What to Know If You Want to Play Airsoft

Airsoft is a sport similar to paintball. However, there are also many differences. Firstly, I'm going to start off with some history. Airsoft was originally developed in Japan in the late 1970s. The main reason they developed it was to allow gun hobbyists to have an alternative to real firearms, because local laws didn't allow individuals to own real guns. There was a heavy emphasis on making them look like real guns, because of that reason. In 1981, paintball was developed in the United States. The two sports seem to have stuck to their origins. Paintball is much more popular in the United States and airsoft is much more popular in East Asia. In fact, paintball is almost non-existent in Asia.

Let's move on to some things you should know before playing airsoft. Airsoft is a lot like a military simulator, or a MilSim. Professionals create a kind of live action military roleplaying. Each team is assigned a mission, or a goal. They also receive a certain amount of ammunition, (which is a 6mm plastic BB) along with rations and any other suitable equipment. Teams will remain in play for the whole game, unless of course, there is a medical emergency, which allows the injured player to go to a designated "safe zone" where they can be helped. MilSim games will often last for days at a time. Sometimes, for real military training, they'll have real military vehicles, such as tanks. Most of the time, they use vehicles like vans or trucks.

You probably won't be starting out with a game like that. Starting off with simple free-for-alls or capture the flag matches would be a good idea. You also don't want extremely powerful guns, since you'll probably just be wearing a jacket and some pants. Airsoft guns have a certain FPS (feet per second). The higher the FPS, the more it's going to hurt. There are guns from about 75 FPS, all the way to 1,000. A good starting point is about 150 FPS. A good gun to start with would be a spring-loaded pistol. Spring-loaded guns require you to caulk it every time you want to shoot it. Spring-loaded guns keep it cheap and simple. If you want to go for a more expensive, less effort route, you can also go with an electric pistol. Most come with a rechargeable battery, but some require you to use AAs or 9 volts. The upside to an electric is, being able to keep shooting without having to caulk it. For more professional matches, you would definitely want an electric gun. You also want to be safe when you play, so you should wear some goggles, a jacket, and long pants. Airsoft pellets can hurt and it's, obviously, best to avoid injuries.

Unlike paintball, there is no way for the other player to know, for sure, if they hit their opponent. Therefore, airsoft is based on the honor system. If you are shot, you're expected to let your opponent know. If you ignore this, you won't make the game fun for anyone. Also, make sure everyone knows how the game rules work. If someone doesn't understand them correctly, it can turn into a mess. I've played a few games where the people didn't understand the rules correctly, which caused an argument. This can ruin your whole game, and nobody wants that.

You also need to know the airsoft laws in your state. It's against the law to own airsoft guns in some states, so make sure you're not illegally owning one. Different states also have different age requirements. Some require you to be 18 and some require you to be 21. You can NEVER take off the orange tip on your airsoft gun. It is illegal to do so. It may look cool, but it's not really worth it when a police man mistakes it for a real gun and shoots you. Some facilities that allow you to play airsoft at have their own age rules, maximum FPS rules, and other things. You need to know those rules before playing there.

I think that pretty much sums up what you need to know about airsoft. If you're still interested, make sure you do your homework. Find what guns will suit you bet, what your state laws are, and you might want to see if your friends will get involved. If this still sounds cool, then play some airsoft and have a great time!