Jul 28 2008
What is Airsoft?
Airsoft is a sport based around military style combat, commonly referred to as milsim. A majority of airsoft scenarios are based around participants trying eliminate their opponents with plastic bbs shot from airsoft guns. For the most part airsoft guns are designed to be close replicas of real firearms, the most popular being M16 and AK47, and are generally powered three ways: Gas (CO2, Green Gas, Red Gas), Spring Loaded, and Electric.
Unlike paintball which leaves a paint mark to indicate that a player has been hit, the bbs used in airsoft do not leave a visible mark. The fact that there is no way to accurately tell that a person has been hit means that airsoft games are based purely on the honor system. There are a number of people who believe that since airsoft is based on the honor system it is inherently flawed, yet airsofters tend to think that this type of game play leads to more group camaraderie.
One of the main draws of airsoft as a sport is its base in reenacting military engagements. This fact has lead to the development of a number of military like weapons used on today’s modern battlefield. Weapons such as sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and mines have been created to further the military simulation. There are hundreds of airsoft firearms to choose from in online retail stores that specialize airsoft guns, such as airSOCOM.com. Since there are some many guns there are many airsoft enthusiasts who collect various airsoft gun types, models and gear.
Many people wonder about the pain involved when being hit by an airsoft rifle. Most airsoft fields have a specific feet per second cap, and a majority of airsoft weapons fire between 200-400 Feet per second. At a moderate distance 200-300 feet per second shots can hurt, but since most airsoft players wear a combination of camouflage and tactical gear the pellets rarely leave a mark. Furthermore, it is strongly suggested that anyone using an airsoft gun should have on some type of wrap around eye protection, even if they are just test firing guns in their back yard.
Since a large majority of airsoft guns are full replicas of real life firearms there has been some legal issues surrounding the sport. To help distinguish airsoft guns form real guns all airsoft weapons must have a bright orange tip, removal or alteration of these tips is a federal offense. Currently, airsoft is completely legal in the United States but there are areas such as New York City and Chicago where they have been outlawed. Canadian law mandates that only airsoft guns with clear plastic bodies are legal.
For more information on airsoft guns, especially airsoft sniper rifles, make sure to check out airsoft-sniper-rifles.com. Airsoft-Sniper-Rifles.com is a daily blog dealing with all things airsoft.