Is shooting airsoft pistols instead of the real thing,for training good or bad.

[sonier]

I would love to hear some views on this one, personally i think trigger time in any gun is good practice BUT a airsoft pistol has little or no recoil, so if you bought a look alike to your "CARRY" piece, and you trained extensively, would this mess you up? Follow up shots are a breeze in airsoft but a real pistol has recoil and last thing i want to do is double tap and my second shot miss due to recoil.
I added this part because of the info i have been reading,
If you do train with airsoft, how do you go about practicing, what is your techniques and how do you find this usefull to you?

LETS KEEP THIS A CIVIL THREAD PLEASE, no flaming.

 

[Mags]

has little or no recoil, so if you bought a look alike to your "CARRY" piece, and you trained extensively, would this mess you up?

You said it, not to mention difference in trigger pull and reset as well. I contemplated buying a 22lr upper for my AR for training purposes but for the reason you stated I decided against it.

 

[EddieNFL]

Well, there are others aspects to training besides recoil conditioning. Some HM action shooters train with airsoft. Some trainers use airsoft as it provides the sensation of being shot at.

 

[smince]

I use gas blowback airsoft in force-on-force training. It also allows for shooting on the move and drawing practice that most ranges don't allow. I can also practice in my garage or backyard almost any time.

 

[sonier]

I actually like the idea of using a replica airsoft for quick dawing, makes since but id stay away from firing, airsoft is inaccurate, what if the wind blows and moves the bb 5 inches? and the bb will not shoot the same as my 125 grain HP. I may look around for a replica for practice in drawing, it seems much more safe, drawing a pistol and firing live rounds fast as you can, this can be very dangerous.

 

[smince]

what if the wind blows and moves the bb 5 inches?

Don't use the AirSoft for 25yd targets. But for close range, less than 10 yds that most fights take place at, they are plenty accurate enough.

 

[sonier]

but with firing we are back at the recoil question, is lack of recoil going to effect using a real firearm?

 

[lions]

...is lack of recoil going to effect using a real firearm?

I doubt it. There are enough people here that shoot a wide variety of guns and calibers, most of which probably have different amounts of recoil, among other things. Just don't practice your double taps with air soft, instead practice your trigger control. I shoot a great deal of .22 and I can see the training benefits translate nicely to 9mm and .357, etc.

 

[9mmepiphany]

but with firing we are back at the recoil question, is lack of recoil going to effect using a real firearm?

not if you understand that the trigger press is cued by the sights returning onto target...you need to use a gas operated gun to get some sight movement

i use an airsoft Sig 226 for presentation practice and mag changes. it also works well for indoor tactic practice...as long as you can avoid spraying

 

[Quiet]

A few LE agencies in my area have been using airsoft (high quality GBB pistols) for indoor force-on-force training.

 

[Manco]

I would love to hear some views on this one, personally i think trigger time in any gun is good practice BUT a airsoft pistol has little or no recoil, so if you bought a look alike to your "CARRY" piece, and you trained extensively, would this mess you up?

It depends on the person, of course, and what types of training one requires and expects to be able to accomplish with an Airsoft pistol. For example, if one is still striving to achieve decent combat accuracy, needs a lot of practice in order to do so, and owns a decently accurate Airsoft pistol (preferably of similar weight to the real thing, or at least with some heft), then shooting it extensively can only help, in my opinion. It probably wouldn't hurt anybody else to do so, either, but if one is reasonably proficient already (in slow fire) and can get range time on a fairly consistent basis, then I'd prefer to practice with .22 LR or larger, obviously; that said, I shoot Airsoft whenever I feel like it and it doesn't seem to hurt me any. The key is to practice at the range enough to maintain familiarity with recoil and the other effects of shooting firearms.

I also use an Airsoft pistol to practice rapid sight picture acquisition and getting off the first shot as quickly as possible. Actually shooting it at a paper target helps verify the accuracy of my aim at speed, and it's great to be able to do this at home any time I want and at extremely low cost. The result seems to translate to shooting the real pistol in this regard as well as rapid fire, which I only train for at the range, of course--gotta have recoil and muzzle blast & flash for that, but being able to reacquire the sight picture quickly certainly helps.

With regard to trigger control, I prefer to dry-fire the real pistol with snap caps and a laser attached to judge how I'm doing--I use an extremely cheap Airsoft laser sight (took it off a pathetically low-quality Airsoft pistol I bought on clearance for a couple of bucks ) for this purpose since I currently don't own a combat-capable laser sight. Using an Airsoft pistol is OK for this purpose, especially if one needs a lot of practice in this area, but for achieving a fair degree of refinement, using the real pistol and a laser is probably the most effective training method; the only thing it won't help with is flinching, which one will have to diagnose and correct at the range using live ammo, of course (using a laser would help in this case, too).

 

[JoeSlomo]

Air soft, like dry fire, is an excellent SUPPLEMENT to an effective training program, however, it is not a SUBSTITUTE.

 

[Zundfolge]

I find if funny how many people will recommend a .22 for practice because of its low cost and low recoil, but then turn right around and poo-poo Airsoft for practice because they're cheap guns that don't recoil like a centerfire pistol.

Trigger time is trigger time and whether you're shooting .99 cent water pistols or high end IPSC rigs it still all comes down to fundamentals.

Maybe I'm wrong but it seems to me that Airsoft is a fine way to work on fundamentals when you can't get to the range.



One thing is very clear; shooting cans in the back yard with a cheap clear plastic Airsoft gun from Walmart is going to do SIGNIFICANTLY more to improve your shooting than posting on gun forums about how silly practicing with Airsoft guns is

 

[Justin]

The blog Pistol Trainer has a really well-written entry on using a .22 for practice and what skills translate from .22 to centerfire. Much of the same could also be accomplished with an airsoft gun.

.22 Training Pistols: Pros & Cons

Also, it's worth noting that a lot of highly ranked USPSA shooters are now using airsoft practice to supplement their training.

 

[sonier]

I find all of this very interesting, airsoft probally wont be much of help considering i can shoot any of my guns anytime i want, gotta love colorado and acreage, I reload my own ammo and shoot 100s of lead cast each week through my pistols. but nether the less I a enjoying hearing all of the views, it makes lots of sense.

 

[Boba Fett]

Considering the cost of a good, metal, near replica airsoft gun, you may as well get a 22lr pistol or conversion.

 

[Zundfolge]

Considering the cost of a good, metal, near replica airsoft gun, you may as well get a 22lr pistol or conversion.

Except that if I shoot a .22lr pistol in my back yard I get in as much trouble as if I shoot my centerfire pistols.

 

[CatsEye]

Air soft, like dry fire, is an excellent SUPPLEMENT to an effective training program, however, it is not a SUBSTITUTE.

That is exactly right. It has a place in my training program, and I know my Airsoft gun has helped me with my shooting. I use it to work on specific parts of my shooting. It has helped with shooting on the move. I don't need recoil to work on keeping the sights on target. I use it for target transitions to ensure I get quick but precise movement. Since I usually shoot IDPA, when I get ready for a steel match I set up my simulated plates and shoot them to get the sight picture and transitions ingrained. I always shoot reduced size targets at reduced distances. As long as the perspective of size and distance are similar it doesn't matter if I'm shooting an 8" plate at 10 yards or a 4" plate at 5 yards. Airsoft is a supplement to my training just like dry fire and other specific methods I use.

 

[possum]

i see a use for airsoft possibly for force on force training, which is a very very important aspect of defensive training but most people never take training in the first place especially something as none glamourous as FOF. as well they are normally "not very fun" and lots of folks don't do it, but they should.

that is about the only thing i would use one for, though i believe your carry gun fitted with simunitions is a better idea as it is the same trigger, size and everything to what you will be using in a fight for your life.

if i wanted to work on things like trigger control and such and really work at it on the cheap you could go with a .22 conversion kit. that is something that i do in my ar. but in my handgun i do lots of dry fire, and reload so i am able to shoot alot of full power loads, and keep up with my training and skill set that way.

 

[Boba Fett]

Except that if I shoot a .22lr pistol in my back yard I get in as much trouble as if I shoot my centerfire pistols.

That's what suppressors are for



But you are correct. If practicing at home is your primary goal, I'd still skip the airsoft. I'd use my actual firearm to practice with and some snapcaps or get something like this:
http://www.firstshotcounts.com/index.html

http://www.beamhit.com/ttg/m/_general/cat_dept_12.html

 

[MonthOfAngle]

It will provide you with additional training in drawing, presentation and natural point of aim (sort of kata), and it may be done at home without risk nor wear of your real gun. as for the trigger pull, some folks at the academy use a simple rubber band on the trigger and guard to increase pull.

 

[hso]

Is shooting airsoft pistols instead of the real thing,for training good

If you're working on trigger pull and accuracy, bad. There's nothing similar between them other than the fact it has a trigger and you'll gain habits that aren't good with the real thing.

If you're working on force on force dynamic training they can be very useful.

 

[rcmodel]

It must work pretty good.

There was a young Japanese fellow who came to the U.S. a few years ago and cleaned house on our top IPSC shooters. I forget his name right off hand.

He was not allowed to own or shoot real handguns in Japan.
So, he trained strictly with Airsoft guns before coming over on vacation, shooting borrowed guns, and beating a bunch of our top dogs.

rc

 

[sonier]

I am liking this thread a lot, I want to say thankyou for making this thread enjoyable to read everyone, Im going to change the original post slightly to add, if you train with Airsoft what training do you practice. Once again thankyou everyone hope this thread continues to be useful.

 

[Boba Fett]

It must work pretty good.

There was a young Japanese fellow who came to the U.S. a few years ago and cleaned house on our top IPSC shooters. I forget his name right off hand.

He was not allowed to own or shoot real handguns in Japan.
So, he trained strictly with Airsoft guns before coming over on vacation, shooting borrowed guns, and beating a bunch of our top dogs.

rc

I had not heard that, but it doesn't surprise me.

Some of the airsoft guns are crazy realistic if you're willing to pay for it:

$2780 - http://redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/a..._Ringo_Competition_Pistol_Full_Metal_Body.htm

Full steel lower receiver (with 2011 engraving), ported barrel with aluminum rear slide for quick blowback cycling action. The entire pistol was carved out of steel and aluminum using precision CNC machining. Very appealing silvery chromed surface for extra BLING. Authentic laser engraving on chamber block. Rigid and heavy framework, together with Full CL Airsoft Surgeon internal upgrades with many custom made parts, this weapon is capable of doing over 360fps of power using RED GAS. This pistol uses the original WA HI-CAP design (pre - SCW design) which all experienced airsofters know is far superior in terms of performance and reliability. Compatible with Top Gas also. STI grip with STI engraved mag well, custom CNC'd hammer and lightened safety for fast activation and deactivation (for competitive IPSC shooting). Beautiful CNC'd fish-scale pattern on slide gives you a firm grip for pulling the slide back. Fiber optic front sight.

We know this is a very expensive piece. It is a hand-bulit custom gun from the ground up with very little production parts. Recommended for IPSC airsoft shooters only and not for the casual player.

http://redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/a...n_Infinity_Open_Class_i_Gun_of_the_Year_i.htm
$1819

Built specifically for open class competitive shooting this Infinity has been fitted with a stronger recoil spring with 3 recoil spring buffers too enabling this pistol to double tap faster than you can blink, and with the large flared magwell, magazine changes is as easy as can be.

http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?products_id=2309


Some even have a blowback feature:
$2285 http://redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/a...n_Western_Arms_WA_SPR_MK12_Blowback_Rifle.htm