Most people who venture into Airsoft look for various roles that they can play. In my experience, I have realized that the Airsoft sniper role is what appeals to everyone. Even new beginners aspire to become airsoft snipers. However, I’d hate to break your heart, but the truth is that the Airsoft sniper role is not for everyone.
Playing with a sniper rifle on Airsoft is challenging and can be daunting. You will need to become proficient in operating the rifle, which takes a lot of time and patience. Like the real-life snipers, most of the time will be spent observing, and there may be very little action for you. Your primary role would be to scout for enemies and give support to your teammates. Being on your belly most of the time is something that may not be exciting for new Airsoft players.
Besides the skills and the tactics, sniping is a very expensive role and takes a lot of time. For instance, with your $100 airsoft sniper rifle, before it can be ideal for sniping, you will end up spending upward of $500. This is a whole lot of money, and this is a major drawback. The ghillie suits are also required for one to play as a sniper and come at a price. Additionally, you have to get the right scopes, accessories, sidearm, rails, and extra mags. All these are the costs you will incur to take up the sniping role on Airsoft.
Why You Should Not Be Quick to Become an Airsoft Sniper
Sadly, even with the challenging scenarios that face a sniper, you will not be exempted from the general rules. Did you know that when sniping, you will not have the option to insert before the game starts to get a vantage point? You will run in with the rest of the team, and to make matters worse, you will be in your ghillie suit. As a sniper, you will need to be precise with your shots so as not to blow your cover. Once you are spotted, the enemies will take you out without a struggle.
Airsoft sniping is not the same as real-life sniping, and it is so much harder. There are vast fields with obstacles that you cannot shoot through. Unfortunately, even a slight cover can deflect your shot and cause you to miss. The BBs do not have to be heavy to deflect your shot, and this is what makes sniping quite difficult. Besides the pin-drop silence, you have to exercise a lot of patience as a sniper. You may be on the ground for a long period of time without any significant action.
What it takes to become an Airsoft Sniper
If you are assuming that you will just buy a sniper rifle and jump into the sniping role, you are dead wrong. These stock rifles lack the accuracy that is required for one to become a sniper. As mentioned earlier, you will need to spend hundreds of dollars to upgrade the rifle to achieve the sniping accuracy required. In addition, you will not have any ballistic advantage as you will have about 60 feet of range. You should not expect a simple and flat-line trajectory for a shot; you must be really good to hit your targets.
Most airsoft fields are limited to 450 to 500 FPS with a 0.2 gram BB for the sniper rifles. Considering that the line of sight is unclear, you will have difficulty making your shot. As a sniper, so many things seem to work to your disadvantage, and other players seem to have undue advantage over you. The standard spring Airsoft sniper rifle is 15 pounds and is not known to deliver the best shots. A good number of players do not have the patience to sit around for hours to take a single shot, which may be a miss.
Is Airsoft Sniping Worth It?
Having been inspired by real-life sniping, most new Airsoft players are excited to pick up the sniper rifles. Unfortunately, the actual reality is way different, and the truth is that sniping is really hard on Airsoft. The snipers should not be part of the game in CQB fields, as it is not as exciting as you would expect it to be. Unlike the other types of rifles, sniper rifles have a lower ammo capacity, which can limit you as a player. To compensate for this, you will have to spend money so as to get the magazines with a higher capacity.
No player wants to be in a scenario where they are low on ammo count and do not have any ammunition as a reserve to keep fighting. As for the length of the sniper rifles, it does not help, and where the weather conditions are unfavorable, you will definitely miss your targets. Strong winds will cause all your shots to deflect unless you have heavy-duty BB grades, and your enemies will spot you.
In short, for you to be an Airsoft sniper, you will need to be ready to invest quite some money. Your scopes, magazines, rifles, and other accessories must be updated and calibrated to suit the role. Most snipers are also quite heavy; the AWP-96 weighs 8 pounds, which is quite a load to carry. In order to survive the game, you must keep changing your position, and the movement in the ghillie suit is not easy and takes time to adjust.
Final Thoughts
As you have seen, the sniper role on Airsoft is not for everyone. If you are into quick and fast-moving actions, you will not love this. It takes a lot of practice, patience, and money to get to this role. Enjoy the other roles in the game before settling for sniping, as you may give up pretty fast.
