Airsoft

Airsoft refers to a sport or recreational pastime in which players participate in the simulation of military- or law enforcement-style combat using replicas of real firearms, collectively called airsoft guns.

Airsoft is popular in several Asian regions, such as Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, and, to a certain extent, the Philippines and Indonesia, where firearms are difficult or impossible to obtain due to local laws. For this reason, the vast majority of airsoft guns, accessories, and aftermarket upgrade parts are made in these countries.

There is also a growing interest in North America and Europe, especially in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Poland, 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

Classic Army M15A4 AEG

Fundamentally, airsoft is a game played within a reasonably large predetermined area - generally outdoors as in paintball, where the objective is to "hit" or "tag" other players with the projectile fired from an airsoft gun (termed a "BB"). Unlike paintball or laser tag where hits are almost always obvious, however, airsoft games usually function on an "honor system" - airsoft BBs generally do not leave any visible marks on clothing, and although they can sometimes cause welts on the skin, this is not a practical or reliable method of judging hits. It is generally accepted that when a player is hit, they will declare it, usually by raising their hand, shouting "Hit!", and then leaving the area, or sometimes merely lying down and remaining "dead in place", depending on the specific rules of the match.

Standard Skirmish

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 as a foundation for confrontation in firefights and other simulated military-style combat.

In contrast to a standard skirmish, which can be played in under an hour and repeated several times per day, MilSim games put less emphasis on speed and more emphasis on military tactics, such as scouting, land navigation, patrolling, and movement to contact. As a result MilSim games are usually scheduled to last 3-6 hours or more, and can often run over an entire weekend of play time. In more elaborate cases, games may be played overnight, so strategic elements such as setting up observation posts, sleeping quarters, maintaining perimeter security and the like are added to the experience.

Another aspect of MilSim-style airsoft gaming that ties into the live action element is the global desire for players to look and feel the part they are playing. Hence, MilSim-style games may have uniform or clothing requirements specific to the scenario being played.

Reenactment

Airsoft players in a World War II reenactment, fighting for the side of the Wehrmacht, guarding a piece of mock artillery. Note that while the player's uniform is accurate to the time period, the SIG 552 he is holding is not.

On occasion, airsoft games will be played in which the structure and/or conditions are designed to emulate a specific real-world battle as a form of historical or modern reenactment, depending on the historical period. This type of play can vary from a simple skirmish emulating a small-scale battle (like Pegasus Bridge) or a large-scale reenactment of the Battle of Mogadishu or the Battle of the Bulge.

For earlier historical eras such as that of World War II, equipment restrictions may be imposed on players for some historical accuracy. This may include restricting players to the use of replicas of firearms that were available during the historical battle. To include players without the correct airsoft guns, organizers may set up rules restricting them to semi-automatic fire or restricting the amount of ammunition they may carry (to better simulate firearm performance of that era and ensure equal capability among players).

How closely the historically-based airsoft game replicates the historical battle is up to the game organizer. Sometimes a historic battle will merely be inspiration for the structure of a standard skirmish, while sometimes the players may be actual reenactors seeking another way to enjoy their hobby.

Game modifiers

It is often the case that specialized rules are implemented to introduce certain tactical or strategic elements to gameplay. These can vary widely from game to game.

Examples of popular game rule modifiers include:

Medics: Selected players are able to "revive" "dead" team mates, who must usually stay "dead" in place until they are "healed".
Weapon hits: Players are required to switch to their side arm if they take a hit to their primary weapon.
Ammo limits: Restrictions on the amount of ammo available to a specific team, player, base or round of play.
Immortals: Selected players who cannot "die" or die only under special conditions.
Mercy rules: Players who sneak up on opponents are allowed to call out "mercy" to eliminate them without having to shoot/tag them.

In Hong Kong, they will call 'Bingo'.

Respawn

Waiting for a round to end isn't very enjoyable for most players, especially in longer games, so respawning may also be added to the rules. This allows an eliminated player to run to a designated base and then return to play afterwards, sometimes after a short delay. This may, however, lead to "spawn camping" which happens when a player is forced to respawn while surrounded by enemies, thus dying again almost immediately.

Safety Precautions

Airsoft player shooting from behind cover. Note the safety gear; the goggles that fully seal the area around the eyes, and the balaclava to keep the face protected.

Being hit with a BB on bare skin is usually only mildly painful, but at its worst, it can be dangerous or even lead to serious injury (such as when being hit in the face). 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, but it is the consensus of most players that airsoft is a fairly safe activity when appropriate precautions are observed.

Personal Protective Gear

Eye and Face Protection

The minimum safe level of gear required to participate in most games includes a pair of impact-rated goggles to protect the eyes of the participants. Traditional prescription glasses or sunglasses are almost never accepted as an they can cause a serious injury, and the player runs the risk of permanently losing their vision in that eye.

For this reason nearly all 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 (resists 3 joules of impact energy without damage). Some players will opt for paintball goggles, which are held to higher impact rating standards, ASTM's F1776. [1] 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.

According to ANSI publications as of June 2006, The ASTM is currently developing a more specific standard for the sport - ASTM Z1535Z - Standard Specification for Eye Proctective Devices for Airsoft Sports. [2] (see page 12)

The best overall protection is offered by paintball masks. These masks provide an additional level of protection by creating a full seal around the face and ears. The lens is a solid piece of impact resistant plastic. Most airsoft masks are made with mesh screens, though these screens do not offer protection from cheaper BBs that fragment upon impact of hard objects.

Other Safety Precautions

Some other rules such as a maximum BB velocity and distance guidelines are used in different ways by groups depending of their location. For more information regarding velocity limits and BB ballistics refer to Airsoft pellets#Pellet ballistics.

Airsoft replica of a H&K G36K. 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 blockers, such as "barrel bags" or "barrel condoms" 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 of the gun, and it doesn't provide for the very quick visual check that a barrel bag does. The magazine is usually removed as well, and the gun fired to clear the chamber.

Blind Man

One commonly adopted practice is for players to shout the words "Blind Man" and halt an ongoing game if a player or bystander is seen in the gameplay area without proper eye protection. Any player hearing the words must in turn stop and also shout the words, resulting a chain reaction which halts and alerts the whole game. Once the situation is resolved (by removing the person from harm or properly protecting them), the game is usually resumed at the same point at which it was stopped.

Comparisons with paintball

Airsoft was developed in Japan in the late 1970s 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 world firearms. In contrast, paintball was developed in the United States in 1976 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), while airsoft embraces them. This sometimes extends to full MilSim play.

For more information, see Public Perception of Paintball.

Many question how airsoft players know that they hit their target or have been hit by an opponent. Unlike paintball, which leaves paint on impact (depending upon shot distance and if the ball breaks), it is possible that airsofters will take a hit and because of their apparel or gear, are not able to feel the BB strike. The audible sound of a hit or seeing a BB bounce off are often used as alternative indicators, but in all cases, an honor system is required to be used among players. Further incentive to abide by such rules of the game is added by close-knit airsoft communities that often have little tolerance for cheating. In many cases, paintball requires the same honor system, as paintball hits can be hard to see in the heat of battle and can be wiped off by dishonest players.

Kinetic energy transfer is relatively minimal in Airsoft compared to that of Paintball. A standard 0.68 caliber paintball averages a weight of 2.84 grams. Paintball fields limit the maximum allowable muzzle velocity to be 300 feet per second in most events. A paintball projectile weighing approximately 2.84 grams and traveling at 300 feet per second is able to transfer approximately 11.8 joules of energy. Although there is a considerable difference between airsoft and paintball energy levels, the type of collisions that occur must also be considered (refer to Airsoft pellets#Pellet ballistics for more information).

To a new player choosing between airsoft and paintball, a beginning package for either is roughly equivalent in terms of apparel and cost. 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 BB's are considerably cheaper to manufacture than paintballs.

There is considerable debate between players of the two sports over which is preferable, though overall the two communities function seperately.

Legal issues

Airsoft guns and playing airsoft is legal in many 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 special marking requirements (such as brightly colored barrel tips). This can sometimes draw airsoft into the "grey area" of law, where airsoft gun occupies a niche in between toy guns and firearms.

Sample Airsoft Laws from Around the World

In Japan and the United States, the restrictions on airsoft guns are fairly light, while in Canada and other countries, airsoft is much more strictly regulated.

Japanese airsoft guns are legal but may not shoot with a muzzle energy above one (1) joule.
Airsoft guns entering the United States are considered to be "toy guns" for legal purposes, and therefore must have a blaze orange tip present during sale and transport. All Airsoft replica bb guns include a safety orange muzzle tip (at least 1/4 of an inch) in accordance with Federal law. Any attempt to remove the orange tip is a violation of Federal law.
In Australia, Airsoft guns are much more heavily regulated, as they are imitation firearms according to law, which means that, they cannot look like a real firearm, and if a replica looks like a real weapon, it is legally restricted (You need a class A firearms Licence and written concent from police in your state or territory, AIRSOFT IS COMPLETELY ILLEAGAL IN QUEENSLAND).

Airsoft Australia is aiming to get airsoft redefined as a sport and allow it to be legally accepted. This will only be possible by restrictions on how replicas can be obtained (Over 18 and an airsoft specific licence (is hoped) to be required of the player), for protection of the sport in general and others.

In Canada, if an airsoft gun fires above a specific muzzle velocity (500 ft/s) and delivers a specific kinetic energy on impact (5.7 joules) then it is classified as a Firearm under the Criminal Code of Canada.
In the United Kingdom, the purchase, sale and import of replica firearms has recently become the subject of a proposed bill which may stop the importation of new weapons, essentially killing off the sport as new players will only be able to borrow existing weapons.
In Hong Kong, all airsoft guns are legal but may not shoot with a muzzle energy above two (2) joule.

Hazards of being mistaken for a real firearm

There have been many 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. In rare cases, individuals have also been shot by police officers after failing to yield to warnings because of airsoft guns' focus on realistic weapon reproduction. 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. However, the effectiveness of such measures remains open to debate, because these tips are usually 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. 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.

In many jurisdictions, using an imitation firearm used to commit a crime (which often includes the generic term of "brandishing") carries the same penalty as if a real firearm were used.

Airsoft in schools

Perhaps the most common legal issue involving airsoft guns in the United States involves possession in schools. The punishment can depend on the intention and use, but common actions include a temporary suspension or permanent expulsion. 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 dead when he aimed it towards an officer. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black. [3]

Airsoft equipment

Airsoft equipment encompasses many types of equipment used in the sport of airsoft, including the 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

The guns used in airsoft are typically replicas of real firearms. Airsoft guns can be divided into three groups by what powers them: spring-, electric- or gas-powered.

The choice of airsoft guns is either determined by either the performance (e.g. battery life, range, pellet magazine capacity) or the realism required (players might want to recreate a specific military force with the correct clothing and equipment). Though the most popular choice at the moment is electric as often reliability, and range are better from a stock electric rifle than any other form of power.

The most popular airsoft guns are replicas of the real firearms; the AR-15 and its variants, guns in the Kalashnikov family, the FAMAS, the G36 series, the Sig Sauer assault rifles, or the MP5.

Airsoft projectiles

Some 6 mm plastic airsoft pellets. (Note the edges on the sides of the pellets, indicating that they are not of the best quality)

Most Airsoft models use plastic pellets between 0.12 and 0.88 grams in weight, and approximately 6 mm in diameter. However, a few guns shoot 8 mm pellets instead. Most popular weights are between .20 and .35 grams. There are small paintballs for airsoft guns, but they are prone to break in the gun and could cause damage.

While airsoft pellets are often called "BBs", The term BB is a misnomer; the BB gun is so named because it originally fired BB sized shotgun shot, which is about 0.177 inches (4.5 mm) in diameter.

Airsoft hop-up devices apply a backspin to the pellet so that the pressure force acts on the pellet opposite to the direction that gravity is pulling it. This causes the pellet to fall less over a given distance than it would without the spin applied to it.

Clothing

Most players typically wear BDUs consisting of separate pants and shirts or jackets when playing, because it not only provides protection against the impact of the plastic pellets, but just as with real soldiers it helps conceal yourself from opponents. Some participants also aim to faithfully replicate one or other military force by their choice in clothes, equipment and weapons.

The choice of camouflage pattern of the BDUs are normally determined by which pattern suits an area best or simply by what is locally available. Typically military surplus stores are a good source for such items and in the U.S. this is normally in the "American Woodland" camouflage pattern, but recently MARPAT (as used by the United States Marine Corps) and the ACUPAT (as used by the United States Army) have also become popular choices in North America.

Similarly in Europe their 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 would be more popular.

Tactical gear

It's fairly common for players to wear tactical items such as vests and holsters using the MOLLE or ALICE systems. Drop-leg holsters are quite common, though belt holsters are sometimes used also. Some gear that airsofters use can be replicas. These replicas would offer a lower price, along with lower quality materials and durability. However, there are a couple of exceptions, one of Guarder's FSBE, a replica of the Full Spectrum Battle Equipment, have been said to have durability and quality that is significantly higher than most other replicas.

Along with vests, holsters, and magazine holders, other gear utilized by real soldiers in the field are often employed by airsofters. One such example can be the Camelbak system, best described as a canteen worn on one's back with a "bite" that leads to the users mouth that allows drinking on the move. Other pieces of equipment used by airsofters are handles or vertical grips, and stock accessories like a telescoping stock.

It is always good to carry around a couple of spare clips especially high cap magazines. High cap magazines are magazines that carry more ammunition then the regular magazine for the particular gun. These do not feed as efficiently as the regular magazine would because every so often you would have windup the spring inside the Mag, which not only is an inconvenience but could possible reveal your position due to the constant clicking sound. With lower quality Mag's it is possible to overwind the Mag at which point the Mag is useless.It is basically a sport for war hungry losers.

Other equipment

Airsoft players usually buy other types of equipment that help them play more effectively, including clothing, tactical gear, gun accessories, and even items like night-vision goggles.