Post by kirk07 on Oct 10, 2008 14:51:18 GMT 8
Airsoft is a modern combat sport or recreational hobby in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting each other with spherical non-metallic pellets (called BB's) launched from a compressed-air gun (or Soft Air gun) powered by gas, manual spring-load, or an electrically-powered gearbox.
Airsoft participants organize meetings, either indoors or outdoors, at a 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. Participants typically employ the use of varying types of weaponry designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by modern military and police organizations.
History
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.
Safety
While airsoft guns are safe some of the safety precautions that anyone who is handling or shooting an airsoft rifle followed are: to wear protective lenses or goggles, to keep their finger off the trigger until ready to fire, and to only point the gun in a safe direction. Shooters are advised to never point their weapons at animals, nor at unprotected or non-playing people. There are more safety precautions that are included in the user manuals for airsoft weaponry. The power source of the airsoft gun, be it gas, a manual thingying spring, or an electric motor does not affect how safe or unsafe the gun is.
The majority of airsoft guns are operated by an electric motor and powered by a battery. While usually safe when unmodified, any work done to the electrical system can pose an inexperienced airsoft player a shock or fire hazard. This is normally only an issue when the airsoft gun is used with a power source it is not rated for, such as a low end electric gun using a battery with a voltage that is higher than what is recommended.
A close-range (5 feet) shot from an airsoft BB on bare skin from a gun with a velocity over 300 FPS can break the skin and cause minor bleeding. If playing with a t-shirt or thin clothing it may possibly make a small bruise. A shot two feet or closer to the eye area can cause serious injury and possible blindness. For this reason eye protection is mandatory for all players.
As a rule of thumb energy levels should be fairly below 350 feet per second or approximately 107 meters per second (penetration level, see Airsoft Pellets Ballistics for details). While it hurts for a few seconds up close, it only stings for a second from long range on the flesh.
Because airsoft games are most often played in natural surroundings, animals can often interfere with these games and potentially be hazardous. These vary between countries and regions.
Whether in natural or built-up urban terrain, airsoft players can be subject to injury from terrain features such as slippery surfaces, steep slopes or heights, falls or trips, collisions with unseen obstructions, snags and sharpened objects, and even noxious substances (animal droppings, etc.). Scratches, cuts, bruises, concussions, and sprains, plus a few broken bones can easily occur in this type of activity. This is another reason for the need for military-style protective gear such as head and neck armor, all-terrain boots, thickened gloves, knee and elbow pads, and full-length rugged attire. Airsoft players are careful when running rapidly as well as moving hastily in the dark to avoid injury from such hazards.
Although there is a considerable difference between Airsoft and paintball energy levels, the type of collisions that occur (elastic airsoft vs. inelastic paintball) must also be considered (refer to Airsoft Pellets Ballistics).
Kinetic energy is the energy that is transferred from the pellet to its target upon impact. One joule of energy will be transferred at a fps of 330 with a BB at the weight of .20g. A typical set of limits on guns might be 330fps for CQB, 400fps for outdoors and 550fps for bolt action sniper rifles, all measured with a .20g BB. The level of kinetic energy goes up and down depending on the weight of your BB and how fast your gun can propel that weight of the BB. There are certain places that play no FPS limit games.
In the United Kingdom, the energy limit for all Airsoft is usually one joule (328fps with a 0.2 gram 6 mm BB) regardless of the type of game play.
Most Airsoft guns are capable of shooting from 150 FPS to 400 FPS, though it is also possible to purchase upgraded springs for some Airsoft guns that will enable 400 to 600 FPS projectile velocities.
A hop-up unit, if present, puts backspin on the BB. This backspin generates lift and gives the BB a greater effective range. With too much applied hop, the BB will arc skywards; too little and it will fall to earth prematurely. Hop up can vary with the weight of the BB, .12 gram BBs are more affected by the backspin than the heavier .20 gram BBs The range of any Airsoft gun depends on both the fps at the muzzle, and the amount of HOP applied. Airsoft guns can have a range of 250 feet or more with enough power, the right barrel, and ammunition as well as a good hop-up unit. The hop-up rubber or bucking is also what retains the BB in the barrel until firing.
A player and any observer near an airsoft game site is required to keep their face mask, goggles, or shooting glasses on at all times. This is a standard safety requirement upon an airsoft site and this rule is always enforced by the marshal in charge to ensure that all players and observers remain safe and no accidents occur during the gameplay.
All players must immediately stop shooting when a person without eye protection is encountered in the playing area. One commonly adopted practice is for players to shout the words "Cease-fire, Blind Man!," "Heads up, Pedestrian!," "Noncombatant!," "Clear man!," "Walker!," "Civilian!" or "Unarmed personnel!" and halt an ongoing game if a player or bystander is seen in the designated game play area without proper eye protection: goggles and a helmet. Any player hearing the words must, in turn, stop and also shout the words, resulting in a chain reaction which halts and alerts the whole game. Once the situation is resolved by properly removing the unprotected person from harm, the game is usually resumed at the same point at which it was stopped. It may be smart to move to a different area after a safety call so you don't give away your location.
Some other rules such as a maximum BB velocity and distance guidelines are used in different ways by groups depending on their location. Various locations often offer similar safety rules with slight variations. In order to encourage the mixing of segmented communities into a larger community that can more easily engage each other, certain organizations have created safety rules and guidelines for players to share the field under common understanding and to band together in safe environments.
When not actively playing, some fields require "barrel bags," also known as barrel condoms, which were first introduced in paintball. Many airsoft guns, especially AEGs, come with small red plastic barrel blockers that fit over the muzzle. The magazine is usually removed as well, and the gun fired to clear the chamber. Many fields also require players to leave their guns set to the safety position when they are not shooting, even during active game play. This is a practice taken from real firearms training, in which one never puts a finger on the trigger or takes the weapon off safe until ready to fire.
In certain countries such as the Philippines where large numbers of players often play every weekend in commercial airsoft venues, additional special rules have been adopted to increase safety and avoid unnecessary injury. All "real steel" firearms, explosives, and bladed weapons are banned at any airsoft battlefield to prevent harmful accidents or misunderstandings and confusion between real and simulated weapons. Players are also expected to be discreet in transporting or carrying their gear and combat-style uniforms so as not to unduly alarm the general public and force the law enforcement agencies to investigate an incident involving airsoft guns. Pyrotechnic devices and effects may be allowed under special circumstances, but are rarely employed, because of the added danger to property or to the participants from fire and explosions.
Real Steel??
There have been unfortunate instances in which an airsoft replica firearm have been mistaken (by police, and also by armed citizens) for a real steel firearm. In these rare cases players must know how to act; dropping the gun when told to by anyone with a real gun, keeping hands in sight, remaining calm, following instructions, saying that the gun is a toy, but staying still, compliant and otherwise quiet while waiting for the person with the real gun to inspect the airsoft.
Some safety precautions you can take so that no confusion arises are: not removing the orange tip, informing surrounding public about airsoft, and playing in private areas.
The major distinction between a real firearm and an airsoft gun is the shape of the magazine feed area, which contains a round circular opening through which the pellets pass. Thus, releasing and removing the magazine can assist in distinction between an airsoft gun and a firearm.
There have been countless cases of airsoft guns being mistaken for real firearms, and many cases where armed law enforcement units have responded to tips of unlawful firearm use. This is the main reason that American federal laws require minimum 6mm (approx. 1/4") orange tips to be present on all "toy guns" (including airsoft replicas) transported within and imported into the United States.
However, the effectiveness of such measures remains open to debate, because these orange tips can be easily removed, covered, or painted away at any time. One prominent case occurred in Longwood, Florida when a student threatened fellow classmates with an airsoft pistol and was subsequently shot dead when he aimed it towards an officer. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black.[13] Airsoft players will generally do anything to avoid using the orange tip on their guns because it makes them more visible at a distance when they play. The majority of airsoft guns now lack orange tips even if they originally had them, even in localities that require them, so this type of legal regulation would be impractical to enforce in all instances. This is often the norm if the airsoft gun is used only in private or restricted game locations that are not usually accessible to law enforcers. Furthermore, theatrical or movie productions may require the absolute lack of any markings that would distinguish a replica gun from a real gun, so there are regulated exceptions to the orange-tip rule.[14]
Furthermore, their legal imposition means that criminals can attempt to disguise real firearms as toys by painting the tip of the barrel orange, or vice versa. According to the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, "Federal regulations state that fake guns must be sold with orange tips. But there's nothing in the books to prevent airsoft owners from painting those tips black or, for that matter, from painting orange tips onto real guns." For police departments that are already hampered by a lack of resources to enforce America's laws on actual firearms, the additional task of tracking down and constantly monitoring non-lethal replica guns could result in much more lax enforcement of the orange-tip rules.
Gears
Airsoft equipment encompasses many types of equipment used in the sport of airsoft, including the airsoft gun (called AEG) used to shoot airsoft pellets at opponents, safety goggles, and all sorts of tactical gear including vests, equipment holders, and gun accessories. Although our comrades nowadays try so hard to look like their favorite action stars in a war movie, it may seem like the gears are a staple...hehehe
Players wear tactical clothing and accessories not only for the added realism, but to fulfil the practical needs similar to that of a real soldier. One such example is the ability to carry spare magazines, batteries, propellant gas canisters, water, food, or other equipment in specified vests. The most common are holsters, load bearing vests, and modular rigs such as MOLLE, ALICE, and the British PLCE systems. Many players also wear a hydration system in hot conditions or when they plan on staying out for an extended amount of time.
Gun bags or gun cases that can be padlocked allow airsoft guns to be transported in private or even public vehicles without the risk of damage or careless access by non-owners. Airsoft guns need to be carried discreetly and away from the public eye and it is usually impractical to bring the guns in the original boxes. These gun cases usually have extra padding and multiple compartments to stow the gun parts, accessories, batteries, and ammunition in an organized manner.
(souce: wikipedia)
Airsoft participants organize meetings, either indoors or outdoors, at a 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. Participants typically employ the use of varying types of weaponry designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by modern military and police organizations.
History
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.
Safety
While airsoft guns are safe some of the safety precautions that anyone who is handling or shooting an airsoft rifle followed are: to wear protective lenses or goggles, to keep their finger off the trigger until ready to fire, and to only point the gun in a safe direction. Shooters are advised to never point their weapons at animals, nor at unprotected or non-playing people. There are more safety precautions that are included in the user manuals for airsoft weaponry. The power source of the airsoft gun, be it gas, a manual thingying spring, or an electric motor does not affect how safe or unsafe the gun is.
The majority of airsoft guns are operated by an electric motor and powered by a battery. While usually safe when unmodified, any work done to the electrical system can pose an inexperienced airsoft player a shock or fire hazard. This is normally only an issue when the airsoft gun is used with a power source it is not rated for, such as a low end electric gun using a battery with a voltage that is higher than what is recommended.
A close-range (5 feet) shot from an airsoft BB on bare skin from a gun with a velocity over 300 FPS can break the skin and cause minor bleeding. If playing with a t-shirt or thin clothing it may possibly make a small bruise. A shot two feet or closer to the eye area can cause serious injury and possible blindness. For this reason eye protection is mandatory for all players.
As a rule of thumb energy levels should be fairly below 350 feet per second or approximately 107 meters per second (penetration level, see Airsoft Pellets Ballistics for details). While it hurts for a few seconds up close, it only stings for a second from long range on the flesh.
Because airsoft games are most often played in natural surroundings, animals can often interfere with these games and potentially be hazardous. These vary between countries and regions.
Whether in natural or built-up urban terrain, airsoft players can be subject to injury from terrain features such as slippery surfaces, steep slopes or heights, falls or trips, collisions with unseen obstructions, snags and sharpened objects, and even noxious substances (animal droppings, etc.). Scratches, cuts, bruises, concussions, and sprains, plus a few broken bones can easily occur in this type of activity. This is another reason for the need for military-style protective gear such as head and neck armor, all-terrain boots, thickened gloves, knee and elbow pads, and full-length rugged attire. Airsoft players are careful when running rapidly as well as moving hastily in the dark to avoid injury from such hazards.
Although there is a considerable difference between Airsoft and paintball energy levels, the type of collisions that occur (elastic airsoft vs. inelastic paintball) must also be considered (refer to Airsoft Pellets Ballistics).
Kinetic energy is the energy that is transferred from the pellet to its target upon impact. One joule of energy will be transferred at a fps of 330 with a BB at the weight of .20g. A typical set of limits on guns might be 330fps for CQB, 400fps for outdoors and 550fps for bolt action sniper rifles, all measured with a .20g BB. The level of kinetic energy goes up and down depending on the weight of your BB and how fast your gun can propel that weight of the BB. There are certain places that play no FPS limit games.
In the United Kingdom, the energy limit for all Airsoft is usually one joule (328fps with a 0.2 gram 6 mm BB) regardless of the type of game play.
Most Airsoft guns are capable of shooting from 150 FPS to 400 FPS, though it is also possible to purchase upgraded springs for some Airsoft guns that will enable 400 to 600 FPS projectile velocities.
A hop-up unit, if present, puts backspin on the BB. This backspin generates lift and gives the BB a greater effective range. With too much applied hop, the BB will arc skywards; too little and it will fall to earth prematurely. Hop up can vary with the weight of the BB, .12 gram BBs are more affected by the backspin than the heavier .20 gram BBs The range of any Airsoft gun depends on both the fps at the muzzle, and the amount of HOP applied. Airsoft guns can have a range of 250 feet or more with enough power, the right barrel, and ammunition as well as a good hop-up unit. The hop-up rubber or bucking is also what retains the BB in the barrel until firing.
A player and any observer near an airsoft game site is required to keep their face mask, goggles, or shooting glasses on at all times. This is a standard safety requirement upon an airsoft site and this rule is always enforced by the marshal in charge to ensure that all players and observers remain safe and no accidents occur during the gameplay.
All players must immediately stop shooting when a person without eye protection is encountered in the playing area. One commonly adopted practice is for players to shout the words "Cease-fire, Blind Man!," "Heads up, Pedestrian!," "Noncombatant!," "Clear man!," "Walker!," "Civilian!" or "Unarmed personnel!" and halt an ongoing game if a player or bystander is seen in the designated game play area without proper eye protection: goggles and a helmet. Any player hearing the words must, in turn, stop and also shout the words, resulting in a chain reaction which halts and alerts the whole game. Once the situation is resolved by properly removing the unprotected person from harm, the game is usually resumed at the same point at which it was stopped. It may be smart to move to a different area after a safety call so you don't give away your location.
Some other rules such as a maximum BB velocity and distance guidelines are used in different ways by groups depending on their location. Various locations often offer similar safety rules with slight variations. In order to encourage the mixing of segmented communities into a larger community that can more easily engage each other, certain organizations have created safety rules and guidelines for players to share the field under common understanding and to band together in safe environments.
When not actively playing, some fields require "barrel bags," also known as barrel condoms, which were first introduced in paintball. Many airsoft guns, especially AEGs, come with small red plastic barrel blockers that fit over the muzzle. The magazine is usually removed as well, and the gun fired to clear the chamber. Many fields also require players to leave their guns set to the safety position when they are not shooting, even during active game play. This is a practice taken from real firearms training, in which one never puts a finger on the trigger or takes the weapon off safe until ready to fire.
In certain countries such as the Philippines where large numbers of players often play every weekend in commercial airsoft venues, additional special rules have been adopted to increase safety and avoid unnecessary injury. All "real steel" firearms, explosives, and bladed weapons are banned at any airsoft battlefield to prevent harmful accidents or misunderstandings and confusion between real and simulated weapons. Players are also expected to be discreet in transporting or carrying their gear and combat-style uniforms so as not to unduly alarm the general public and force the law enforcement agencies to investigate an incident involving airsoft guns. Pyrotechnic devices and effects may be allowed under special circumstances, but are rarely employed, because of the added danger to property or to the participants from fire and explosions.
Real Steel??
There have been unfortunate instances in which an airsoft replica firearm have been mistaken (by police, and also by armed citizens) for a real steel firearm. In these rare cases players must know how to act; dropping the gun when told to by anyone with a real gun, keeping hands in sight, remaining calm, following instructions, saying that the gun is a toy, but staying still, compliant and otherwise quiet while waiting for the person with the real gun to inspect the airsoft.
Some safety precautions you can take so that no confusion arises are: not removing the orange tip, informing surrounding public about airsoft, and playing in private areas.
The major distinction between a real firearm and an airsoft gun is the shape of the magazine feed area, which contains a round circular opening through which the pellets pass. Thus, releasing and removing the magazine can assist in distinction between an airsoft gun and a firearm.
There have been countless cases of airsoft guns being mistaken for real firearms, and many cases where armed law enforcement units have responded to tips of unlawful firearm use. This is the main reason that American federal laws require minimum 6mm (approx. 1/4") orange tips to be present on all "toy guns" (including airsoft replicas) transported within and imported into the United States.
However, the effectiveness of such measures remains open to debate, because these orange tips can be easily removed, covered, or painted away at any time. One prominent case occurred in Longwood, Florida when a student threatened fellow classmates with an airsoft pistol and was subsequently shot dead when he aimed it towards an officer. The orange tip mandated by US Federal law had been painted black.[13] Airsoft players will generally do anything to avoid using the orange tip on their guns because it makes them more visible at a distance when they play. The majority of airsoft guns now lack orange tips even if they originally had them, even in localities that require them, so this type of legal regulation would be impractical to enforce in all instances. This is often the norm if the airsoft gun is used only in private or restricted game locations that are not usually accessible to law enforcers. Furthermore, theatrical or movie productions may require the absolute lack of any markings that would distinguish a replica gun from a real gun, so there are regulated exceptions to the orange-tip rule.[14]
Furthermore, their legal imposition means that criminals can attempt to disguise real firearms as toys by painting the tip of the barrel orange, or vice versa. According to the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, "Federal regulations state that fake guns must be sold with orange tips. But there's nothing in the books to prevent airsoft owners from painting those tips black or, for that matter, from painting orange tips onto real guns." For police departments that are already hampered by a lack of resources to enforce America's laws on actual firearms, the additional task of tracking down and constantly monitoring non-lethal replica guns could result in much more lax enforcement of the orange-tip rules.
Gears
Airsoft equipment encompasses many types of equipment used in the sport of airsoft, including the airsoft gun (called AEG) used to shoot airsoft pellets at opponents, safety goggles, and all sorts of tactical gear including vests, equipment holders, and gun accessories. Although our comrades nowadays try so hard to look like their favorite action stars in a war movie, it may seem like the gears are a staple...hehehe
Players wear tactical clothing and accessories not only for the added realism, but to fulfil the practical needs similar to that of a real soldier. One such example is the ability to carry spare magazines, batteries, propellant gas canisters, water, food, or other equipment in specified vests. The most common are holsters, load bearing vests, and modular rigs such as MOLLE, ALICE, and the British PLCE systems. Many players also wear a hydration system in hot conditions or when they plan on staying out for an extended amount of time.
Gun bags or gun cases that can be padlocked allow airsoft guns to be transported in private or even public vehicles without the risk of damage or careless access by non-owners. Airsoft guns need to be carried discreetly and away from the public eye and it is usually impractical to bring the guns in the original boxes. These gun cases usually have extra padding and multiple compartments to stow the gun parts, accessories, batteries, and ammunition in an organized manner.
(souce: wikipedia)
