from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airsoft Comparisons with paintball

Four players putting fire on an objective that they plan to attack.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 don’t leave marks on 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 receive tiny welts on their skin. The pellets can sometimes break skin at very close ranges. In other cases, the sight of the plastic pellets ricocheting off a player or the sound of them hitting a player can be used as a positive indicator of a hit.

[edit] 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 .8 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 a paintball gun. 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 further than a paintball.

[edit] Cost

To a new player choosing between airsoft and paintball, a beginning package for either is roughly equivalent in terms of apparel and cost.^{[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 $20-$70 dollars USD, while a high-quality Tokyo Marui airsoft gun can be more than $300 USD. Custom guns can even cost more than $2,000 USD.

[edit] Legal issues

Main article: Legal issues in airsoft

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.

Classic Army M15 Automatic Electric Gun

[edit] 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. 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.

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.

[edit] Airsoft guns

Main article: 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.

An example of a gas blowback airsoft pistol, in this case a replica of a SIG-Sauer P226

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 20 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 300 fps for safety reasons. Some high-powered and well-upgraded airsoft sniper rifles can fire 6mm pellets at velocities of about 550 fps, though these have posed serious threats, as there have been reports of helmets, masks, goggles, and even scopes cracked by sniper rifles. 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 $1000 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.

[edit] Grenades and launchers

Players can use simulated grenades, grenade launchers, mines, and claymores that do not utilize any explosives (pyrotechnics). Most of these “non pyro” devices are powered by green gas or a citric acid mix. The simulated 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 either, because most only produce a puff of flour when activated without actually firing pellets. The airsoft claymore mine are more expensive, but popular due to their effectiveness. Simulated 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.