The sport of air soft has been
all the rage the last few years, and its growth shows no
signs of slowing any time soon. But don’t let the name
of the sport fool you. An air soft gun shoots BBs at
speeds that can easily cause serious injury. If you’re
looking to learn about air soft, or you’re an
experienced player looking for a review, this article
covers the basics of the equipment and safety protocol.
The popularity of the sport likely stems from how
realistic the guns and scenarios are. Almost all air soft
guns are modeled after a real gun model (known as “real
steel”), modeling even the reloading mechanism and
weight. Players typically wear camouflage and work
together as teams to win the game. Like paintball, when
someone gets hit they are out of the game, either until a
new game starts or until a predetermined amount of time
has passed.
Air Soft Guns and Equipment
There are three main types of systems that an air soft gun
may use to shoot a BB. Electric powered guns, or AEGs
(automatic electric guns), use a battery pack to power the
shooting mechanism in the gun. These guns are by far the
most popular and, given their typically higher quality,
the most expensive of the three types. One advantage of
AEGs is that spare batteries are smaller and lighter than
spare gas canisters, so carrying backup power in the field
is easier.
Gas powered guns operate on a similar system to that of
most paintball guns. A gas canister, either attached to
the gun via a hose or physically attached to the gun,
pressurizes gas that is released to propel the BB out of
the barrel of the air soft gun. One neat feature that is
becoming more popular with gas-powered guns is call
blowback. Right after the gun shoots the BB, a small
amount of gas is used to power the reload mechanism. While
this uses more gas, it greatly increases the speed at
which one can fire in succession.
Spring-loaded guns are perhaps the least popular, simply
because they do not feature semi- or fully-automatic
capabilities. The spring must be recocked every time after
firing, obviously decreasing the rapid succession firing
capabilities of a player.
Air Soft Safety
Safety should be the primary concern of anyone using an
air soft gun in any situation. Six millimeter BBs
traveling at hundreds of feet per second will hurt when
they hit you - they can cause more serious damage if they
hit unexposed skin or the eyes. Needless to say, ALWAYS
wear eye protection (preferably whole face masks) when
playing air soft or when you are near air soft guns.
Covering unexposed skin, including your hands, neck, and
head, will also help reduce the risk of injury.
Even though you “play” air soft, air soft guns are not
toys. The same precautions taken with real steel should be
followed with air soft guns as well. While this is not a
comprehensive list, following the safety guidelines below
will help you stay safe.
• First and foremost,
always treat the gun as if it were loaded. Given the BBs
small size, it is markedly harder to tell if an air soft
gun is loaded than it is to determine if a real gun,
which uses bigger ammunition, is loaded.
• Use the gun’s safety when you are not actively
using it. After removing the safety, you should keep
your finger out of the trigger guard until right before
you are ready to shoot. This will help minimize
“friendly fire” incidents and keep everyone safer.
• Never point the air soft gun at something you’re
not going to shoot. This goes for when the gun is loaded
or not.
• Never store your air soft gun loaded. Double and
triple check to make sure the gun is completely unloaded
before storing it, and always store ammunition separate
from the gun.
A final note on safety: one disadvantage to the air soft
gun’s looking like a real gun is that law enforcement
officers and others usually cannot tell the difference
between the two. There have been several incidents where
an air soft gun was mistaken for a real gun, and terrible
things have happened because of the mistake. Only use your
air soft gun in controlled environments, and if it is
possible that someone may see you and confuse your gun for
a real one, the best thing to do is to contact the local
law enforcement agency and tell them what you are doing.
Air soft can be fun, exciting, and intense. Given the
nature of the sport, it is also dangerous, and no matter
how careful you are, injury may be sustained. However,
following the guidelines outlined in user manuals and this
article, the likelihood of your getting hurt can be
greatly reduced.
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