Is Airsoft a Sport?
Airsoft is a sport designed to simulate military combat. It has various worldwide competitions, governing bodies, and sports federations. The game was invented in Japan in the late 1970s and early 1980s by airsoft gun manufacturer Marushin, based on their earlier manufacturing experience making actual guns for military use. 

Mechanically, airsoft games can be classified as either non-contact or contact depending on the nature of combat; most are non-contact games but some are contact variations such as "Airsoft Extreme" that have full body protection like paintball with an integrated protective mask (full face masks) and closed-cell foam padded armor.

Basics of Airsoft Game

The game is played with specific types of airsoft guns that can fire only plastic spherical projectiles, and must not cause permanent damage to an opponent on a hit (as this would be considered a real firearm in some countries). 

These guns come in many shapes and sizes from simple automatics to more complicated semi-automatics and spring loaders, but all obey the same basic principle: the projectile is launched by burning the gunpowder inside of the "BB" using a pre-compressed spring or gas propellant contained within the lower receiver. 

The projectile exits the barrel via a small hole in the upper chamber which is called "Hop Up", after which it flies towards its target. In the case of spring-loaded guns, the spring powers a piston that forces a BB into the barrel, while in gas-powered guns the burning propellant produces high pressure inside the gun barrel, forcing the BB out of it. 

All airsoft weapons which do not use solely blanks are considered to be very dangerous by most authorities and therefore need to be treated with caution when carried in populated areas.

Airsoft

How to Play Airsoft?

Airsoft, sometimes called airsoft guns or airgun combat, is a sport that has been popular since the 1980s. These guns were originally designed to provide players with a more realistic-looking combat experience and are usually powered by either batteries or compressed gas. 

There are three major types of play: games where participants fight against each other in teams; elimination games where one team is eliminated if the opposing team gains control over a specific area for an amount of time; and lastly there are games known as Skirmish which can involve both teams fighting against each other simultaneously.

Airsoft games involve a lot of combat. In the games that involve teams, players can be armed with gas airsoft guns or replicas of real firearms. During the elimination games, one team will be eliminated if they are unable to capture a certain designated area for the duration of the game. 

First Ever Airsoft Guns

The first blowback (gas) powered airsoft guns were made by Airgun Technologies in Japan in 1998. These first models of gas guns were not widespread due to the fact that there was no field-ready gear to support gas guns. 

The industry worked on this issue and manufactured many parts like buffers and bolt carriers in order to make the gun shoot better and make it easier for gamers to use airsoft sniper rifles made by other manufacturers. Since then, airsoft gear has evolved as an industry with more only companies coming onto the scene. 

This has allowed companies like Marushin, KJ Works, G&G, Colt, etc. to emerge into the market as industry leaders within this hobby. The airsoft gun can shoot either "dummy rounds" or "BBs". These bb's are made of hard plastic, usually containing no metals. Using bb's allows for shooting at opponents without causing permanent damage. 

However, this also means that one shot in the arm would be ineffective as it would bruise but not break the skin. Airsoft guns come with different velocity ratings depending on the performance and design of the airsoft gun, ranging from 300 ft/s to over 1000 ft/s.

Types of Guns Used in Airsoft

Airsoft guns are a type of airgun designed to shoot non-metallic pellets, usually made from plastic or biodegradable materials like cornstarch, with the most common being spherical. 

These guns come in many different forms, including pistols and rifles. They can be used for small game hunting, military simulation, and training - or as part of a hobby/sport called Airsoft. In recent years Airsoft has also become a competitive sport throughout the world. Let's have a look at different types of airsoft weapons:

1. Airsoft Guns

Airsoft guns are the most common form of Airsoft weapon. They consist of a hard plastic receiver and a spring-powered, blowback action. The main advantage of using an airsoft gun is that it does not require any gas or ammunition to operate (except for the pressure release valve). 

The disadvantage is that there is a very limited range and accuracy of these guns and they produce recoil, which can be felt by the gun's operator during long-range shooting, especially within 30 meters from their target.

Airsoft Guns

2. Airsoft Pistols

Airsoft Pistols are single- or double-action semi-automatic firearms with short barrels designed to produce low recoil and fast shooting speeds in addition to lower cost than full-sized rifles & carbines.

3. Airsoft Revolvers

An airsoft revolver is a repeating firearm that has a series of cylindrical chambers aligned with the barrel. The revolver allows the user to fire multiple rounds without reloading, simply by manually operating a repetitive sequence of motions with the hammer and trigger.

4. Airsoft Rifles

In firearms terminology, rifles are weapons designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has spiral grooves cut into the bore walls. 

The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile (usually a bullet) as it is propelled from the firearm's muzzle end, providing stabilizing rotational torque about the longitudinal axis of the barrel and causing gyroscopic spin stabilization.

Also Read: Airsoft Guns Under $50


Airsoft Equipment

Airsoft equipment is available in four main categories. 

  • The first consists of small parts such as accessories and attachments for the airsoft gun itself; these include mock suppressors for mounting on airsoft rifles and flash hiders for mounting on airsoft pistols. 
  • The second type encompasses airsoft replicas of real Kalashnikov AK rifles, the FN P90 personal defense weapon, Heckler & Koch P7M13, and AUG rifles; these are among the most expensive models. 
  • The third type consists of new-model firearms made by various brands sold under different names. 
  • The fourth category includes multiple brands of airsoft replica firearms, which are generally much heavier than a standard spring-powered gun and often more powerful in order to produce realistic recoil.

If you want to play airsoft, there is a lot of necessary gear. The best eye protection is a good pair of glasses or goggles. You should also wear long sleeves and pants to protect yourself from being hit by BBs, and a helmet for head protection. Don't forget safety gear! 

Play Airsoft with Airsoft Guns

Airsoft is a safe sport and rarely ever triggers any kind of accident. This is because airsoft guns don't fire real ammunition and do not have the option to do so. While there are players who believe that this makes the sport less realistic, there are many others who enjoy the safety aspect of it. 

Additionally, even though these guns may look like real firearms, they lack ammunition chambers or magazines, which are usually interchangeable with real guns. The primary purpose of most airsoft guns is recreational; Airsoft is a popular sport that involves shooting at opponents with replica firearms. 

Games can be played on any level ranging from casual backyard games to organized competitive events, as well as "shooting" practice (dry firing) done for recreational purposes.

In addition to genuine firearms, variants of the non-firearm type (paintball guns, spring-powered, or gas-powered) are also very popular. Although they still use a projectile launched at high speed, they do not use a projectile that can damage an opponent on impact as paintball guns do.