Airsoft
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Airsoft is a modern combat sport or recreational hobby in which participants kill opponents by hitting each other with spherical airsoft pellets, launched from airsoft guns. Participants typically employ the use of varying types of weapons designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by modern military and police organizations.
Airsoft has its roots in late-1950s East Asia, specifically Japan where firearms were difficult or impossible to obtain due to local laws; sought a legal alternative for enjoying their passion. Airsoft is still today most popular in several Asian regions, such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and to a certain extent, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The vast majority of airsoft guns, accessories, and after market upgrade parts are also manufactured in these countries.
There is also a growing interest in North America and Europe, especially in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, Belgium (which is also visited by Dutch players, as the game is illegal in the Netherlands), and Denmark bolstered by an active and expanding Internet scene.
Methods and structures of play
Airsoft participants organize meetings, either indoors or outdoors, at dedicated airsoft battlefields to play a variety of games ranging from short-term skirmishes, organized scenarios, military simulations, or historical reenactments. Combat situations on the battlefield often involve the use of common military tactics to achieve the objectives set in each game.
Fundamentally, airsoft is a game played within a predetermined area where the objective is to "kill" the adversary. It is generally accepted that when a player is hit, they call themselves out, unlike paintball, which leaves visible marks on clothing. Some common game variations include Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Close Quarters Battle.
MilSim
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 millimetre 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.
Re-enactment
A popular basis for airsoft gaming is that of re-enactment, in which players put on clothing and equipment based on a pre-determined time period (for example, World War II) or a prominent military action, such as the Battle of Mogadishu. The game types played usually imitate combat of the time and often impose milsim-like restrictions on players.
Game modifiers
Special rules are often incorporated into airsoft games in order to make basic games more interesting or to increase "longevity" with seasoned players. These may include Medic rules and rules regarding hits to one's equipment.
Comparisons with paintball
Origin
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. 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 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.
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 stop on hitting clothing. 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 a slight pain on the area of impact. The pellets will sometimes not be felt by a player at very long ranges. In other cases, the sight of the blood or the sound of them hitting a player can be used as a positive indicator of a hit, if the player isn't admitting or feeling the pellets.
Kinetic energy
Kinetic energy transfer is relatively minimal in airsoft compared to that of paintball. A airsoft projectile weighing .2 grams and traveling at 300 feet per second (90 meters per second) transfers about 1 joules 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 250fps to 600fps. 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. This makes the game much more realistic, as an airsoft pellet will travel much less further than a real bullet.
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 and cost, they are roughly equivalent.[citation needed] 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 pellets are considerably cheaper to manufacture than paintballs.
Guns are usually the most expensive piece of equipment. A low-quality electric gun can cost $50-100 dollars USD, while a high-quality Tokyo Marui airsoft gun can be more than $200 USD. Custom guns can even cost more than $500 USD.The overall average for a high quality electric gun such as a Classic Army, is around $250 USD.
Legal issues
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 disginguish them from actual firearms.
Hazards of being mistaken for a real firearm
There have been a few highly isolated cases of airsoft guns being mistaken for real firearms,[citation needed] and some cases where armed law enforcement units have responded to tips of unlawful firearm use.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.
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.[citation needed] 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 with the intent of killing him. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black.[3]
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, the use or possesion of any kind of replica weapon, loaded or otherwise in a public place is an offence which can carry heavy fines.
Airsoft guns
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 the level of performance (battery life, range, magazine capacity) or realism the player requires.
Airsoft guns have three general classifications depending on their use in the game. These classifications are generally dependent on the pellets speed and energy generated. Besides the normal ranges, 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.
Generally speaking, most airsoft events classify airsoft soldiers by the weapons they use, which divides their weapons in to three main categories. Rifles, sniper rifles, and support weapons. Rifles are generally characterized by full buttstocks, and automatic gearboxes which employ electrically powered motors to wind back a piston attached to a spring, and release it, causing it to both hit a bb, and send air flying down the barrel, propelling the pellet forward. Depending on the quality of the gearbox, whether or not it is constructed of plastic or metal, what motor, or spring it has, this entire sequence of actions usually happens in an unfathomably short amount of time, allowing airsoft rifles to operate in fully automatic modes. Some sniper rifles operate on this principle, like the Classic Army SL8, but for the most part, airsoft sniper rifles, like their real counterparts, operate with a manually cocked bolt. This gives the sniper the advantage of having a accurate rifle, that is much more powerful than most Automatic Electric Guns, (AEGs), because he or she can pull back a stronger spring than can be moved by a small electric motor. The support weapon that has dominated the support role of airsoft weaponry for the past few years has always been the Classic Army M249. Whether in its full-stocked, and elongated barrel version, or in the M249P version, (featuring a shortened barrel, and collapsible stock), it has gained a reputation for power and reliability even when fired for long periods of time while putting down cover fire, due to its 8mm bearing high-torque flat gearbox. Like other suport weapons, it is usually accompanied by a large box magazine, capable of holding thousands of 6mm pellets. There are, however other support weapons, such as the Inokatsu M60 series, widely regarded as the highest quality M60 replicas in the world. Like the Classic Army M249, the Inokatsu M60 features entirely metal construction, (save for parts which, on the real gun, are plastic). Due to their rarity, and constuction of the utmost quality, most weapons made by Inokatsu cost upwards of $100 USD, which usually prompts any person interested in obtaining an airosft support weapon to buy the cheaper Classic Army, or Top M60 models, or simply transform a rifle into a support weapon, as many large box magazines are available for airsoft weapons such as the M16/M4 series, G3, G36, and AK47.
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, 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
Most airsoft models use plastic pellets ranging from 0.12 to 0.88 grams in weight, though the most popular weights are between .12 and .25 grams. Heavier rounds are used for sniping, and even though they may have shorter overall range due to their weight, quality airsoft sniping rifles, (especialy upgraded ones with powerful springs), have enough power to put the round where they want it, and the heavy rounds have greater mass and are less likely to move off-target due simply to air resistance. It is important to look at the box first to see what kind of ammo to use. Pellets are usually 6mm in diameter, but some guns shoot 8mm instead. Often some manufaturers make them poorly and they become deformed. Allowing this sort of bb to pass through the gun could hurt it and the hop up system. There are also small paintball pellets available for airsoft guns; although they can prevent deaths, they are prone to breaking in the gun, jamming in the gun, not breaking when hitting the target, and damaging components of the gun which will need repairs to function correctly. 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 .157 inches (4 mm) in diameter). The price of medium grade pellets range from $3.50, for a container of about 2000, to around $16 USD, for a large tub of about 10,000. Most pellets come slightly lubricated with a silicone spray.[citation needed]
Clothing
Most players typically wear military 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 advantage of camouflage, some participants aim to faithfully replicate a specific military (particularly in games such as MilSim).
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 2005 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 patters 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 practical needs similar to that of a real soldier such as being able to carry spare magazines, water, food or other equipment. The most common accessories are holsters and load bearing vests such as MOLLE, ALICE and the British PLCE systems. Some players even wear military-style helmets, such as the kevlar PASGT 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, 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 further, 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.
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 and holsters. Equipment is generally for increasing combat efficiency, but can be used to provide enhanced realism.
Backyard airsoft
Backyard airsoft is when a group of participants play airsoft in a public area. For example: A park, suburbs, abandoned buildings, in a backyard, etc. This airsoft category is highly popular amongst teenagers.
Mechbox
AEGs (airsoft electric gun) are powered through batteries, but what the battery powers is the question. Within the exterior of an AEG lies a Mechbox which is composed of gears, screws, cylinders, etc.
The Spring varies depending on what FPS you prefer, a spring with closer coils might be stronger than a spring with coils that are further apart. The spring goes onto a spring guide, which locks the spring into place. The spring slides into the Piston, which pulls back and creates air pressure within a Cylinder and is released through the Air Nozzle. The Air Nozzle slides back and forth by a small plastic piece called the Tapper Plate. Then there are the four gears, the first gear which makes contact with the piston is called the sector\center gear. After that gear is the middle gear known as the spur gear, followed by the bevel gear. The last gear is pressed onto the AEG's motor and it is known as the pinion gear. As with springs the gears can vary. There are speed gears, torque up gears, and genuine gears. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. There is a small piece that goes against the bevel gear which is called the Anti Reversal Latch, it stops the gears from moving backwards, and also prevents any unwanted stress on the motor. The gears spin and pull back the piston and from there a pellet is launched from the gun. To power all of this you need to pull the trigger which make two contacts touch and allows current to the motor which physically spins the three gears.
References
- ^ History of Airsoft: http://www.practicalairsoft.co.uk/history.asp
- ^ The Origins of Paintball: http://durtydan.paintballresource.org/www.durtydan.com/ddpis/3origin.html
- ^ The real problem with fake guns: http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2006/03/19/news-ralfakedraft2-03-19.html
See also
