I have had an assortment of guns over the years, from high end custom builds (that I destroyed) to sub $200 guns (that I destroyed).
Honestly now, after getting a basic and growing understanding of what it takes to make an airsoft system accurate and reliable, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt ......I have NO FUCKING IDEA.
It's a crap shoot, but the new cheaper guns are actually taking longer for me to destroy them, and are more accurate, in my opinion. But my $1400 Systema is my love gun, it works 100% of the time and is a nail driver.
Roll the dice bro. This sport is expensive because of the costs of gear and the cost of learning (READ: making mistakes)