I’ve been thinking about this a lot myself and I find that us airsoft-ers can fall into the same trap as real steel gun collectors, in short, way too many guns that do the same thing or play the same role. Right now I own an MK18 block III (Arcturus) an AK-105 “Alpha AK” (Cyma) an XCR-C (Echo 1) and a P90 (Classic Army) and a tri shot m1014 shotgun.

I’m thinking about slimming down my collection too but here’s what I think players new and old should pick up

2x Carbine rifles (M4,AK, etc.) - in 10.5” or 14.5” -these platforms have ample rail space are not ridiculously long they can’t be used in CQB and with their barrel lengths and a spring change carbines are good CQB/outdoor/milsim guns and adequate for any rifleman role with a little work a mock supresor or a second upper you can DMR them

1-2x SMG,PCC, or PDW (MP5, MP7, P90, CQB M4, etc.) - these are small 6-9” guns their mags are cheap you can carry a lot of them, and perfect for indoor fields or vehicle crewmen work at milsims -some milsim events and fields have an SMG class that lets you go full auto if the gun is between 300-350 FPS and 1J - popular platforms have a lot of accessories available - but battery space can be tight so these guns lean towards GBB or Lipos - I am currently looking to do a modernized MP5 or CAG MP5SD6 build for high speed, vehicle or CQB work

1 Sniper,LMG,Shotgun, or GL -this was hard to nail down, these guns can be powerful game changers in the right situation, an LMG can suppress especially in games where rifleman can only go semi-auto. Sniper can do recon or just scare players due to their presence. Multi-shot shotguns especially gas ones can keep peoples heads down in CQB. The louder sound of a gas shotgun in CQB has presence and will make opposing players think twice about grouping up or moving in the open. Grenade launchers are great multi tools shower shells give you a shotgun blast, taggin rounds give you pyrotechnics, football or foam rocket rounds give you anti-vehicle capabilities. -BUT THESE WEAPONS ARE ALL HIGHLY SITUATIONAL AND HAVE A LEARNING CURVE
-LMG expensive, can be heavy and consider the weight of what you’re buying -shotgun, can be cheap gas versions are $130 and up, very short range and eats gas or requires a lot of shells - Sniper, requires practice, heavier BBs and scopes are expensive, not useable on all fields or have a limited number of spots - GL, launcher can be expensive, but the shells definitely are and require a lot of BB’s and green gas. While all other guns on this list can be primary weapons this gun is an impractical primary

2x pistols of your choice - second weapons, good for room clearing, easy to loan to a friend, sometimes can be full auto

In conclusion start with a carbine, SMG, and pistol and money permitting built out from there. Remember that every good build has a light or optic and make sure you’re kit can be modular and easily accommodate other magazine types

Have fun be safe out there, and please let me know your thoughts