does anyone like airsoft?

mccavazos

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Oct 28, 2004
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Irving, Texas
Me an my three roomates all have cheap airsoft guns. 2 pistols, 2 shotguns, and one cheap mini-electric automatic. We have had a few airsoft skirmishes in our apartment. I use my Q3 mounted on the bottom of my pistol, and one of my roomate shas my River Rock 2AAA on his shotgun. We have alot of fun with them.
 

IlluminatingBikr

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Feb 26, 2003
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I'm going airsofting on Saturday, and go every few weeks with my friends. We usually play in the late evening, and then play a few games while it's dark with flashlights. All but one of us just have springers, but we are hoping to upgrade soon. It's pretty fun, but you gotta be safe.
 

JasonC8301

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I got 3 gas blow back pistols (one from KWC, one from western arms, and one from KJ I think) and shoot them every now and then. I probably spent ~$700 on the 3 pistols, gas, BB's, and slilicone.

Not a bad hobby since I can transfer the principles I practice on the airsoft onto the range. The weight and mold of the pistols are there. The kick back is something that is a serious issue though. It is just not strong enough. Durability too; I had to repair some parts here and there (mainly springs and loading chambers) after 10K BB's, same goes for the real steels, but airsoft is much cheaper. ~$15 for 5K BB's, vs. ~$25 for 50 bullets.

I punch paper with the airsoft I have, no shooting in open fields or outside. Just strictly 5-12 meter work of drawing, firing, and doing scenarios of walk/running and shooting.
 

cratz2

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Back when I had more money than I knew what to do with, I had a nice 1911 clone that cost like $270 I think. It was pretty nice but then we moved to where I could shoot the real ones whenever I wanted so it losts its appeal.

I still have a couple cheapies and just in the last couple weeks, I started setting a target up so I could shoot at it. Always wanted to get one of the cheap full autos. How do you like yours?
 

CLHC

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Dec 25, 2004
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PNW|WA|USA
Now this sport has a big following. A little known fact about airsoft is that it has been around much longer than paintball. It's roots is in Asia. It is a very popular sport around here and in Hawaii. I read somewhere that it was claimed that's where it's popularity in the U.S. grew from. There's AirSoftExtreme located near my area. Very interesting and EXPENSIVE these "toys" if you will. Especially the custom ones!

Other than that I don't know anything about it. . .
 

AJ_Dual

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May 7, 2005
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SE WI
I have a Tokyo Mauri FN-P90 "triple rail" like this one:

http://www.precisionairsoft.com/item918.htm

It's loads of fun, and much cheaper than paintball. I've got plenty of real firearms such as AR-15's, AK's and a FAL in my collection, but at the time I thought the FN P90 would never be for civilian sale. So choosing this was partly in response to that. (A semi-auto "real" P90 is coming out next year for about $1500 with a long-barrel that sticks uselessly off the front to make it US-civilian legal. Still expensive, and the ammo is too…)

I bought it from a friend who'd been a paintball buddy in the past, and turned me onto Airsoft. He runs a "Dungeons 'N Dragons" game store and carries paintball and Airsoft as well.

The ergonomics are great, it's one of the newer designs so the motor and gearbox had features older designs like the M-16 and MP5 copies at the time needed "upgrades" to get. The "real" P90 is not really the commando/SWAT weapon it's played up to be on TV. In reality it's original designed intent was to be a small, portable, and user-friendly defensive weapon for army's cooks, drivers, techs etc. who might get attacked, but 99% of the time don't need the full sized assault rifle. It's supposed to lay down lots of moderate powered, but pointy, lead keeping the enemy at bay until dedicated combat troops arrive to rescue them…

Since players are supposed to keep their Airsofts clocked at 300 fps or less, just like paintball, I also figured the smallest and most convenient package would also be good for play. The ballistics are also that of a round ball like any other BB, but in Airsoft they're given a downward backspin. Like a baseball pitcher throwing a curve ball, but upward instead of sideways, to fight the natural drop of gravity a bit longer. This flattens the trajectory somewhat and is called "Hop Up". Most good Airsofts have this feature. Since I have a red-dot scope on the sight rail of my Airsoft P90, there's also no advantage in a longer barrel like there would be with using iron sights.

Like it's real counterpart, the P90 has the non-traditional horizontal top-mounted magazine. I found it convenient for making magazine changes while prone under fire without having to lift up a bit like a normal rifle with the magazine on the bottom.

Before my kids were born, (two sets of twins in the past 18 months, so this is not that long ago…) we'd play in an old factory being used as a carpentry shop. One of my friends-friends worked there, and the owner was cool with letting us play in the unused areas on the weekends. Lots of fun, and not having to deal with paintballs or gas, made for more play, and less "get ready" time. As you'd imagine eye/face protection is a MUST. Otherwise, Airsoft BB's hurt less than paintballs, they have a similar velocity, but weigh much less. They will leave small welts on exposed skin. The one major drawback over paintball is that play is on the "honor system" so you'd better be able to trust the other players.

If you play indoors on a hard floor, I recommend hard knee pads (they're handy outdoors too) but you don't know the meaning of pain until you kneel down on your kneecap with a loose Airsoft BB between all your body weight and a concrete floor...


One excelent feature that you can add to Airsoft that might interest the Flashaholic:

You can buy after-market "silencers". In reality they're a Xenon flashcoil surrounding the flight path of the BB, tripped by an internal infra red beam. And you can buy GITD (Glow in the dark) Airsoft BB's which looks wicked-cool in a dark room or at night.

If you've watched "Lost in Translation" that Bill Murray movie set in Japan that won all those awards last year, there's the one scene where he and Scarlett Johansen are kicked out from a kareoke bar when their Japanese friends get rowdy. The barkeep drives them from the bar with an Airsoft with this feature. When that scene played my wife went all wide-eyed and, WTH?-like. (I could see the mental gears turning, "They have RAY-GUNS in Japan?") I quickly explained and we went on with the moive. :D
 
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Trashman

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I've been wondering about how it is determined in airsoft whether a person gets hit or not. With paintball, obviously you're going to see paint, but how about airsoft? It's seems like people would get hit and then say that they weren't. What are the rules governing this? Does an airsoft BB hurt very much? From how far out?
 

IlluminatingBikr

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Feb 26, 2003
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Airsoft is mostly about honor. You play with people that will call their own outs, and be honest.

Usually organized fields and/or teams will have rules about calling your own outs, and if a decent number of people (or a referee) believe that you aren't calling your own outs, then you will probably be asked to leave.

How a BB feels depends a lot on a few things. First it depends on where you get hit (bare skin or through some gear), how fast the BB was fired, and how far away you are. I've gotten hit on bare skin before, and you can definitely feel it - as well as through clothing. I have had some marks from where the BBs hit, which usually lasted a few days....nothing big or ugly though.

I'd say the max effective range for pistols lies around 100 feet, and maybe 150 or so for AEGs (automatic electric guns - usually shoot around 300fps). Sniper rifles can probably shoot decently to a maximum of 200 feet, since they are usually allowed to shoot at higher speeds than other armaments. I'm not a great judge of distance, so that might be off by a bit.

On the flip side, sometimes teams will have rules about "mercy killings." For example, if somebody with a high-powered sniper rifle sneaks up on you, and is 10 feet away from you, they might be allowed to call a "mercy kill" and render you hit, since being shot from that distance could be quite painful (perhaps dangerous), and the likelihood of them hitting you is so great anyways.

P.S. To anybody who plays...please be safe: always wear eye and mouth protection. A friend of mine who moved away told me about witnessing a friend of his find big chips of his teeth after being shot in the mouth with no protection on. Also a friend of my mom's is a nurse and had a patient who was shot in the eye by an airsoft BB and suffered permanent damage. So please, always wear eye and mouth protection!
 
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Navck

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Oct 15, 2005
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Southern California
Got Toyko Marui P90 (Reddot), battery is dead
Got a KSC Mark 23 replica, phase 2, aluminum slide. Broken due to gas seal being degraded to hell by "magical substance" (Not WD-40.) Also has crack in handgrip (WAAARARUGH! :()
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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Shepherd, TX (where dat?)
I still have many of the Springers I bought back when, and a few Gas pistols that pretty much don't hold gas anymore. My Best Springer is a Tokyo Marui S&W TSW1013. It looks quite real and shoots quite well.

My other TM was nice looking but broke badly.

My best Gas gun is a Blowback P99 (not here in front of me and can't go get it now). It was great fun and I hope to get it working again!
 

Elmie

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Mar 30, 2001
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Toronto, Ontario
I had a Tokyo Mauri H&K A3 G4, modded with a stronger spring, piston and metal shims and gears, oh and SS barrell as well. This baby pumped out at 420fps. The limit where I played was 350fps, so I had to tone it down a bit.

I hate people that stay in, after they have been shot at already. I once saw my buddy peg someone and he wouldn't leave, so he shot him stright in the goggles and he still wouldn't budge, finally my buddy just laid down a stream of BB's on him.
 

offroadcmpr

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Feb 3, 2005
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CA
I've done my share of airsofting. Started when I was 10 or 11. My mom was hesitant to let me buy one, but she finally did. She never regretted it. It got me out of the house so she could clean and have time to her self. I've gone through severeal springers and a gas fun. Lately if I play I will just borrow one of my brother's guns. Sometimes a gas mac11 which is pretty cool. Stronger than my friends TM MP5 and TM AK-47!!

Here is an interesting link that I thought was pretty funny. http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/BulletDetail?bulletID=29

They are a lot of fun to just shoot around in the back yard.
 

Darkcobra

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Mar 12, 2003
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Pittsburg, California
I've spent way too much time and money on airsoft, LOL....
3-19-05BlackHawkDowngame011.jpg

Blackhawk Down Scenario Game

M60.jpg

M60

db_DSCF05561.jpg

Vehicles used in the scenario
 

zespectre

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May 21, 2005
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Lost in NY
I have a few spring pistols. Marvelous training items to teach noob's how to handle a gun. Haven't ever actually played a game with them though.
 

Mags

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Oct 16, 2004
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NY
Im into airsoft. Hope to get a marui or classic army soon. Not sure which one.... my old springer broke, and i decided to get a better gun. There arent too many airsofters in NY because of all the local laws and requirements.
 
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