Airsoft
Think
paintball. It's usually the same general formats:
capture the flag,
elimination, and so on. But the fact that the
weapons are a far cry from your typical
paintball marker means that game
tactics are considerably different. You've got snipers who need a good hiding place and vantage point. Longer
barrels are more useful at longer ranges, but become
unwieldy when you're in a
close quarters combat (
CQB) situation. At that point, you'd better have a decent
sidearm with you.
Automatic pistols and small
submachine guns are the typical preference. Good
camouflage,
team tactics and aim are usually helpful; airsoft is a bit more
exclusive than paintball since it requires a much greater
investment of practice and
money (gear and
guns don't go
cheap). The
sport originated in
Japan, where the
weapons were first designed. No surprise, since they rely on extremely small and
high-performance parts, for which Japan has a good reputation of producing. The sport is in certain ways a response to the unrealistic playing style of paintball. Airsoft is the closest you'll get to a genuine simulation of
modern military warfare.
The Weapons
Airsoft guns are
replica firearms. They are nearly all modeled after
real-world weapons, and often function in a similar fashion. Some manufacturers go so far as to design their guns with the same rounds-per-minute capabilities as the real thing, and often purchase licenses for including the original
trademarks. It's no wonder, then, that they've endured a somewhat ambiguous legal status in many countries. They are usually made of strong ABS plastic, but
conversion kits allow you to make your weapons all-metal, increasing the sense of realism (and making them quite a bit more durable).
Automatic Electric Guns. Powered by
rechargeable battery packs hidden wherever there's room, which usually means the stock or foregrip, these are rated according to their
voltage and mAh (
milliamp-hours, ranging from 600 to 3000). Also, the larger the battery, the longer it'll last. Nothing's quite as frustrating as running out of juice during a heated shoot-out.
What, you may ask, does the difference in power affect? A just question. Airsoft guns are not all created equal, and certain models shoot farther and faster than others, typically according to the performance of their real-steel counterparts. AEG's propel
BB's by pulling back on a spring-loaded
piston, then releasing it to create a puff of air strong enough to fire the round. Long-range weapons need a stiffer spring, and thus a more powerful battery to make it function. It is also possible to upgrade the
internals of an AEG (indeed, it has became a popular
hobby and
business), so when you want to increase the
FPS (feet per second, in terms of how fast the BB goes) of your favorite stock gun, you're probably going to need a better and bigger power pack.
AEG's usually come in the form of
machine guns,
assault rifles and submachine guns (SMG's). In other words, electric power is best for automatic weapons. There are exceptions, of course - the famous H&K
PSG-1 sniper rifle is an AEG.
EBB's
Electric Blowback pistols are relatively new; they're meant to be a cheap substitute for
GBB's, which I'll mention further on. And cheap they are, with a price tag about a third (or less) that of their gas-powered counterparts. EBB's use regular alkaline batteries, usually inserted into the grip, that both power the BB and make the slide "blow back", as it might on a real
pistol. Unfortunately, these guns tend to be woefully
underpowered, and can't stand up to real GBB's.
GBB's
Gas Blowback guns remain pretty much exclusively in the realm of pistols and small SMG's. There are several reasons for this. One of them is financial: AEG
magazines are simple devices; they only need to be able to push stored BB's into the gun. GBB mags, on the other hand, are much more complex. They must also hold the compressed gas that powers the weapon, and release it in controlled bursts when needed. As such, they are made of much more durable materials, and cost many times what an AEG mag would. Basically, when your magazines empty in about 2 seconds of maintained firing, you want some inexpensive (and lightweight) spares close at hand. The price of GBB magazines makes this possibility rather
unviable. Also, compressed gas conveniently replaces explosive powder in pistols. In nearly every other way, they work exactly the same way real steel pistols do. The burst of gas propels the BB out of the barrel, as well as pushing the slide backwards, recocking the pistol and chambering a new round. When the magazine is emptied, the
slide locks back. A new magazine is inserted, the slide released, a new round chambered and the gun is ready to fire. Certain GBB pistols can even be disassembled into their component parts.
Again, there are exceptions. Most notably, the Ingram M-11 and
Heckler & Koch MP5K come in gas-powered varieties. I'm told the sound of automatic gas-gunfire (which produces a respectable *bang*) is quite satisfying.
The two most popular types of gas are the medium-powered
Green Gas and the much rarer, insanely powerful
Red Gas. The latter is rumored to be used for certain matches held in
Hong Kong, where a player is eliminated when they can no longer endure the
pain of being hit.
I've seen pictures.
Gas Non-Blowback (GNBB's?)
These include automatic pistols that simply don't have a functioning slide mechanism, as well as
revolvers. Airsoft revolvers are pretty simple. The shells may or may not be removable; a BB is inserted into each shell and gas into either the grip or cylinder. Since no energy is spent on kicking the slide back, gas non-blowbacks put more
oomph into the
bullet, usually resulting in more FPS.
Generally, sniper rifles use spring loading. This has the advantage of realistic bolt operation, and means that snipers can't get too many shots off in quick succession, a concession to the people under fire. Sniping in airsoft is no easy task. BB's don't travel at
supersonic speeds, so you have to compensate for distance with moving targets. There's also the fact that if your position is revealed, it's nearly guaranteed that you'll be put out of the game in short order. A single-shot long-barreled rifle and a semi-automatic
handgun don't stand much of a chance against an assault rifle that knows what it's after.
Spring Pistols
Springers, as they are often called, have to be manually cocked after every shot by pulling back on the slide to spring-load the pistol. "Springer games" aren't uncommon after a day of play. These are the cheapest variety of airsoft weapons.
These are a line of
cutesy,
miniaturized airsoft guns. They take regular ol'
Duracells, and have automatic fire. They aren't terribly powerful, however, and are usually just good for plinking around the house. Obviously not too
expensive.
Airsoft guns fire plastic BB's with a 6mm diameter. The differences come only in the quality and weight of the BB's, which ranges from .12 to .43
grams. Heavier rounds are more accurate due to their higher inertia, but don't go as far with the same amount of energy. It's essentially trade-off. The standard for medium-range rifles and pistols is .2 grams.
Airsoft BB's once came in a paintball variety. But 6mm paintballs are very hard to manufacture, and
misfires would totally gum up the inner barrel of a gun. Because these are no longer in use, airsoft skirmishes rely on the honor system for people to declare themselves eliminated. There are also exploding BB's in existence that pop like
firecrackers when they strike a hard surface. These, unfortunately, are only readily available in some parts of
Asia.
Airsoft guns are replicas. This carries a few advantages, one of which is the fact that you can add nearly any accessory that'll fit the real steel.
Scopes, lasers, red-dot reflex sights, slings. Of course, airsoft hobbyists don't usually need the precision and accuracy in their equipment that a
professional might, so you'll typically be able to find a far less expensive airsoft version of popular gun accessories.
The Gear
Milsim.
Military simulation. That's what airsoft is all about, and pretty much anything that serves well for the military will aid you in an airsoft
skirmish. Eye protection is an absolute essential, officially so in most clubs nowadays. And we're not talking about those funky glasses you wore to determine concentrations of
hydrochloric acid back in high school.
Ski goggles are liable to shatter. The safest route to take is anything designed for paintball; just be careful that the mesh covering your mouth won't let a BB through. Trust me; you'll be glad you have your whole face covered. A padded
baklava will also make dreaded shots to the ear and neck more bearable.
Anything past that is optional, but a lot of it can be very useful. Pick up some fatigues from your local
army surplus shop, they've got high durability (for those inevitable crawling-through-the-dirt situations) and
camouflage is always nice. Web belts and tactical vests are great for cantines and spent mags, in addition to MRE's and camping gear for extended games.
Tokyo Marui, based in Japan, is the largest producer and developer of airsoft guns and accessories. They set the standard for reliability and durability. Nearly anything they sell will be a dependable weapon right off the shelf.
Western Arms manfactures some of the higher-end (and higher-priced) items; their line of Infinity pistols has oft been called the "
Ferrari of Airsoft". Other companies with a good reputation include
KSC,
Maruzen,
Tanaka and
KuanJu (at least with their more recent products). Be wary of anything of an unfamiliar brand and unusually low price tag - in airsoft, quality is generally proportional to cost.
The sport of Airsoft has enjoyed wide acceptance in the US, no doubt because of the more extensive gun culture. In Canada, though, it's an altogether different beast. Replica firearms have a big potential to be used towards criminal ends, and since
Canadians are generally more adamant about gun control, the government can impose pretty tough legislation without fear of
reprisal. All the same, there is no concrete law regarding airsoft guns, and those who play are content to keep the sport mostly underground. With the popularization of paintball,
cheating and generally disregarding rules and tactics has become a serious problem. This has resulted in a certain degree of resentment on the part of airsofters towards those who play paintball. With airsoft, only those who really want to participate are able to do so.
Canada is a big place. Geographically, airsofters are few and far between. It's no wonder, then, that the community has found a suitable home on the
Internet.
Airsoft Canada (www.airsoftcanada.com) is THE place to go if you're looking to participate. Skirmishes and major events are all organized here, and information about Canadian
retailers exchanged (more on them later). The forums keep the community and various clubs in contact with one another.
Retailers
If the
police aren't likely to break down your door in search of airsoft equipment, their tolerance in rather lessened when it comes to importing it. The rule to live by is this: DO NOT BUY FROM OUTSIDE OF CANADA. Your purchases WILL be seized at
customs. Yes, there are rare cases where a gun will make it through. But it's not worth the hundreds of dollars your likely to spend to risk it. There is only one US retailer that can guarantee shipment. Airsoft Atlanta (www.airsoftatlanta.com) has a near perfect record of getting their wares into Canada. There are trade-offs, though: they will not ship AEG's over the border, and the shipping costs are through the roof (UPS, go figure). Canadian retailers are, generally, a much better way to go.
When I first decided to purchase an airsoft gun to eventually participate in some organized games, I was disappointed by the poor quality of Canadian retailer's websites. They weren't very well organized and the selection was limited. Don't be fooled, however. The Canadian airsoft community is very tight-knit, and most purchases and transactions aren't made through the offical websites. Most businesses are run by a single person who was lucky enough to acquire a movie liscence permitting the importing of props (guns), or some other such loophole. They are all active members on Airsoft Canada's forum, and that's where deals are usually sealed. There's even a section devoted to buying, selling and trading. The apparent lack of selection on their sites are due to the fact that they keep almost nothing in invetory, everything is ordered upon request. Keeping that in mind, they can find just about anything an airsofter could want.
It's easy to lack faith in that kind of market. But fear not. Although it might seem like these retailers have a lot of room to jerk their customers around, such is not the case. Any crooked deals, rare as they are, are reported in the forums. The retailer immediately loses at least a part of their good
reputation. But it doesn't stop there. Since sellers are more often than not avid players themselves, several people in the forums will likely know them pesonally, and pay them a visit if a situation isn't rectified. All things considered, it's safer to buy from them than from "official" retailers.
How to Get Involved
Once again, the place to go is Airsoft Canada. There's at least one airsoft club based in every major Canadian city, and if they've got a website, you'll find the link to it there. Otherwise, there's a section of the forum for game announcements. Though most clubs charge a fee to join a game, they're usually happy to have someone come and observe free of charge. Ask around.
A final tip - no matter what country you live in, don't parade your guns around in public places, or even anywhere near civilization. Horror stories abound of people who were doing something as simple as knocking over cans in their backyard, and the next thing they knew, their face was being shoved into the dirt by a SWAT team. IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK.
Thank you, and happy skirmishing.
Sources :
http://www.redwolfairsoft.com
http://www.airsoftcanada.com