[Etienne Hamel]

this topics is more for the opinion of the other members about the softair guns.

first, What opinion do you have for it? (good, bad, useless?)

then, do you think it is good for teenagers and adult ?

personaly i have 17 years old and i own one and it's cool to have it cause it remove all of my frustration and the price is cheap.
the model i have is a Sig Sauer P230 it's not very accurate when there is wind but i'm able to do almost every time a bullseye.

for the u.s.a or others here's a link: http://www.cybergun.com/

for canada: http://www.buyairsoft.ca/?gclid=CIWMiqSj6Y8CFQv1YAodmwwuiw

[Alexi Goranov]

This topic concerns items that are about 200 years later than the interest of most people here but I am going to indulge in some discussion.

Airsoft toys have some cool uses.

They are very popular among military re-enactors. There are some very expensive Airsoft guns that have full trademarks, are made of metal and are very hard to tell from the real weapon. so they give the impression of owning something as close to a real fire arm as possible while not needing any license. they are also safe to shoot your friends with as long as some safety precautions are taken such as wearing eye protection.

airsoft guns are widely used in "paint ball" like games where quite a bit of attention to detail is paid. Meaning that appropriate weapons and uniforms are used for the appropriate type of reenactment (WWI, WWII, etc). Keep in mind that some Airsoft guns can cost close to $2 000. this can be a very serious and just as expensive hobby if you are picky enough.

this hobby is very popular in Asia and europe where owning "real" firearms is not as easy. But it seems that the hobby is picking up here as well.

I have heard of police and military using airsoft guns for practice.

As i said the guns (handguns, sniper rifles, automatic assault rifles) are very close to appearance and function to the "real" ones except they are quite safe to shoot even indoors.

What needs to be emphasized however is that:

a) they are not nearly accurate enough to use for serious target practice. A quality air gun like IZH-46M should be used instead
b) they cannot be used for hunting varmint. You'd hit something but you would not kill it or even wound it.
c) they are not exact enough replicas of the real weapons to be used for safe dry-firing practice. Balance, weight, and especially TRIGGER PULL are very different from the real firearms in most cases.

The danger of Airsoft guns is that a stupid (or careless) person can get in a lot of trouble with one of those. Because they look virtually exactly like real firearms they can easily be mistaken for such and........(fill in the blanks).

so do not carry those in public. enough said!

airsoft versions of almost any type of weapon exist. shotguns, rifles, revolvers, pistols, automatic assault rifles, granades, etc. One can build quite a collection if so inclined.

If one can find enough like minded individuals and can organize a serious group for Airsoft games, it could just as much more fun as Medieval reenactment

I hope this is a bit informative.

Best,

alexi

[Sean Flynt]

It's tempting to think of these as a logical first step toward gun ownership, but I think that's backwards. These are toys. They require little maintenance, can be left unsecured, fire relatively harmless pellets at low velocity and people do use them to shoot at other people, property, etc. Those are the worst possible lessons for a person to learn before stepping up to firearms.

Much better, in my view, to first own a quality pellet rifle and learn all the appropriate safety, marksmanship and maintenance issues (because a pellet rifle is a lethal weapon, albeit with limited range). Then, when those lessons are second nature, maybe get airsoft toys and treat them the same way one should treat the real thing.

The problem is that habits don't stop just because the thing in your hand weighs a bit more than the thing you used to hold there. It matters if you sweep somebody with the muzzle of a firearm. It matters that your "play" area is a mile from a school playground. It matters if you jokingly point a weapon at something or someone. Form the good habits first.

I guess I'd just advise anybody who wants to get airsoft guns to learn as much as possible about the real counterparts and treat the toys with the same respect. Otherwise, they'll develop a Hollywood/gaming notion of firearms as toys, and that can be lethal when they acquire a real weapon.

[Randall Pleasant]

Sean

I fully agree. I have wasted way too much money buying these toys for my son. In regard to gun use and safety training they have no value. Plus, I have yet to see one that stayed functional beyound two weeks. The little red tip, which is to let police know that it is not a real gun, is always the first thing that breaks off. And when stepped on those little plastic BBs hurt more than most sharp pointed things.

[Alexi Goranov]

[Marty R.]

I tried to drown my hobby needs in airsoft for two years..I even have two vintage airsoft guns (mgc jac)..but my soul drawn by that implacable thread, and finding its way to the thirteenth century....I guess I don't have two much to say, but swords have brought me more satisfaction than any airsoft could. Pursue what ever works for you though. Have fun!

[B. Stark]

I have a higher end Classic Army airsoft gun. Modeled after the HK G-3, complete with collapsible stock, removable mag, bolt actuator(reveals the "hop-up" dial), functioning sights and it shoots about 300 fps out of the box, fire select for semi to auto fire, so on and so forth. Yes, they feel like and weigh like the real thing as well as superficially look identical to the actual rifle (hence the required blaze orange muzzle). These are VERY expensive TOYS. They are not all that useful for anything but wargaming. Though a face full of pellets at close range would be VERY painful if not permantely damaging(especially to the eye, but at close range it will blister the skin quite readily(even at 30+ yards you have no confusion about getting hit). They are alot of fun.

[Jon Kemper]

I also have a couple high end guns, a classic army SCAR-L and an ICS M-4. I'd have to agree that airsoft is almost completely usless for any kind of serious marksmanship practice. That said, I have used my KWA Glock to practice my draw for combat shooting.

Airsoft comes into its own in large, well organised milsim games. These typically last 8 or more hours and place heavy emphasis on realistic tactics. Airsoft games are typically more realistic than paintball, due to the realism of the guns, which allows real military equipment to be used. I'd suggest looking for a reputable airsoft association, they're becoming more popular. Make sure they stress safety, especially eye protection. You shouldn't be wearing anything less than a sealed and Z.87.1 ANSI rated set of goggles/glasses. (Weedwacker goggles are NOT acceptable, my SCAR will put a hole though them, and it's only shooting 370 FPS. Some guns can shoot 400+ FPS)

That said, airsoft guns are TOYS, albeit dangerous ones. There have been multiple instances of people being shot by police while brandishing airsoft guns. (Don't be stupid)

If you are going to get one, spend the extra money and get a good one. As a general rule, you get what you pay for. I'd stick with Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, ICS, KWA, or KSC. I personally have had no problems with these brands. I've heard western arms is good as well, I've just never used one. Whatever you do, DON'T get a cybergun. It will break.

[Mikko Kuusirati]

I've played airsoft on and off (mostly off, recently) for some time. It's fun, a lot like paintball with much cooler-looking guns.

I still have the first gun I bought, a Maruzen CA870 "Sawed Off" pump-action shotgun. The damn thing is as robust as anything I've ever seen, I've dropped it, fell on it, stepped on it, got snow and water in it, pretty much everything you could imagine, and after standard maintenace it's still working, literally as good as new. It's also as powerful and accurate as any high-end electric gun out of the box, and the pump-action design eliminates the rate of fire problems inherent in most hand-operated springers. And it was cheap, too! Put short, absolutely the overall best airsoft gun I've ever handled bar none. I usually rent an electric gun these days, having sold most of my gear and guns when I last stopped playing regularily, but I always bring the CA870 for backup.

For a beginner, all you really need is a gun (and I really do seriously recommend my beloved Maruzen CA870), a mask (something like the Sansei SG-5 should be good) and clothes you don't mind getting dirty (army surplus is a good choice). You can easily get all that for under 150 bucks, total.