It's that time of year where hobby blogs the world over start doing lists and breakdowns of things to buy, top articles or events and other round ups of what went on during the year. That means it's also time for us to do the same. While the holiday last week meant we couldn't get you a friday review as we usually do, we'll be hitting you with a double dose this week, so stay tuned for our next top secret review!
For now, we'd like to take a reflective look back at the first year of Airsoft Rifle's review history and break down some of our favorite airsoft guns we looked at in 2019.
This HFC Flintlock was by far the weirdest gun we looked at in 2019. It definitely was not a practical skirmishing rifle, it shot way too hard for field play, and might have been the most impractical loading mechanism of any gun we reviewed. However, what it did do was capture our imagination and do exactly what it said on the tin.
We reviewed tons of rifles this year, and a few hand guns, but this took the award for "most fun gun to shoot in the back yard" and we couldn't help but don a festive pirate hat, shout at the scurvy steel targets we had set up, and open fire!
See our review, Here.
The Amoeba Striker won us over for being one of the best iterations on one of the oldest styles of airsoft guns on the market. What the Striker did that no other rifle we looked at this year did was take a gun that hasn't seen any worthy innovation in decades, the spring sniper rifle, and instead of re-invent the wheel, make it so much more user friendly than it has ever been.
The Striker scored high marks for performance in our testing, but earned a spot on this list for how easy it was to take apart, and figure out without ever needing to open up a tutorial video or crack open the manual. The way it lays the internal components out in the housing without having to remove a never ending supply of body screws (and that it included the tools you needed too) is something we wish more companies would consider thinking about when they design new rifles.
Check out what we had to say HERE.
Wolverine continues the trend of innovative guns winding up on our Top 5 list. While the MTW might have been one of the most boring guns to pull a trigger on because of the complete lack of any kinetic feedback when you shoot, it made up for it with raw performance and clever design.
The way the MTW opens up to reveal a custom-tailored receiver to house the Inferno unit included inside was the next logical step for HPA powered rifles, and gives this gun an unparalleled level of tight tolerances and high performance. This was easily one of the best built guns on this list, and once you see how far this gun can really sling plastic, you won't complain about the lack of any recoil or vibration like you'd get from a standard AEG.
You can read our thoughts, HERE.
Lancer Tactical's Gen 2 series of AEG rifles really doesn't need much introduction for anyone who has bought an entry level gun in the last year or so. What these rifles did to earn a coveted spot on our Top 5 was up the ante on what a "starter" gun could be.
Years ago, you would have paid the same amount of money for a combat machine and been okay with mediocre performance and that was just fine. Now though, with the advent of these Gen 2 rifles from Lancer Tactical, you can expect to hit much farther targets with much greater accuracy and power, and get some pretty wicked rifles to boot.
Don't believe it? Check out our findings HERE.
It shouldn't surprise any reader of this blog that the Elite Force 416A5 was the "save the best for last" pick. We called this gun about as close to a perfect AEG as anyone has managed to manufacture, and we meant it.
The 416A5, made by VFC and distributed by Elite Force features a level of detail and finish that no other AEG we reviewed this year has even been in the same ball park of. While VFC had a gun we definitely failed in the MP7, the 416A5 shows that when you're not trying to invent something brand new, you can definitely knock it out of the park and make something tried and true into something truly perfect. Every airsofter needs a gun of this caliber in their collection. Full stop.
See what gave it top marks right HERE.
This list only encompasses the guns we've reviewed as of this point in 2019. We still have all of December to go (and we've got some cool stuff lined up for the end of the year) as well as all of the reviews in 2020 to look forward to.
Make sure you're subscribed to all of our social media channels on Instagram and Facebook for more details! Did we leave your favorite review off? Let us know!