Airsoft

Four players putting fire on an objective that they plan to attack.

Airsoft is a modern combat sport or recreational hobby in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting each other with plastic ball bearings (BB's), launched from airsoft guns. Participants typically use varying types of weapons designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by military and police organizations. In North America and Europe, there is a growing interest in playing airsoft.

History

Airsoft Product Information Airsoft was developed in Japan in the late 1970s^[1] to provide an alternative for gun hobbyists because local laws prevented individuals from privately owning firearms. A heavy emphasis was therefore placed on making accurate replicas of real firearms. Many new Chinese guns are dominating the airsoft market because they are more affordable. They compete against established companies like Classic Army, I Chih Shivan, and Tokyo Marui. In contrast, paintball was developed in the United States in 1981^[2] as a variation of hide and seek tag, through the use of utility companies' paint marking guns, which mark power/utility poles, and continues to focus more on their function than their form or aesthetic qualities. Paintball has quickly gained greater popularity than airsoft in the United States. However, in East Asia, airsoft is much more popular and paintball is nearly non-existent. In the interests of a more family-friendly image, paintball as an industry usually avoids direct analogies to the military and war (seen by the movement towards spectator-friendly speedball). Similarly airsoft has taken a dual route, moving away from this (as seen in Airsplat) as well as embracing them. This sometimes extends to full MilSim play. For more information, see Public acceptance of paintball.

Methods of play

Main article: Airsoft game type variations

MilSim

Main article: MilSim

An airsoft/MILSIM player operating in a sniper role and wearing a realistic ghillie suit as camouflage.

MilSim (Military Simulation) generally combines airsoft play with some military live action role-playing elements. Several goals or missions are assigned to each team, along with a basic loadout of ammunition (6 millimeter pellets), rations, batteries, and other suitable equipment. The teams will remain in the field for the duration of play, only returning to a staging area or "safe zone" for medical emergencies, or other such circumstances. MILSIM-games often last several days, for example the large BERGET-event in Sweden lasts 6 days in a row, with no breaks. In larger scale MilSims vehicles as simple as painted vans and trucks will be used. But in some cases, such as Operation Irene, real APCs and tanks will be used.

Airsoft players at a World War II re-enactment. The player is holding a SIG 552 rifle.

Private vehicles representing an armoured personnel carrier.

Airsoft for Training

Many law enforcement departments and Military units are turning to airsoft for an effective, low cost, and safe means of force-on-force training^[3]. The low-impact projectiles allow military/LE to train anywhere - schools, businesses, airplanes, etc. Training in real-life environments conditions them to deal with real life situations. The inexpensive ammo lets military/police train more frequently and repeat drills dozens of time in each session with minimal budgetary impact. Since minimal protective equipment is required, this allows them to train with their actual duty gear and equipment. Using airsoft guns for training minimizes liability to both trainees, instructors, by-standers, as well as property owners.

Honor system

An "honor system" is employed whereby the players rely on each others' honesty to admit to being hit, because unlike paintball, the plastic pellets do not leave a surface mark distinguishable at a distance. Depending on the muzzle velocity of the gun and distance from which a person is shooting, the person on the receiving end of the shot will usually feel the impact but the pellets will sometimes not be felt by a player at very long ranges or when running strenuously, hence the importance of Marshals.

In certain countries such as the Philippines where large numbers of players often play every weekend in commercial airsoft venues, additional special rules have been adopted to increase safety and avoid unnecessary injury. All "real steel" firearms, explosives, and bladed weapons are banned at any airsoft battlefield to prevent harmful accidents or misunderstandings and confusion between real and simulated weapons. Simulated "knife kills" can be performed when a player touches or taps an unaware opponent instead of shooting him or her at point-blank range. Players are prohibited from firing blindly when not able to see their target, especially around corners. Harsh language and forceful physical contact between players is strongly discouraged. To avoid unnecessary disputes that disrupt the game, players are discouraged from calling hits on their opponent but are expected to call a marshal to judge how effectively they can hit their opponents. Players are expected to acknowledge being hit even if they are in doubt.

Dishonest players who fail to follow the rules or acknowledge their hits run the risk of being labelled and ostracized as "zombies" by the local airsoft community. Players are also expected to be discrete in transporting or carrying their gear so as not to unduly alarm the general public and force the law enforcement agencies to investigate an incident involving airsoft guns.

Kinetic energy

Kinetic energy transfer is relatively minimal in airsoft compared to that of paintball. An airsoft projectile weighing .2 grams and traveling at 300 feet per second (90 meters per second) transfers about 1 joule of energy. A paintball projectile weighing 2.84 grams and traveling at 300 feet per second transfers 11.8 joules. Although there is a considerable difference between airsoft and paintball energy levels (1 joule verses 12 joules), the type of collisions that occur (elastic airsoft vs. inelastic paintball) must also be considered (refer to Pellet Ballistics). Most airsoft guns are capable of shooting from 150fps to 400fps, though it is also possible to purchase upgraded springs for some airsoft guns that will enable 400 to 700 fps projectile velocities. A hop-up unit, if present, puts backspin on the pellet giving a slight upward arc. This gives an airsoft gun more range than an airsoft gun without a hop-up unit. Airsoft playing fields usually have rules specifying what velocity is allowed for each player position.

Cost

To a new player choosing between airsoft and paintball, a beginning package for airsoft is much cheaper in terms of hardware, but for apparel they can be roughly equivalent. Average $120 USD One major difference, however, can be seen in the cost of ammunition and upkeep of the packages - due to the type of ammunition used, airsoft guns are less prone to "jamming", and airsoft bbs (6mm) are considerably cheaper to manufacture than paintballs. Guns are usually the most expensive piece of equipment. Low-quality electric guns, commonly called LPEGs (low priced/powered electric guns) can cost from $5-70 depending on the quality, the MPEGs (Medium priced/powered electric guns) can cost in the range of $80-180 dollars USD, while a higher-quality AEG can be more than $200 USD. The overall average for a high quality electric gun such as a Classic Army or Tokyo Marui, is around $200-$1,500( or much higher) USD, depending on the model. Some custom guns can cost more than $2,500 USD. In Mil-Sim games, where the main aspect of the play is realism, equipment is usually much more expensive. Many Mil-Sim players choose to wear real gear (not an airsoft replica) and in some cases, real ballistic protective armor. This can raise the price of the game considerably, with guns and gear sometimes totalling in excess of $10,000 USD.

Safety

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Although airsoft guns operate on completely different principles from real firearms and are not lethal, basic airsoft safety should be followed to prevent the random chance of injury during play. The four fundamental rules of firearm safety are:

• Treat all firearms as if they are loaded and ready to fire.
• Always point the gun away from anything and everything that is not intended to be shot.
• Keep fingers away from the trigger and outside the trigger guard until ready to play.
• Always be sure of the target and what is behind it.

A close range shot from a BB on bare skin from a gun with a velocity over 400 FPS will usually break the skin and cause bleeding. Shots from over 100 feet will most likely not cause bleeding, but will leave a small bruise and cause pain, depending on the power of the gun. A BB can easily cause serious damage to the eye of a person not wearing eye protection. Therefore, a standard of safety guidelines and equipment has evolved in the airsoft community. Like many competitive sports, airsoft inherently involves a certain risk of injury. With proper use airsoft is a safe sport.

Airsoft player shooting from behind cover wearing goggles that fully seal the area around the eyes and a balaclava to protect the face.

Eye and Face Protection

The minimum safe level of gear required to participate in most games includes a pair of fully-sealing impact-rated goggles to protect the eyes of the participants. Traditional prescription glasses and sunglasses are almost never accepted as they will not prevent serious injury. Goggles not designed specifically for use with airsoft or paintball guns may break or shatter upon being struck, causing eye damage (although rare and easily prevented). For this reason many organized groups of airsoft players and fields require that eye protection fully seals the area around the eyes, and also meets or exceeds ANSI's Z87.1-2003 goggle standard for eye protection: the ability to resist 3 joules of impact energy without damage. However, it is not uncommon for players in less organized games to use shooting glasses, which do not provide complete protection from projectiles. It is worth noting, however, that Z87.1-2003 rated goggles are specifically intended for use in industry and manufacturing and are not for use in sports. Some players instead opt for paintball goggles, which are held to higher impact rating standards, ASTM's F1776.^[4] According to ANSI publications as of June 2006, The ASTM is currently developing a more specific standard for airsoft - ASTM Z1535Z - Standard Specification for Eye Protective Devices for Airsoft Sports.^[5] The best overall protection is currently offered by paintball masks. These masks provide an additional level of protection by covering the face, teeth, and ears, reducing the risk of injury to these body parts and the chipping or complete loss of teeth. The lens is a solid piece of impact resistant plastic. Some airsoft masks are made with mesh screens, though these screens do not offer protection from cheaper or bio-degradable BBs that sometimes fragment upon impact of hard objects.^[6] Safety zone for airsoft guns is 1fps-399fps, that zone is probably the safest zone to play in, whereas the closest strike from a gun with 399fps would only make a welt, while anything below 200fps probably would feel like nothing at all. Any gun over 400fps can injure someone. For more information regarding velocity limits and BB ballistics refer to airsoft pellet ballistics.

Airsoft replica of a H&K G36C. Note that this replica is not in use on a field, and therefore has the magazine removed (and the chamber cleared), and has a barrel bag placed over the muzzle

When not actively playing, many fields require "barrel bags," which were first introduced in paintball. Many airsoft guns, especially AEGs, come with small red plastic barrel blockers that fit over the muzzle, but these can be shot off the gun, and don't provide the quick visual check that a barrel bag does. The magazine is usually removed as well, and the gun fired to clear the chamber. Many fields also require players to leave their guns set to the safety position when they are not shooting, even during active gameplay. This is a practice taken from real firearms training, in which one never puts a finger on the trigger or takes the weapon off safe until ready to fire.

Blind Man

One commonly adopted practice is for players to shout the words "Cease-fire, Blind Man" or "Walker" and halt an ongoing game if a player or bystander is seen in the designated gameplay area without proper eye protection; goggles and a helmet. Any player hearing the words must, in turn, stop and also shout the words, resulting in a chain reaction which halts and alerts the whole game. Once the situation is resolved by properly removing the unprotected person from harm, the game is usually resumed at the same point at which it was stopped. A player is required to keep their face mask/goggles/shooting glasses on at all times. This is basic safety upon an airsoft site and this rule is always enforced by the marshal in charge to ensure that all players remain safe and no accidents occur during the gameplay.

Wildlife and Terrain Hazards

Because airsoft games are most often played in natural surroundings, animals can often interfere with these games and potentially be hazardous. In the Southwestern United States snakes offer one of the most significant threat especially the potentially deadly Diamondback rattlesnake. Many games in California institute a "snake call", whereby players have to yell "snake" when one is encountered to mark the location and warn other players. After a snake has been identified, that section of the field may be marked as out-of-bounds, or the game may be delayed until the threat is dealt with.

Whether in natural or built-up urban terrain, airsoft players can be subject to injury from terrain features such as slippery surfaces, steep slopes or heights, falls or trips, collisions with unseen obstructions, snags and sharpened objects, and even noxious substances (animal droppings, etc.). Scratches, bruises, contussions, and cuts, plus a few broken bones can easily occur in this type of activity. This is another reason (aside from high-velocity pellets) for the need for military-style protective gear such as head and neck armor, all-terrain boots, thickened gloves, knee and elbow pads, and full-length rugged attire. Airsoft players must be careful when running rapidly as well as in the dark to avoid injury from such hazards.

Legal issues

Main article: Legal issues in airsoft

Airsoft guns are for the strict use of players 14 and over (you must be 18+ to purchase one in most places), while supervision is recommended. Airsoft guns and playing airsoft is legal in most parts of the world, but not all. Some countries have specific restrictions such as maximum muzzle energy, rules against using the trademarks of real firearms, and orange tips to distinguish them from actual firearms. They are legal throughout the U.S, however due to high crime rates restrictions exist in certain cities such as Camden, NJ, Newark, NJ, Chicago, IL, and Detroit, MI. The states of New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Michigan do, however, allow airsoft guns to be used and handled publicly because of Federal and State laws that regard airsoft guns as toys.

Classic Army M15 Automatic Electric Gun

Hazards of being mistaken for a real firearm

There have been a few highly isolated cases of airsoft guns being mistaken for real firearms, and some cases where armed law enforcement units have responded to tips of unlawful firearm use. This is the main reason that laws require orange tips to be present on all "toy guns" (including airsoft replicas) imported into the United States 15 USC Sec. 5001 is the law 15CDR1150 is the Rule as implemented in the Federal Register -CITE- 15 USC Sec. 001 01/16/96 -EXPCITE- TITLE 15 - COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 76 - IMITATION FIREARMS -HEAD- Sec. 5001. Penalties for entering into commerce of imitation firearms .

 However, the effectiveness of such measures remains open to debate, because these tips can be easily removed or painted away. Furthermore, their use means that criminals can attempt to disguise real firearms as toys by painting the tip of the barrel orange, or vice versa.

The major distinction between a real firearm and an airsoft replica gun is the shape of the magazine feed area (which contains a round circular opening through which the pellets pass) and the low noise and blast of produced by the airsoft gun compared to a real-gun. Thus, releasing and removing the magazine can prove at close range the distinction between an airsoft gun from a firearm. Except perhaps for firearms that have sound suppressors, any person can easily judge that an airsoft gun is not like a real gun because it is much less noisy and lacks the muzzle blast and flame of a real gun. The most important characteristic, however, is the gun holder's intent and actions in using an airsoft gun, as with any real firearm; safe, prudent and discrete use, along with forthright honesty will help the gun holder to avoid any legal misunderstandings. A measure that is often employed by airsoft players is informing local law enforcement officials where and when airsoft games will take place, so that such misunderstandings can be avoided. The worst known case occurred in Longwood, Florida when 15-year-old Chris Penley threatened students with an airsoft pistol at his middle school and was subsequently shot to death when he aimed it towards an officer. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black.^[7] In many jurisdictions, using an imitation firearm to commit a crime (which often includes the generic term of "brandishing") carries the same penalty as if a real firearm were used because of the intent to kill. In the United Kingdom, airsoft replica's are classified as 'realistic imitation firearms' or RIF's, sales, manufacture or import of RIFs are restricted to activities that are exempted or have been granted a defence by the home office under the VCRA law passed in 2005 and came into force on October 1st 2007. Airsoft has been granted a defence and a skirmisher as defined under British law (that is an individual who is a member of an airsoft site that has public liability insurance) is allowed to purchase, manufacture or import airsoft replica's. A scheme set up by UK retailers, called UKARA recommends that an airsoft site only gives membership to a player who has played at least three games over a period of no less than two months. You do not need to be a UKARA registered player to purchase airsoft replica's from retailers however to protect themselves many retailers will only sell to UKARA registered players or players they personally know to be skirmishers as the law penalises the seller as well as potentially the buyer. Also the use or possession of any kind of replica weapon, loaded or otherwise in a public place is an offence under the 2003 'Anti-social behaviour order' law, this can carry heavy penalties except under specific conditions.

Airsoft equipment

Airsoft equipment encompasses many types of equipment used in the sport of airsoft, including the airsoft gun used to shoot airsoft pellets at opponents, safety goggles, and all sorts of tactical gear including vests, equipment holders, and gun accessories.

Airsoft guns

Main article: Airsoft guns

An example of a gas blowback airsoft pistol, in this case a replica of a SIG-Sauer P226

The guns used in airsoft are typically replicas of real firearms. Airsoft guns are classified according to their operating principle which can be either: spring–, electric– or gas-powered. An airsoft gun is selected according to the level of performance (battery life, range, magazine capacity) or realism the player requires. Airsoft guns have three broad classifications depending on their use in the game which in turn determines the pellets speed and energy generated. Besides the normal ranges or class, there are weapons designed for longer ranges, typically sniper rifles and shorter ranges (also called Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and usually of 200 feet or less). CQB situations include close range confrontations such as "house entry" where maneuvrability is more important than range or power. The airsoft guns used in these scenarios typically fire less than 360 fps to ensure safe operation. Some high-powered and well-upgraded airsoft sniper rifles can fire 6mm pellets at velocities of about 600 fps. So, most airsoft guns typically fire 200-450 fps, since they are used outdoors for most operations, balancing good speed and range with energy generated.

Grenades and launchers

Players can use grenades, grenade launchers, mines, and claymores that utilize explosives (pyrotechnics). Most of these "pyro" devices are powered by a gas. The hand grenades have many faults and therefore not as popular or common as grenade launchers like the M203 which launches a large number of pellets or foam slug rounds using green gas. And while most players, if they do at all use grenade launchers, will simply use an underbarrell launcher such as the M203, some players purchase heavier support weapons such as replicas of the Heckler & Koch 69 40mm grenade launcher, or a CAW revolving launcher, which can hold up to 6 40mm gas powered pellet grenades, (the pellet capacity of each grenade varies by its producer, and specified use, though grenades by MadBull Airsoft have been known to be able to fire over 200 pellets in a single shot), and shoot them in a semi-automatic mode. By using the Caw launcher, support gunners can get off up to 1224 rounds of 6mm ammunition in about 3 seconds. Mines are not popular in some cases either, because most only produce a mushroom cloud when activated without actually firing pellets, but an equally large amount of mines do fire 6mm pellets in large masses, similar to an M203 launcher. The airsoft claymore mine are more expensive in some cases, but popular due to their effectiveness. Anti-tank weapons exist such as the M-72, but they are not common or popular due to their weight and greater expense. These are rarely used in casual play but can be implemented when playing on an official airsoft field.

Airsoft projectiles

Main article: Airsoft pellets

6mm plastic pellets.

Most airsoft guns fire spherical plastic pellets ranging from 0.12 to 0.88 grams in weight, though the most popular weights are between .20 and .25 grams. Heavier rounds are typically used for sniping, as they are more stable in flight and thus, more accurate at long range. A more powerful weapon is required to push these heavier projectiles out to distances where this enhanced accuracy is useful, however. Pellets are typically 6mm in diameter, though 8mm varieties exist for specialty and sniping weapons. Pellet quality is important, as malformed pellets could easily damage the rifle and/or the hop up system. Paintball pellets are also available for airsoft guns, but are unpopular due to the incompatibility with hop up systems, as well as the potential damage they could cause if a pellet were to burst inside the gun. While airsoft pellets are often called BBs, the BB gun is so named because it originally fired BB-sized shotgun shot or metric ball bearings of .177 caliber (steel BBs are actually between .172 and .173 inches (4.5 mm) in diameter). The price of low grade pellets range from $3.50, for a container of about 5000, to around $10 USD, for a large tub of about 10,000. Higher grade pellets can cost as much as $10 USD for 2000 BBs. Most middle to high grade pellets come slightly lubricated with a silicone spray.

Clothing

See also: Military camouflage

Most players typically wear military battle-dress uniforms known as BDUs consisting of separate pants and shirts or jackets when playing, because it – just as with real soldiers – aids concealment from adversaries. Aside from the advantage of camouflage, some participants aim to faithfully replicate a specific force (particularly in games such as MilSim). Also common, especially among the newbie and non-regular players, are the so-called "contractor style" which combine civilian or tribal attire with isolated or mismatched military gear and attire. The choice of camouflage pattern of the BDUs is normally determined by suitability to the playing area, but sometimes simply local availability. Typically military surplus stores are a good source for such items. In the U.S. the most common pattern is "Woodland" camouflage pattern, but recently MARPAT (recently adopted by the United States Marine Corps) and ACU (adopted in 2006 by the United States Army) have also become popular choices in North America, but most European camouflage patterns are suitable with Flecktarn (Germany) being a popular alternative or even strictly commercial patterns such as Multicam. Similarly in Europe, local military uniforms are more readily available and probably more suitable to local conditions. Popular patterns include the German Flecktarn, British DPM or Swiss alpenflage.

Tactical gear

Players wear tactical clothing and accessories not only for the added realism, but to fulfill the practical needs similar to that of a real soldier. Such as being able to carry spare magazines, water, food or other equipment in specified vests. The most common are holsters, load bearing vests, and modular rigs such as MOLLE, ALICE, and the British PLCE systems. Some players even wear military-style helmets, such as the kevlar MICH helmet, or hydration systems, such as those manufactured by Camelbak.

Pyrotechnics

Some airsoft sites allow the use of pyrotechnics, which are small explosive-driven replicas of ordnance such as grenades. There are several types of pyrotechnics: pellet grenades which fire out pellets to replicate the shrapnel of a fragmentation grenade; smoke grenades which provide cover to move and fire from behind; and flashbangs/thunderflashes which emit a very bright flash of light (often accompanied by loud sound) for the purpose of disorientating and temporarily blinding/deafening the target.

The latest Airsoft grenades have much improved since their first introduction, Spectrum Pyrotechnics and TLSFX UK have done pioneering work in the development of much tougher grenades using rocket star burst shell cases, allowing them to be thrown much farther, ring pull fuses, and filling grenades with dry peas instead of paint balls or pellets, making them mostly biodegradable. The ring pull allows German stick type grenades for re-enacters and adds to the realism of ball grenades. Some players also create homemade pellet grenades with the use of fireworks and pellets enclosed in a casing, such as 35mm film canisters. Such items are often frowned upon, however, as they could be harmful to other players or the playing environment. Smoke grenades have also been improved with cool burning and much less toxic smoke. Use of old naval rescue smokes should be avoided, as the smoke used was never designed for possible inhalation.

Other equipment

A large amount of equipment exists for real world soldiers which is also usable in airsoft games. Military surplus stores can provide many items currently issued to the player's country but many airsofters go further and purchase other equipment that may have been used by a soldier or private military contractor. Some common examples are scopes, flashlights, picatinny rails, holsters, and silencers. Equipment is generally for increasing combat efficiency, but can be used to provide enhanced realism.

See also

• Airsoft guns
• Airsoft pellets
• Classic airsoft
• Japan Arms Collection
• Legal issues in airsoft
• List of Airsoft Manufacturers
• Paintball
• Airguns
• BB gun
• Laser tag

References