Help me find a first timer's G36!

[alexandicity]

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum here :D Been playing airsoft now a half dozen times and it's time to graduate to a rifle I can call my own! I am told by various operators that this is the place to talk all things hardware - let's see if they're right

I have my heart - for mainly aesthetic reasons - on the G36 family. I just like the look. It's common enough that I can find it and spares for it, but it's not another M4 (no offense to all the M4 lovers out there, of course!). It seems the K or C variants seem to be peoples' favourites, and they sound good to me.

So, suggestions - where/what should I get? My budget for a new one would be up to about £200 and I am quite happy with a second-hand one; I see a few on the other board I'll be looking into.

I'd like something with as many rails as possible to add gizmos later down the line. I play mainly CQB so a folding stock would be great, but it's not strictly necessary as later down the line I'll probably look into getting something a little smaller and easier to manoeuvre with. In this case, the long-term outlook for what I get now would be more leaning towards DMR. So - bonus points if what you recommend can be later modded to a nice big, long-range piece of kit..

As for manufacturers; I have no real knowledge here yet. I know some are better than others but other than TM and CA I don't really know the qualities of each. For quality; it doesn't need to be invincible or faithful to the original, but I would like it to last a good 20-odd games with before I'm likely to need to replace anything expensive :D

Appreciate your thoughts. Apologies if there's any glaring ignorance or if I'm looking for exists only in the land or dancing unicorns.

Alexandicity

[original poster]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

I was in a very similar situation to you not so long ago, new to airsoft and loved the look of the G36 series, didn't want an M4 etc so hopefully I will be able to help!

Firstly, there are a fair few manufacturers out there that make G36's -

Tokyo Marui - Very good although expensive
Classic Army - Never really looked into them to be honest although never heard anything particular bad about them
Ares - (what I went for in the end) arguably the best externally made of the bunch and well priced
SRC - As long as it's a Version III it'll be fantastic, I will probably buy a Version III G36C to complement my (rather heavy with all the accessories) K
JG - Cheapest by a long way, some love them, some think they're cheap crap. I also owned ones of these for a very short space of time (bought second hand and it broke immediately) however for the price the quality seemed fine


The battery mounts in under the front stock on the G36's and it can be a real barrel of laughs trying to get it to fit. Parts are a plenty of almost all retailers sites so don't let this put you off the G36 gun, there aren't as many parts as the M4 but there is still a hell of a lot of choice!

High cap mags tend to be 470 round, mid cap, 100-140. Haven't looked into low caps so can't comment on that front.

My Ares is ridiculously easy to take apart. You can have the whole thing in pieces in under 4 minutes, that easy!

Some manufactures don't sell the guns with the side RIS (although it may well be pictured in the photo) so do double check, can be had for around a tenner so no massive problem and will give you plenty of room for accessories on both sides, top and bottom!

Any other more specific questions, do ask!

[original poster]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

Another thing to add, the fire selector is ambidextrous, a massive bonus for left handers like myself. Something so simple as changing the selector on my mates M4 is a real pain in the arse for me being left handed so something else to consider.

[Tariq182]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

I have the Umarex one (ares???) The EV version, but did have the KV beforehand.

Good gun, albeit the KV was a lemon and had constant problems. The EV working brilliantly though, just need some loctite for the motor screw.

You can get 20rnd short mags, and 45/50 locaps aswell as the mids and highs stated. And drum mags.

Yeah some versions do not have rail systems on the front (mainly K and E versions)
If you do buy a K without a rail system, i have a spare front guard with rails on.

[tisane]

As someone else looking at a cheapo G36 and looking at SRC.

What is the difference between v2 and v3?

I can find non snot tone v2s but can't find a (UK) non snot v3 for squat!!

Will a v2 do the job?

[crasstoe]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

The difference are key Gearbox revisions in the materials used, well worth the extra pennies. V2 is good but V3 is better.

Umarex G36 series = ARES with HK trades.

I have an UMAREX/ARES G36 and would highly recommend it. Spring changes take less than a minute and the build is second to none. You can pick these up on both the forum and from most retailers for good money.

[alexandicity]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

Crasstoe: I've also seen some Umarex-branded G36s that seem to come from JG not Ares - was that lies by the website or are there some Umarex JGs also?

Ares seem to be popular and well-regarded indeed, now just to find one at a reasonable price

[tisane]

Ahh but is it worth buying a v3 snot tone and spraying?

I only want cheapo myself as it will probably get used 3-4 times a year max, and with 2 hicaps clamped together I don't need a vest to play

[alexandicity]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

Sorry Tisane, I misread what you said... no idea, I'm afraid. :S Although I imagine it's all down to personal preference. Some guys here I'm sure won't settle for anything less than an exact replica of the real steel, while other more casual players would probably be happy with something largely functional - like a sprayed snot tone...

[Tariq182]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

Well some brands have RIS, some the no railed bipod version handguards.

The Ares/Umarex ones dont have holes to mount rails.
The TM G36K does have rails though.

I bought the TM G36K hand guard for my ares.

A G36C should come with railed hand guards.

[Fluxeor]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

The JG G36's are fantastic value, but being a lower priced brand thier quality control isn't as good as Ares or TM's so occassionally some lemons slip through and unless you get a Umarex verson they will lack trademarks. Both of the JG's I've owned have performed flawlessly and I've regretted selling them off.
SRC Gen 3's are widely respected and although I havn't used them myself, they are well worth considering.
Ares are great for what you get, however I have heard a number of complaints about the EBB system being easy to break (though it's fairly easy to disable).
TM's are TM's, they usually work brilliantly out of the box and rarely recieve complaint (the original JG's were clones of these).

[Black Templar]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

A friend of mine has the SRC V3, its excellent, all credit where it's due it was quite a surprise - as I'm not into the G36's. Nice bit of kit indeed.

[original poster]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

You can't go wrong with an SRC V3, incredible guns and even better when you consider the price!

[diblob]

Re: Help me find a first timer's G36!

As a recent newbie I also started with an Ares G36, and am very happy with it so far.

Pros: Great externals. Simple Spring change system that any noob can do as it doesn't require the gearbox to be disassembled. Easy disassembly of the gun for battery changes/general maintenance, barrel change. Great range/power accuracy.
Cons: Built in scope/red dot sight on many models are quite basic with very short eye relief. Recommend getting a model with a standard rail with iron sights and then adding a better scope of your choice. Gearbox maintenance is quite tough work, I found it so tough to put back together due to the Ares trigger assembly/spring and the bolt lock spring. Even a Z1 tech said it was quite a handful putting it back together. My advice....Get a Z1 pro to do it and save yourself a headache!

Overall, great pros and very few important Cons. I would recommend one. Looking back, the SRC gen III versions were not available at the time I got my G36 and if I was to buy one today I would look at them also. The externals/build may not be quite up to the Ares standard, but the internals are apparently very good, and the price is cheaper. May be well worth a look.

[jonny lovegrove]

Src v3. But im guessing the rental gun you used was a g36? Chances are its a JG. Theyre bloody well made (and used to be one of the cheapest rifles about!) and last forever if you dont mess with them. Ive been running my jg g36k for nearly four years with a g&p m120 motor, nothing else modified. (internally at least) and as support for the last two (drum mag, shoot me. They just look right in g36s) so its seen probably nearing 50k rounds at the mo.


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