bobhaverford
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Did a search but was only able to find discussion of airsoft guns and equipment and no general description of just what they are. How do they differ from paintball? Thanks.
Dumb Question: What is airsoft?
- Thread starter bobhaverford
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lawson
Member
an airsoft gun is a BB gun that fires plastic BB's instead of metal.
Roadwild17
Member
Airsoft guns use air power which usually comes from a piston and spring combination and shoot small plastic balls, usually 6MM at speeds of about 300FPS.
rockstar.esq
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They are like a BB gun that shoots larger plastic pellets. The guns themselves generally have a striking resemblence to the real firearms they're modeled after. The velocity is generally paintball like approx 300fps. Although I've met more than one liar on that point. Either way I hope this helps.
Average Joe
Member
Toy guns.
Bartholomew Roberts
Member
Airsoft is not a rifle last time I looked...
Carl N. Brown
Member
Japan would not allow real guns or air rifles firing metal projectiles,
so entrerprising Japanese developed replica guns that fired a 6mm
plastic pellet and called them Airsoft to emphasis the soft pellets.
Or so the saga sayers tell.
Most airsoft guns sold here in the US are fairly realistic except for the
orange muzzle caps. Airsoft is used for training and short range
target and I have seen many military and police weapons in
airsoft replicas: handguns, submachineguns, assault rifles,
sniper rifles, and shotguns.
Yes, on the flea market circuit you can find cheap knock-offs
of Airsoft replicas.
Many Airsoft are full scale and are realistic enough to appear
convincing at a moderate distance.
so entrerprising Japanese developed replica guns that fired a 6mm
plastic pellet and called them Airsoft to emphasis the soft pellets.
Or so the saga sayers tell.
Most airsoft guns sold here in the US are fairly realistic except for the
orange muzzle caps. Airsoft is used for training and short range
target and I have seen many military and police weapons in
airsoft replicas: handguns, submachineguns, assault rifles,
sniper rifles, and shotguns.
Yes, on the flea market circuit you can find cheap knock-offs
of Airsoft replicas.
Many Airsoft are full scale and are realistic enough to appear
convincing at a moderate distance.
Carl.n.B has the sense of it.
I'll add that Airsoft can range from $20 single shot plastic 'spring gun" replicas of real firearms that fire 6mm plastic pellets at 200 ft/sec to gas or electric powered multishot semiauto metal replicas firing 6mm plastic pellets from 400 to 500+ fps that closely enough simulate actualy firearms that they take all the real accessories and cost in the hundreds of dollars.
Airsoft replicas in the US have required orange muzzel tips for a few years now, but that was not always the case and is not the case in all countries.
They 'allow' enthusiasts to spend a few hundred dollars to get replicas of firearms that would not be legal for them to own, selective fire 6mm pellet FN P90s in the U.S.; any gun just about in Japan, that they can shoot at limited range. Kind of the rubber sex doll of guns.
'couse, unlike the rubber sex doll you can still injure an eye with Airsoft so protective gear is needed when shooting whether target or force on force.
You also have to be aware that the guns look real on first glance and that brandishing an Airsoft replica gun can get you shot.
I'll add that Airsoft can range from $20 single shot plastic 'spring gun" replicas of real firearms that fire 6mm plastic pellets at 200 ft/sec to gas or electric powered multishot semiauto metal replicas firing 6mm plastic pellets from 400 to 500+ fps that closely enough simulate actualy firearms that they take all the real accessories and cost in the hundreds of dollars.
Airsoft replicas in the US have required orange muzzel tips for a few years now, but that was not always the case and is not the case in all countries.
They 'allow' enthusiasts to spend a few hundred dollars to get replicas of firearms that would not be legal for them to own, selective fire 6mm pellet FN P90s in the U.S.; any gun just about in Japan, that they can shoot at limited range. Kind of the rubber sex doll of guns.
'couse, unlike the rubber sex doll you can still injure an eye with Airsoft so protective gear is needed when shooting whether target or force on force.
You also have to be aware that the guns look real on first glance and that brandishing an Airsoft replica gun can get you shot.
I hear that!hso said:
I went over to a friend (well, acquaintance of a friend. Getting off to a good start already...) And when the guy answered the door he had a walther p99 in his hand.
Turns out it was an airsoft, but it looked EXACTLY like the real thing (no orange plastic bit).
I told him he needs to be careful with that thing. He asked why and I told him if he had answered the door holding that in a threatening manner there would have been a struggle and if he couldn't have explained himself quick enough, he might have gotten stabbed. He laughed.
I didn't.
He got the idea...
While he was in high school before going into the Marines, the neighbor had a group of kids that had force on force Airsoft "battles" in the area. We'er in a very rural pocket and are surrounded by ~ 100 acres of wooded private property. But, before I knew they were doing this there was almost a problem.
One day as I was driving down the isolated road we all share I caught sight of a couple of people off to the left in the woods carrying M4s and M16s. My foot went from brake to gas and my hand went towards my .45 before I saw the orange tips on the guns.
Kids may consider them to be toys, but if one of them points an Airsoft replica at someone who is carrying a firearm the kid may find out just how horrible a mistake that is.
One day as I was driving down the isolated road we all share I caught sight of a couple of people off to the left in the woods carrying M4s and M16s. My foot went from brake to gas and my hand went towards my .45 before I saw the orange tips on the guns.
Kids may consider them to be toys, but if one of them points an Airsoft replica at someone who is carrying a firearm the kid may find out just how horrible a mistake that is.
Omni04
Member
also, from the ones i have handled the orange tip is very sturdy. You can't just remove and replace it at will.
kjeff50cal
Member
hso said:
Pointing ANYTHING that looks like a firearm is considered assault even if it has an orange muzzle cap.
kjeff50cal
gremlin_bros
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i own one that uses pressurized gas and goes full auto using magazines for quick reloads mine looks like a mac9 with a suppressor and rides in a tactical thigh holster the can comes off like the real thing if it weren't for the orange tipped muzzle and the orange tip on the can it would fool most people. every cop i have shown it to says if it weren't for the orange tips they couldn't tell the difference. so if you get one be careful use some common sense.
bigun15
Member
I see airsoft guns as the substitute for real guns until you're old enough. That's my case anyway.
notupperwareplease
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Well, airsoft (when playing professionally, and when I say that I mean in an official group on an official airsoft/paintball field) gives you a place to mil-sim that you can't do anywhere else besides combat training in the Armed Forces. Airsoft isn't very well know, but if you are "in the know" there are units throughout the US in wide varieties and large quantities.
I've talked to a guy that is a retired Ranger, has real steel firearms, but still airsofts because of the mil-sim aspect. Personally, when I'm old enough to CCW, I'll probably still airsoft (if I'm not deployed). You do have to be careful though...they look extremely real, especially when you get into higher grade replicas (Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, Western Arms, etc.).
Plus...from a practical sense...mil-sim is good for sharpening the senses while having a bit of good fun. And if you have a replica that is similar to your normal carry weapon (in the case of a warrant officer I kind of know...carries an M16A2 on duty, and plays with one in mil-sim) it gives you the same feel as if you were packing the real deal (minus recoil and minute details of trigger pull...weights are very similar).
I airsoft, and I know several military personnel (retired, active, and reserves) that airsoft...so yea...this is just what I've picked up in my short tour in the sport.
I've talked to a guy that is a retired Ranger, has real steel firearms, but still airsofts because of the mil-sim aspect. Personally, when I'm old enough to CCW, I'll probably still airsoft (if I'm not deployed). You do have to be careful though...they look extremely real, especially when you get into higher grade replicas (Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, Western Arms, etc.).
Plus...from a practical sense...mil-sim is good for sharpening the senses while having a bit of good fun. And if you have a replica that is similar to your normal carry weapon (in the case of a warrant officer I kind of know...carries an M16A2 on duty, and plays with one in mil-sim) it gives you the same feel as if you were packing the real deal (minus recoil and minute details of trigger pull...weights are very similar).
I airsoft, and I know several military personnel (retired, active, and reserves) that airsoft...so yea...this is just what I've picked up in my short tour in the sport.
bobhaverford
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Thanks for all of the replies. I have another question: Which is more realistic, airsoft games or paintball games and why. Thanks again.
Coltdriver
Member
My son is in the military in North Carolina. I went out to visit him this past weekend.
I dropped him off at a mil sim airsoft game north of Charlotte where there were about 150 people in teams all out to airsoft kill each other.
My son practices with some of the Army special forces people. They have all the serious military gear and play at night with night vision goggles.
The guns that my son and his friends have could not be distinguished from the real mc coy unless you held them.
These sims are a way to play serious war games. Everyone takes the games to a level they are having fun at. That is a range from fairly casual to pretty close to professional.
I dropped him off at a mil sim airsoft game north of Charlotte where there were about 150 people in teams all out to airsoft kill each other.
My son practices with some of the Army special forces people. They have all the serious military gear and play at night with night vision goggles.
The guns that my son and his friends have could not be distinguished from the real mc coy unless you held them.
These sims are a way to play serious war games. Everyone takes the games to a level they are having fun at. That is a range from fairly casual to pretty close to professional.
bobhaverford said:
Airsoft
notupperwareplease
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Airsoft. Definitely.
Disclaimer: The following opinions are based off personal experiences and the experiences of people I know firsthand. They are not meant to offend a participant of either sport.
Paintball appears to be an adrenaline-fueled game for rich and arrogant kids. They go spend thousands of dollars on a high-end gun, deck themselves out with bright-colored uniforms (look like racecar drivers), and go trigger happy. The game is decided on independent agility and ROF (and in the case of "pro's", the occasional factor of aiming). The guns are not replicas, and most lack iron sights. Even the supposedly realistic scenario games (woodsball or whatnot) are more like crash through through the brushes and unload your hopper.
Airsoft tends to draw a more diverse, respectable crowd. Participants gear up with tactical gear much like that of real soldiers, wear real camouflage, use replica firearms that are pretty realistic except for minute details (mag capacity, material composition, etc). "Professional" teams employ military/SWAT tactics (depending on game set- woods or CQB), move in actual formations, coordinate using radios,etc. Some SWAT/PD's and the like actually use airsoft for tactical training. I can't cite an actual organization, but if anyone is really interested to know who, I can ask on a Houston-based forum that I frequent.
I've played both. I stuck with airsoft. Definitely more realistic.
Disclaimer: The following opinions are based off personal experiences and the experiences of people I know firsthand. They are not meant to offend a participant of either sport.
Paintball appears to be an adrenaline-fueled game for rich and arrogant kids. They go spend thousands of dollars on a high-end gun, deck themselves out with bright-colored uniforms (look like racecar drivers), and go trigger happy. The game is decided on independent agility and ROF (and in the case of "pro's", the occasional factor of aiming). The guns are not replicas, and most lack iron sights. Even the supposedly realistic scenario games (woodsball or whatnot) are more like crash through through the brushes and unload your hopper.
Airsoft tends to draw a more diverse, respectable crowd. Participants gear up with tactical gear much like that of real soldiers, wear real camouflage, use replica firearms that are pretty realistic except for minute details (mag capacity, material composition, etc). "Professional" teams employ military/SWAT tactics (depending on game set- woods or CQB), move in actual formations, coordinate using radios,etc. Some SWAT/PD's and the like actually use airsoft for tactical training. I can't cite an actual organization, but if anyone is really interested to know who, I can ask on a Houston-based forum that I frequent.
I've played both. I stuck with airsoft. Definitely more realistic.
WillBrayJr
Member
There are just about as many airsoft replicas as there are the real thing. Anything from Colt pocket autos, snubbie revolvers to M-60s and Miniguns. There's always a brand for every budget.
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