Airsoft

High intensity, high adrenaline, non-stop energy all leading into head-to-head competition! All this while keeping yourself and your team focused on the single objective at hand, “take no prisoners”. Airsoft Gaming, very similar to Paintball gaming, is becoming widespread and at the same time a worldwide sport. There are many forms, regulations and simulations that the Airsoft enthusiast can participate in but nothing compares to the realistic features and experiences involved in Airsoft Gaming.

Airsoft Gaming took its roots in the East and has been moving to the West for the better part of 20 years. While slowly becoming popular in the US, one can find dedicated Airsoft Gamers from California to Florida and everywhere in between. This sport has become a great event for big corporations to offer to their employees as a fun adventure day, and is even found at small events like birthday parties hosting only ten people. Men and women, old and young alike, can participate in a great heart racing, strategy-involving, team-building activity.

Many Airsoft enthusiasts participate in standard Skirmish games, Mil-Sim games, or impressive Mock Battle games. Skirmish’s are usually run like the following: two teams trying to kill off the other team in any variation ranging from capture the flag, siege fights, or last-man standing. While Mil-Sim’s look like the following: role-playing variations and focus on strategy and tactic rather than speed. Finally, Mock Battle’s look like the following: they are structured to simulate a famous battle. Whether the battle mimics something from WWII or something from the Gulf War, it can look like the real thing. Because Airsoft guns are replicas, the participants can put regulations on the Airsoft gun and equipment correlating with the specific time period.

So what does it cost? Well, depending on where you decide to go you can pay anywhere from $15-20 for gun and equipment rentals, plus an extra $5-10 for ammo, and, finally, a small fee of $20-30 to use the property. These are not set prices for any one Airsoft Gaming location just estimates. There are typically discounts for group’s or special occasions. All in all it is a great way for bonding, team building, or just having fun. Whatever worries you have you can blow off your steam while unloading a magazine of 6mm plastic BB’s firing up to 600-900 rounds-per-minute in a safe, non-lethal environment.

It is important to note that with Airsoft Gaming come necessary precautions; all Airsoft Gaming locations will have specific safety requirements. Some general safety precautions and highly recommended safety equipment are for eye and face protection. Wearing some form of heavy clothing is advisable for the rest of your body. Some enthusiasts even use a scarf or handkerchief to protect their necks, while others just go commando wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. It depends on the player, but always remember eye protection is imperative no matter where you are playing.

Finally, I don’t endorse using public property while participating in your Airsoft Gaming experience, although I have heard of teams playing in abandoned buildings, golf courses, and fields. If one wants to participate in this sport in a public place, keep in mind that a group of people flashing 1:1 scale replicas of real firearms could potentially get themselves into trouble. Always remember to make sure that your orange tip on your Airsoft gun is visible and easily seen by spectators. To those who choose to participate in a private closed field, enjoy your Airsoft Gaming and continue to support the fastest growing sport in America.

Airsoft vs. Paintball

Airsoft and paintball are pretty similar sports, and they can be played exactly the same way. There are a few key differences, such as that airsoft is used more in military and law enforcement reenactments than paintball. In this sense, gameplay can differ, but people use paintball guns for reenactments as well (just not as often). If you look at the big picture, the games aren’t that different, but sometimes strategy and tactics must be changed depending on the specs of your and your opponent’s gun.

The guns used in airsoft and paintball differ greatly. Paintball guns have a hopper that you pour paintballs into, while airsoft guns use clips. Therefore, loading and unloading is usually easier in airsoft, as is carrying around extra clips. In paintball, you need to have a vest or belt to put large cylinders of paintballs into. That doesn’t mean that airsoft has paintball trumped in this category. Paintball guns can usually carry more ammo than an airsoft gun, and you can still reload relatively quickly.

Ammunition; paintballs in paintball, 6mm BBs in airsoft. This is an important thing to consider. In a forest, there are many tiny branches that can break paintballs, thus stopping them from reaching their target. You have to find a very open area without any obstructions. Airsoft pellets are very small and the likelihood of them hitting tiny obstacles is miniscule. Also, in many cases they can be more accurate than paintballs, so it may not take as much time for a game to end as it might with paintball. The speed, in FPS, of airsoft is also usually higher (between 300fps and 400fps). It can be as low as 120fps, but that isn’t very efficient in an airsoft game. Paintballs can also be dodged; it doesn’t happen often, but if you see one coming toward you in advance it is easy to move out of the way. Airsoft pellets are too small to see at a high-speed, and dodging is basically out of the question. Therefore, overall, in the case of ammunition, airsoft has the advantage.

The next item on the list is maneuverability. Airsoft guns are definitely easy to hold and run with, while with paintball there are big and bulky external CO­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­2 and N2 (or compressed air) containers. Also, the hopper can sometimes get in the way. One gets used to how paintball guns are made, but shooting an airsoft gun is, well, somewhat of a relief. Some people have made advanced apparatuses where CO­2 is on their backs, and a tube from the paintball gun coils around into the tank on their back. I personally saw a man with two paintball guns, each with two tubes extending from the guns to the back-CO2 tanks. It was pretty cool. Anyways, it is clear that airsoft beats paintball in maneuverability.

Another important thing is maintenance. Paintball guns you do need to oil, clean, and of course refill CO2­ (depending on how much you play, frequently). If you have a gas airsoft gun, that will also needed to be refilled, but electric and spring airsoft guns require no gas at all. Both kinds of guns can break if not properly maintained. Paintball guns need the barrel regularly cleaned, although that is relatively simple. Most of the time, paintball guns have more parts than airsoft guns, and they may be more costly to repair, but crucial problems rarely occur in either gun type.

The thing about airsoft is people can cheat very easily. In paintball, the ball explodes and the paint is very visible on the person. Sure, one could wipe off the paint, but people rarely risk it because if they are caught, well, they are in trouble. However, somebody can get hit in airsoft and just shake it off. If there are two very competitive people playing, and they keep getting hit, one or the other can’t really prove it, unless they are close enough up to see the pellet hit the person. Airsoft relies on the honesty system, and sometimes that isn’t enough. 6mm paintballs are always an option, but they can break in the barrel, and that causes problems.

The superior product really is a matter of opinion, as there is no clear-cut winner. Each type of gun has its own advantages and disadvantages. Usually, if you start with paintball, you’ll stick with paintball, and likewise with airsoft.

Types of airsoft Guns

There is more than one type of airsoft BB gun. Generally, most airsoft BB guns can be thought of as replicas: they are like “toy” counterparts of “real” firearms. The main types of of these guns are spring powered guns, electric airsoft guns, and gas powered guns.

Spring powered airsoft BB guns:

When you use one of these guns, you must manually cock it. When you cock it, a spring is compressed inside the piston, making an airtight seal when released. When the trigger is pulled, the piston is released, and a high pressure area is created behind the BB which projects it down the barrel and out toward the target. Spring powered airsoft BB guns must be cocked before every shot. They are generally less expensive than other airsoft replicas.

Electric airsoft BB guns:

These are the type of gun that you will most commonly see used in the sport. Unlike spring powered airsoft BB guns, the cocking action is automated in an electric airsoft BB gun. Generally, one of these guns will be powered by a rechargeable battery pack.

Gas powered airsoft BB guns:

To propel the BB, gas powered airsoft BB guns use… well… gas. Pressureized gas, stored in a liquid form in a chamber is released into the firing chamber where it expands a great deal in volume and propels the BB. A blowback gun is generally more expenive than a non-blowback one (a blowback airsoft BB gun is one in which the gas essentially blows back, after propelling the BB, to cycle the internal mechanism, resetting it for the next shot.) People like the blowback slide action on the gun, because this makes an airsoft pistol seem even more realistic.

Airsoft BB guns have become very popular since the days when they were very first introduced. This is because they are seen as a much safer, yet still accurate, counterpart to regular BB guns. Airsoft BB guns are even used in a sport similar to paintball, in which the BBs are shot at people!

The airsoft BBs are not made of metal like regular BBs. Rather, they are made of soft plastic that comes in many different colors. You should not try to reuse airsoft BBs (this is both dangerous, and it will degrade your gun.)

When buying airsoft BBs, look for biodegradeable ones. They will decompose in less than a year whereas traditional airsoft BBs can take around 5 years to decompose.

Airsoft BBs come in various weights. The lighter the BB, the further it will travel, but the less accurate it will be. The reverse is true of higher weight BBs. Therefore, most people tend to use airsoft BBs that are of .20 or .25 gram weights. These are a great combination of both accuracy and range.