You may know that I already made a formula to determine scientifically "which gun is better, A or B" Since the scores are universal to all Airsoft guns, you could theoretically find out what is "the best gun" for the price, anyway.
Well I decided that it wasn't good enough and redid the whole thing, making it over 9,000 times as awesome! Yay for geekiness! Also, near the end I figured out something rather entertaining you should read for a good laugh.
New formula:
At first glance it's not all that much different, but it includes several more factors and all the individual factors are more refined as well.
Now I'll go step by step so you can determine the score of any gun you want.
FPS
6 0-100
7 100-200
8 200-280
9 280-340
10 380-450
11 340-380
(If calculating for a sniper rifle follow this chart instead - otherwise ignore this)
6 0-150
7 15--250
8 250-350
9 350-400
10 450-500
11 400-450
RoF
6 Spring bolt-action snipers
7 Gas bolt-action, spring pistols, spring rifles
8 Shotguns
9 Semi-only
10 Full auto (7.2v / slow 8.4v)
11 Full auto (fast 8.4v / 9.6v)
12 Full auto (Lipo / GBB)
Capacity (Go one tier higher if an extra mag is included and 2 tiers lower if it uses a hopper system)
8 0-29
9 30-49
10 50-199
11 200-500
12 500+
Accuracy (approximate inches spread at 50')
8 12"+
9 12"-6"
10 6"-3"
11 3"-1"
13 1"
Quality/Brand
7 Generic knockoffs
8 Crosman, Well, other low end brands
10 JG, CYMA, KWC, A&K, SRC, Dboys,
11 ICS, Echo 1, CA, G&G, KWA, King Arms,
12 Systema, G&P, TM, VFC,
Parts / Mag Compatibility
9 Proprietary
10 TM/CA compatible (any style)
11 TM/CA compatible (M4, AK, Mp5, etc.)
Accessories
9 Few or no accessories
10 Basic accessories (speedloader, unjamming rod, sling, etc.)
11 Basic accessories + Battery
12 Above and beyond accessories (scopes, foregrips, extra parts, etc.)
Size
8 Pistol
9 SMG / Shotgun
10 Assault Rifle
11 LMG / Sniper
Build
7 Cheap plastic
9 ABS with some metal
11 Polymer body
13 Full metal
Suggested BB type (of course you can use heavier, this is the lowest you should use)
7 .12 Cheap guns
10 .20 Most AEG's
11 .25 DMR's / low power snipers
12 .30 High power snipers
After multiplying each of those all together, divide it by 100,000,000
This will actually give you the suggested value.
If you divide that by the actual price, (average - each gun has a usual market value)
you will get the Performance/Value score.
Then add 0.3 to the "final" score. I realized they were all a little low and this amount brings all the scores to a reasonable level.
The V.1 P/V score was not so effective at judging guns in either extreme of prices (very high or low) but the new formula works well in any situation.
The best gun possible that could follow this formula would be:
A Systema LMG firing at 360 FPS on a Lipo that holds over 500 rounds, comes with an extra mag, shoots with <1" spread at 50', is compatible with all parts, comes with tons of accessories, is full metal and is also a sniper rifle. It would be valued at $606.36. Would you buy it?
I guess the moral there is you shouldn't be spending more than a couple hundred dollars on an Airsoft gun. You won't be getting much return for your money if you buy the really expensive guns.
An example of this is a JG vs a TM. A JG costs anywhere from $100-$200. A TM costs $300 bare minimum. Is a TM really twice as good for the money? Sure it's better, but it doesn't shoot twice as fast, last twice as long, shoot twice as accurately at twice the distance and do everything twice as well to really be worth that much more. You just get diminishing returns on your money the more cash you spend on one gun.
Enough of that though.
And just for kicks:
The cheapest gun possible that could follow this formula would be:
A generic knockoff bolt action spring pistol shooting at under 100 fps that holds 10 shots in a hopper that comes with no accessories, is made out of paper and is so crappy the dollar store is ashamed to sell it. It would be valued at free. Would you buy it?
Okay, maybe I let my imagination go a little free on that one. But you understand.
So for the scores, here's a basic chart to give you an idea of what to expect.
0.5 Pretty bad, probably not worth it
0.7 Not too good
1.0 Average value, nothing amazing, not bad
1.3 Good value
1.5 Awesome deal
Also, here is the range of retail prices you can accurately judge by the formula:
$10 minimum - $500 maximum
Now it will certainly be more accurate farther from the extremes but this formula works for pretty much all Airsoft guns worth buying. I'm now satisfied. The V.1 worked in a range half that size.
You probably didn't read all that but props to you if you did. If you did you are awesome. If not I'll shoot you with my Systema LMG firing at 360 FPS on a Lipo that holds over 500 rounds, comes with an extra mag, shoots with <1" spread at 50', is compatible with all parts, comes with tons of accessories, is full metal and is also a sniper rifle.