5 Best Airsoft Assault Rifles Under $200

My first airsoft game was an open match – meaning everyone could participate. It was a mix of pro players – the ones who had all top gear and beginners or Sunday players – the ones who would use the rental gear of the event organizers. And this rental gear was awful. The guns would jam, break, and be bad in general. The clothes would not fit, were mismatched, and you looked like coming straight from a thrift shop.

I didn’t have any equipment of my own. I used a rental gun, clothes, and protective gear. It’s obvious, of course, as I had no idea whether or not I’d like this sport.

And after that first game, I was really hooked. I wanted to buy my own gun, glasses, and face mask that would fit. Clothes that would fit and look good. But I didn’t want to buy the most expensive gun or gear – I was a beginner and wasn’t sure how much I wanted to invest in this sport.

I think that 200USD for a first rifle is a fair deal, so I bought myself a GameFace Insurgent AEG rifle – it was cheap enough, and the reviews on this gun online seemed fair. It was my first airsoft rifle, and I think it was a great choice.

But, to help you choose your first (or maybe not the first, but a good airsoft gun for good value), here’s a list of the best airsoft rifles under 200$.

Image	Product	Features	Price
Best overall	Valken ASL MOD-M	10	Check on AmazonCheck price on Evike
Runner-up	Elite Force H&K Competition MP5 SD6	9	Check on AmazonCheck price on Evike
Best value	GameFace Insurgent	7.5	Check on AmazonCheck price on Evike
Best premium	Specna Arms EDGE	9.5	Check on AmazonCheck price on Evike
Best outdoors	Lancer Tactical Gen 2 SPR Interceptor	9	Check on Amazon

5 Best Airsoft Guns Under 200 USD Reviewed

Best overall

10

Verdict: With its longevity and an FPS that's perfect for both outdoors and closed quarters, this AEG packs in all the goodness you require in an airsoft gun. With the ambidextrous fire selector and highly durable parts, I cannot think of an AEG that’s better than this for the same value.

If you are looking for something that will look super cool when you handle it and feature top-notch longevity, the Valken ASL MOD-M should be your number one choice. With its billet-style receiver and its stand-out angles, this bad boy is not going to let you down in both functionality and style. 

MOD-M features a muzzle velocity of over 345 FPS measured with 0.20g BBs; it's just the right number to keep your shoulders tight as they enjoy the slight, satisfactory recoil. This also makes it one of the best choices for those just starting with airsoft guns under $200 since a muzzle velocity of 345 shouldn’t be that hard to control and manipulate. 

To top things off, the airsoft gun couldn’t get better with an ambidextrous fire selector and magazine release making it feasible for use in various terrains and situations. In addition, the feature introduces a great deal of flexibility in an intense situation.

And finally, what could be better than highly durable internal parts? You can take this beast almost anywhere and use it in any way you want—auto, semi-auto, continuous fires in very rocky and dusty terrain throughout the day. The Valken MOD-M is designed to endure and deliver quality. At least, that is what it has been doing to me all this long. 

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Specifications 

Runner-up

9

Verdict: With its lightweight design yet a durable outer barrel, the MP5 SD6 should be another one of your go-to guns for both closed quarters, challenging terrains, and outdoors. With a muzzle velocity that’s just right for a variety of scenarios and 2 high-capacity magazines, you can’t really go wrong with this little beast. 

The MP5 SD6 features an injection-molded lightweight polymer receiver with an outer metal barrel. This means that it is highly durable, just like everyone likes, but it is also super easy to maneuver around both on the field and in close quarters.

The barrel is not just metal. It has an adjustable length as well as a collapsible shock. This makes it one of the ruling guns for close quarters and long ranges. However, I personally like to consider this an ideal gun for high-intensity CQB. Adjust the length according to the arena and the intensity you want to use, and you should be golden.

I prefer it for CQBs because of its muzzle velocity of around 340 FPS, which is just the perfect number for closed quarters. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring it on the field. The 2 included high-capacity magazines give you enough ammo to last you on the field, given that you shoot wisely and not continuously.

Both lefties and righties can rock with this bad boy thanks to its ambidextrous design of the switch. The gun can be wired directly to the front, but if that doesn’t suit your style, just swap it to the rear and customize it the way you like. Personally, I like it wired in the rear since it is more aesthetically pleasing.

 

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Specifications 

Best value

7.5

A 400-round magazine on a gun that shoots up to 700 rounds per minute is what you need to turn a boring game into a high-intensity, adrenaline-paced one. Thank its extensions of detachable slings and foregrips for rapidly making things go out of control.

With the capability to shoot up to 700 rounds per minute with each bullet (of around 0.12g) traveling at 400 FPS, this is one of the best-value airsoft guns under $200 for open field battles. 

With an adjustable hop-up system and a 400-round magazine, this is one of my go-to AEGs when it comes to outdoor shootings. Although you could take it to CQBs thanks to its adjustable hop-up system and its detachable sling and foregrip, I think the real fun begins when it’s exposed to the rough terrains outside closed Quarters. 

Its continuous and/or semi-auto firing system might not be for the likes of many people, but it really does a great job of making the game-high intensity, fast-paced, and extremely focused. If you’re into something like that, make sure to check this one out. 

And finally, to top things off, its outdoor purposefulness is nicely complemented by its metal body. There’s a small weight as compensation, but it’s nothing that would be enough to bother you. In fact, I feel like the weight complements the continuous and semi-auto firing system. Keeps things more under control.

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Specifications 

Best premium

9.5

Verdict: With a quick spring system that allows you to change springs without disassembling the gun and an FPS that can be adjusted to 2 different values, this AEG is all you need to make your airsoft dreams come true.

If you require realism and performance from a top-notch AEG, then allow me to suggest Specna Arms EDGE.

This beast never fails to impress me every time I take it out for some fun shooting time. The material is high quality and extremely durable with scratch and a weather-resistant nano coat. The looks are perfect, the balance surprisingly good, and the color simply complimenting. 

With its default FPS of 380 and an optional switch-able FPS of 310, this is one of the best airsoft guns under $200 to be used both in closed quarters and open airs. This, along with its ESA quick spring system that doesn’t allow you to disassemble the gun for changing the spring, makes it super practical for all the high-intensity games we all are big fans of. 

Lastly, the built-in MOSFET X-ASR unit ensures that this gun remains highly durable for a very long time by increasing the components' safety and extending the batteries' half-life. It also ensures that the trigger response is dramatically enhanced as well.

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Specifications 

Best outdoors

9

Verdict: Featuring extensions that seem out of this world and promising to make games more fun, high intensity, and safe for you, the M4 SPR is a whole different experience outdoors. This is the only AEG you need to make your airsoft life whole again with a high degree of adjustability and a high-capacity magazine.  

Designed with a reinforced nylon polymer frame and furniture, this bad boy will satisfy all the requirements for some outdoor shooting fun.

The M4 SPR features upgraded handguards with removable handguard extensions, 200mm optic rail mounts, scopes, and magnifiers. Just the combination of all the things that make this the best fit for the outdoors. Plus, the quick deploy release upgraded flip-up front and rear iron sights is a cherry on top of all these excellent extensions that you never wanted but never knew how badly you needed. 

This AEG too features a quick change spring that makes changing springs almost effortless. A quick swift motion of the hands and springs has been changed without disassembling the gun. 

Its magazine holds around 300 rounds and considering its full-auto and semi-auto firing system, it should be more than enough for outdoors as long as you’re not firing into the void. 

Finally, it features a retractable crane stock, and I think it couldn't be a better addition, considering this beast’s adjustability. It just allows you to fit any battle situation almost effortlessly and without even putting too much thought into it. 

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Specifications 

What to consider before buying an airsoft gun under $200

Choosing an appropriate cheap airsoft gun is not as easy a task as it seems. It is all about choosing the right airsoft gun that perfectly matches your needs and can fit your budget.

There are some important factors to consider while selecting a budget airsoft gun, including caliber, power source, firing modes, and type of battery.

You will need to cut back on your expenses on things like full-metal bodies and high-quality metal internals. So instead, plastic body or polymer body, stock or half-metal stock is something you need to look at. 

This, in turn, means that you won’t be able to upgrade your gun as much as you could upgrade a higher quality airsoft rifle with a metal body and internals. 

Velocity

One of the most important things to look out for when choosing your budget airsoft rifle is its velocity. The FPS (feet per second) value determines how fast your gun can project BBs.

FPS is one of the major aspects that influence how precise your gun will be. Also, the more powerful your gun (more FPS), the more precise you’ll be when there’s wind or rain on the playing field. 

An average airsoft rifle should be able to shoot BBs with 350-400 FPS. But, since you’re looking for a cheap airsoft gun, anything starting from 300 FPS will do you just fine, especially if you’re keen on playing CQB (close-quarters battle). Meaning – if you will be playing indoors, where the distance is small. 

Power source

Airsoft rifles’ power sources can be classified as one of three different types: gas, spring, or electric.

The type of power source you choose for your airsoft rifle will depend on your style of play. For example, a spring gun with a bipod and scope is great for long-range, while a gas gun with a high rate of fire is good for mid-range combat.

Gas / CO2 powered airsoft rifles

These types of airsoft guns are powered by compressed carbon dioxide (CO2). When you fire an airsoft gun that CO2 powers, it propels a BB out the end of the barrel. 

The magazine of a gas-powered airsoft gun usually contains cartridges that contain the CO2 and allow you to simply insert a cartridge into the magazine and then another one into the chamber, rather than manually putting CO2 into each magazine. 

Gas-powered guns are generally more powerful than electric or spring guns because of how they work, but many players do not like them because they are “too powerful for a recreational sport.”

Spring rifle powered airsoft rifle (most often used for airsoft sniper rifles)

The third and final type of airsoft gun power source is the spring-powered gun. These guns are very simple because they do not have a motor, battery, or complicated mechanics. 

To make a spring gun fire, you simply cock it with your hands and then pull the trigger to release the spring, which causes the piston to hit the airsoft bb in the chamber. 

The major advantage of a spring-powered airsoft rifle is that it is much cheaper than gas or electric guns.

Non-gas airsoft rifles are usually spring-powered because they allow for powerful shots at no extra cost. They are usually accurate at long range but don’t have a high rate of fire.

Electric airsoft gun, aka AEG (automatic electric gun)

Electric airsoft rifles use a rechargeable battery to shoot the BB from the chamber when the user pulls the trigger. 

These guns are powered by electrical batteries that are usually stored in the stock of the airsoft gun. The batteries are then connected to the motor, which moves gears that pull back the spring on the piston, which causes the airsoft gun to fire. 

Although these are not as powerful as gas guns, they still get fairly decent power for recreational play. A big advantage to an electric-powered gun is that you can just turn it on and start playing without worrying about pumping it or manually cocking anything before firing.

These types of airsoft guns usually have full-auto and semi-auto modes. They also have a high rate of fire and can shoot very accurately at long range. 

The downside to electric guns is the cost of the battery, which usually costs as much as a standard gas gun’s co2 cartridge would.

The durability of the airsoft rifle rifle

The durability is an important factor for every purchase you make, not only your airsoft gun. Unfortunately, when looking for a budget airsoft rifle, which you are in this case, you won’t be able to get the highest quality full metal body and internals. 

Most budget guns come with a plastic body and stock and mostly plastic internal parts. Not to worry tho. Although your gun will be mostly plastic, there are some parts you can replace and upgrade later on once you are more accustomed to your gun and feel the need for upgrades. 

Stock material

The stock of your gun is quite important as it will be subjected to a lot of pressure during the heat of the game. The most common stock material for airsoft guns under $200 is plastic. 

However, a polymer or a metal stock will be much more suitable, especially if you’re playing an active, fast, rough game with lots of running, jumping, and crawling. 

Look for an airsoft gun with a polymer or metal stock. Ideally, it can be folded for close-quarter combat when it is important that you can maneuver easily and check the corners quickly. 

With a long airsoft rifle, it takes a lot more effort to sweep a room or move from corner to corner if you have a mile of the gun barrel in front of you that you have to get around. 

Gearbox

The gearbox is one of the most important internal parts of your airsoft gun. It does the most work and takes a lot of strain, especially on very powerful guns. 

If the gearbox is made out of plastic – not been such a big deal for some time. It won’t break unless you break the gun itself. However, it will wear down with time, and one day you might end up with it broken during a game. A metal gearbox is much more durable and will serve you well for a lot longer. 

If you buy an airsoft rifle with a metal gearbox – take note that you will be better off upgrading it to a metal one at some point. 

Outer barrel

Similar to the stock material, the outer barrel is one of the most important outer parts of your gun. It is the base on which the inner barrel is mounted. And it plays a vital role in the accuracy of your gun as well as your gameplay. 

The outer barrel stabilizes and protects the inner barrel. A plastic polymer material is good enough for the outer barrel. However, as with other important parts of your airsoft rifle – it is suggested that you upgrade it to a metal barrel at some point. 

Ease of use

If you are new to airsoft, I would suggest that you go for an AEG. Various popular airsoft gun platforms are easy to use, repair, and upgrade. An electric airsoft gun is best for new players because the internals is not as complicated as CO2 guns. They offer almost the same firing power and rate as the CO2 guns, and they are easier to maintain and fix.

Another super simplistic gun is a spring gun, but the firing rate is low and mostly used for sniper action.

One of them would be an M4. The most popular airsoft rile platform by far. It is easy to fix, and very compatible with other popular gun platforms and parts (meaning you can better upgrade it and find parts easier and for less money). 

Accuracy

It is not easy to determine how accurate your airsoft gun will be once you buy it. Since you don’t have the chance to try the gun out before you buy it. But, there are a few things that can help you estimate the accuracy (or its potential accuracy) of your airsoft gun before you buy it. 

Of course, one of the key influencers is the FPS – the higher it is, the more powerful and precise your gun will be. But the accuracy of an airsoft gun is not only dependent on the FPS. Some things can improve the accuracy without extra FPS – a hop-up, the size of your barrel, and the BB weight. More on that a bit further down in this article. 

Now, once you have your gun, you will likely need to zero in on any sights you might want to attach to it. If not sure how to do that, ask around in your airsoft community – someone will be able to help you.  

Hop-up

A hop-up is a bump made of rubber on the upper side of your inner barrel. This is a simple addition to your gun barrel that puts a backspin on the BB, sending it backward. It’s a phenomenon called the “Magnus force” – look it up.  

Doing that relieves the pressure from the upper side of the BB and increases the pressure on the lower part of the BB. This sort of “lifts” the BB up a bit. Well, maybe not “lift” it, but it doesn’t allow the wind to push it down along the way. 

That’s the short explanation of this part of your airsoft rifle. 

There are several hop-up types. And you can upgrade your hop up if you feel the need for it. You can also adjust your existing hop-up to fine-tune your gun, make the BB go further, and stabilize the BB better. 

So, there are many variations of hop-ups, but there are only three types of them out there:

1. Standard hop-up

A standard hop-up is equipped with most budget airsoft rifles. So the chances are – you’re going to have just that. But you can always upgrade it at a later stage once you’ve improved your gameplay. You can adjust this hop-up type for your needs. 

2. Flat hop-up

This hop-up is similar to the standard hop, but the surface of the flat hop-up is elongated, providing more contact for the BB and better stabilizing it before it’s propelled out of your gun’s barrel. You can also adjust this hop-up similarly to the standard hop – by moving the arm attached to the nub.

3. R hop-up

Now, an R hop-up type is the most difficult one to install. But it also gives you the best results. Instead of a rubber bump for the standard hop, or a rubber pad that works for the flat hop, the R hop utilizes a sort of reversed “U” shape rubber saddle. It cups the upper half of the BB, giving more contact and stability to the BB. 

So, whenever choosing a budget airsoft rifle – be aware that you’ll get a standard hop-up on it. You can adjust it, of course, to increase the accuracy, but with time, you’ll want an upgrade on this part. 

Barrel length

To be honest – barrel length does not influence the accuracy of your gun. There have been many discussions regarding this topic. Some say it does. Some say it doesn’t. 

The gun that you buy online from a certified seller will have the right barrel length on it. What you can do here is try to upgrade the barrel – increase or decrease its length. Here is where the length of the barrel can come into play. 

If the barrel is too short, it might not be long enough to stabilize the BB. On the other hand, it might decrease the FPS if it is too long, thus reducing your firing range and accuracy by extension. 

You can upgrade your barrel if you feel like it, just make sure you do the research and find out the appropriate length before you do. 

BB weight – an additional factor

BB weight can influence your gun’s accuracy. However, it is an additional factor that doesn’t depend on the gun or its parts. Just remember – if the BB is too light or too heavy, it will either move around too much once it has left the barrel or will fall short of your target if it is too heavy. 

The average BB weight used in a game is 0.20g, but you can go up to 0.25g without worrying if you’re using an airsoft pistol or an AEG rifle. And even heavier BBs are used for airsoft sniper rifles. 

Conclusion

Following our buying guide, you should be able to make an educated purchase, even if you don’t choose any of the rifles that we suggested at the beginning of the article. The most important thing is to check for the quality of the gun materials. Plastic is fine for the outer parts of the gun, but metal is best for inner parts, like the gearbox.

In time you can upgrade your existing rifle with better parts, like the barrel, gearbox, etc. But as a beginner – you can easily buy a great airsoft rifle for under 200 USD.