AEGs with the 'clear' lower receivers are being called 'CANsoft' for it being legal to inport & sell in Canada at the moment.

[Scarecrow]

I just saw some clear receiver ICS stuff today, and its good stuff all around. I've been advocating clear lowers for AEGs for some time as a way to cooperate with CBSA and get more airsoft into the country. The Kracken led the way and now I think more and more "CANsoft" manufacturers will have an easier time meeting the Canadian market demands while not putting themselves into a legal quagmire.

[thelemite]

Hey I've been around just reading the posts in here for a few weeks and I'd like to say it's refreshing to see someone who's been around for a while not instantly knock down the cansoft idea. Thanks scarecrow. Though I fully understand the "realism" point made by many it seems that while we are all talking about finding ways to keep the sport alive none of us seem to want to compromise. After all it may be much easier to convince TM that there would be a market if they made the same weapons with a clear receiver, then convince the government to let us play with weapons that they've been trying to outlaw for 10 years. After all lets be honest. If we had cansoft made by the top companies legally bought and we all painted them for the sake of realism no law enforcement would ever bother with it. They already don't it the customs that's our main problem. Seems to me as though we already have a solution to our problem. Oh wait.... as per usual, human nature takes over and we all want to see the solution that allows us to do as we please when we please. I think we might have a solid solution presenting itself to us why don't we work with it. Just my 2 cents. And now I wait for the flame to burn my butt.

[dragwindsor]

Cansoft, or as I call it , Nearsoft, is probably great for players but not for collectors.

If you are a collector, you're still in the position to have to get restricted parts.

In that case, you end up with a $700 G&G M4A1.

It's not a viable product for us collectors, but it looks to be for players.

My 2 cents.

[thelemite]

Very valid point. I must admit I would rather see our country get its head out of the sand and stop pretending that gun bans has any positive effect on crime. I just don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. People still scream for more gun ban everytime a weapon is used in a crime. Even though the weapon in question is usually already a banned weapon. Canada can be great but when it comes to gun law we can be so dumb.

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by thelemite

Very valid point. I must admit I would rather see our country get its head out of the sand and stop pretending that gun bans has any positive effect on crime. I just don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. People still scream for more gun ban everytime a weapon is used in a crime. Even though the weapon in question is usually already a banned weapon. Canada can be great but when it comes to gun law we can be so dumb.

True, but since most of us live in reality, we realise clear AEG's are the more likely option.

I think the clear reciever AEG's are a good idea. I haven't examined one yet so I can't really comment on the 'look or feel' of it. I just hope Walmart doesn't end up selling these things.

[Crunchmeister]

Originally Posted by kalnaren

I just hope Walmart doesn't end up selling these things.

True. Would put them into the hands of way too many kids and could have a negative overall impact on the sport. But then again, we'd then be buying even these 'cansoft' guns for 1/2 of what they're selling now if Wal Mart were to sell them...

[Scarecrow]

With the higher quality CanSoft/NearSoft products, a quick metal receiver upgrade and you're closer to the realism you want. While its convenient to buy a complete package with realistic non-clear receiver it presents obvious import issues. Generally unless you're committing a crime or showing really poor judgement in your display of your non-clear AEG, most cops won't have a problem with it. Most police are not interested in persuing people using 'toys' which is how they see it - its the behavior of the user that differentiates a 'toy' from a gun call. If people understand this, then with these new clear but quality-compatible AEGs you have a legitimate avenue for the sport to express itself and a set of locally purchasable options for those who want to build out realistic imitations. I think this gives us the 'crack' in the system we've been looking for and gets us off the CBSA's radar, who, in the final analysis is the organization who is giving legitimate airsofters the most grief.

[dragwindsor]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

With the higher quality CanSoft/NearSoft products, a quick metal receiver upgrade and you're closer to the realism you want. While its convenient to buy a complete package with realistic non-clear receiver it presents obvious import issues. Generally unless you're committing a crime or showing really poor judgement in your display of your non-clear AEG, most cops won't have a problem with it. Most police are not interested in persuing people using 'toys' which is how they see it - its the behavior of the user that differentiates a 'toy' from a gun call. If people understand this, then with these new clear but quality-compatible AEGs you have a legitimate avenue for the sport to express itself and a set of locally purchasable options for those who want to build out realistic imitations. I think this gives us the 'crack' in the system we've been looking for and gets us off the CBSA's radar, who, in the final analysis is the organization who is giving legitimate airsofters the most grief.

Some good points.

Maybe comparing AIRsoft to Nearsoft is a GOOD thing.

Maybe people will relate my Airsoft to their clear brothren, and not view it so seriously.

Scarecrow has shifted my perspective.